Charlotte Jewish Film Festival 2016 coming up

Rock in the Red Zone

It's time once again for the annual Charlotte Jewish Film Festival, which has grown from a 2-film event in 2005 to a year-round organization which sponsored 23 films at 28 events in 2015. The festival is one of the city's largest film oriented events, as well as one of the most popular.


While events and films go on all year, the major festival programming takes place in February and March. The Core Series of films screen at Temple Israel and Regal Ballantyne Village Stadium 5 from Feb. 20 thru March 13. The Sundays at Lake Norman screenings take place at Our Town Cinemas in Davidson on Feb. 21, Feb. 28 and March 13. The films selected for the festival range through many genres and are generally new releases. Most have Jewish connections and/or cast, and all are unlikely to be screened elsewhere in the region, no matter how many (international) awards they have achieved.

The first three films of the Core Series take place at Temple Israel, with tickets including some special events:

Feb. 20: Dough (2015), a British "dramedy" telling the story of a Jewish baker with a Muslim apprentice, stars Jonathan Pryce. Special guests will be at the screening, which will be followed by a dessert buffet.

Feb. 21: Rock in the Red Zone (2015), an Israeli documentary set in the Negev, where attacks that send the population into bomb shelters gives rise to a new and distinct musical genre. The film won the Best Documentary audience award at last year's Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival. The Charlotte screening will be followed by a live musical performance by the film’s star Avi Vaknin.

Feb. 24: Surviving Skokie (2015), is a documentary about the reaction of a group of Polish holocaust survivors who relocated to Illinois when a neo-Nazi group plans a march through their town. Filmmaker Eli Adler and his father Jack, who is the primary focus of the film, will attend the screening and meet with the audience.

Other Core Series films, screening at the Regal in Ballantyne, include:

Apples in the Desert

Feb.27: Apples from the Desert (2014), the adaptation of a popular Israeli play which is the winner of numerous film festival awards. A dessert buffet sponsored by Diamonds Direct follows the screening.

Feb. 28: Breakfast at Ina's (2015), documentary about Chicago's "Breakfast Queen." Ina Pinkney and director Mercedes Kane invite guests to join them for noshes made from Ina’s own recipes after the film.

Breakfast at Ina's

March 2: Mr. Kaplan (2014), Uruguay’s 2014 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submission.

March 5: Wedding Doll (2015) stars Moran Rosenblatt, winner of Best Actress at the Israeli Academy Awards and the Jewish Film Festival. 

Wedding Doll

March 6: Sabena Hijacking – My Version (2015), a finalist in the Israeli Academy Awards, this suspenseful docu-drama is based on previously undiscovered audio recordings of former pilot Captain Reginald Levy who was in command of the Sabena Flight 571 from Brussels to Tel Aviv on May 8, 1972, when it was hijacked by four members of “Black September.”

March 9: The Midnight Orchestra (2015, Morocco), winner of the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the World Film Festival Montreal. 

The Midnight Orchestra

March 12: Once in a Lifetime (2014, France), winner of awards at the Boston Jewish Film Festival (2015 Audience Award), Toronto Jewish Film Festival (2015 Micki Moore Award for Best Narrative Film) and Santa Barbara International Film Festival (2015 Audience Award).

March 13: A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015), Israeli film based upon the international best-seller, was an official selection at Cannes.

March 13: Serial (Bad) Weddings (2014), a politically incorrect French comedy that caused a sensation in Paris. Dessert buffet follows screening. 

Sabena Hijacking - My Version

The Sundays at Lake Norman screenings at 4 p.m. offer residents in the northern county the opportunity to see three of the festival films:

Feb. 21: Sabena Hijacking – My Version
Feb. 28: Mr. Kaplan
March 13: Serial (Bad) Weddings

 An All-Access Pass to the 12 Core films runs $115. More information on each film, passes and individual tickets to all events are available through the Charlotte Jewish Film Festival website.