Israel and Palestine produce some of the world’s best films, and this summer we screen five of them at Bemis Hall on Sunday afternoons (Jul 8, 15, 22, 29, Aug 5 at 2 PM), repeating each on Thursday evenings (Jul 12, 19, 26, and Aug 2, 9 at 7:30 PM).
In selecting these award-winning narrative and documentary films, our goal was not to focus on politics and conflict, but rather on great filmmaking.
No charge. Complimentary light refreshments.
Questions? Call Steve Low: 781-259-1300.
The Band’s Visit
Sunday, July 8, 2 PM & Thursday, July 12, 7:30 PM
Writer/Director: Eran Kolirin. Runtime: 87 minutes
A sensitive, heart-warming tale of an Egyptian police band that arrives in Israel to play at an Arab cultural center but gets stranded in the wrong town with no buses until morning.
Winner of eight “Best” 2007 Jerusalem Film Academy Awards (actor, actress, supporting actor, director, screenplay, costume design, music), three “bests” at Cannes, and many more worldwide. The Broadway musical adaptation just won ten Tony Awards.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWYlLb0jm8U
Ajami
Sunday, July 15, 2 PM & Thursday, July 19, 7:30 PM
Writers/Directors: Scandar Copti & Yaron Shani. Runtime: 124 minutes
Winner of five Ophir (Israeli Oscar) Awards, this Oscar-nominated film was co-written and directed by a Palestinian born and raised in Israel and a Jewish Israeli. A dramatic thriller with five linked stories set in Ajami, a Christian and Muslim Tel Aviv neighborhood.
To fully appreciate this remarkable film, following its screening please stay for the brief “extra” that stunningly reveals the secret of how it was made.
Trailer: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077262/videoplayer/vi3525903385?ref_=tt_ov_vi
Speed Sisters
Sunday, July 22, 2 PM & Thursday, July 26, 7:30 PM
Director: Amber Fares. Runtime: 78 minutes
A documentary. The Speed Sisters are the first all-woman race car driving team in the Middle East. They have sped their way into the heart of the gritty, male-dominated Palestinian street car-racing scene. Weaving together their lives on and off the track, the film takes us on a surprising journey into the drive to go further and faster than anyone thought you could.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2HO45B4yvQ
A Special Event: Film and Live Performance of Moroccan Music by
Beth Bahia Cohen, Mohamed Mejaouru (native of Essouira) and Boujemaa Razgui (native of Marakesh)
They Were Promised the Sea
Sunday, July 29, 2 PM & Thursday, Aug 2, 7:30 PM
Director: Kathy Wazana. Runtime: 74 minutes
A documentary. Between 1961 and 1964, 250,000 Moroccan Jews emigrated to Israel. This beautiful and poignant film explores why they left, the struggles they faced in their new home, and their pride in preserving the Arab-Jewish culture they left behind. Beautifully photographed in Israel, New York, and Morocco, the film is a poetic and musical essay on loss and longing, on hope and coexistence.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tNkLkFuQrM
In Between
Sunday, Aug 5, 2 PM & Thursday, Aug 9, 7:30 PM
Writer/Director: Maysaloun Hamoud. Runtime: 103 minutes
Nominated (two wins) for twelve Ophir (“Israeli Oscar”) Awards and winner of numerous international festival awards, this Israeli film focuses on three young Palestinian women—each from a very different background—who share an apartment in Tel Aviv as they try to find a balance between traditional and modern culture. An ensemble acting tour de force. “…a perfect movie for the moment,” says A.O. Scott’s New York Times review.