Jewish Film Festival features Israeli student films and movies of all genres
The movies come from many countries, but opening night is devoted to the films of students whose school was closed after the October 7 attacks on Israel. The St. Louis Jewish Film Festival features Israeli student films and movies of all genres. The opening night of the festival will feature five student films from Sapir College, which has an Israeli film school. These films were shot at a kibbutz where 30 of its students, faculty, and alumni were killed. The festival's director, John Wilson, stated that these films help others explore and expand what it means to be human. The last day of the event will be April 18, featuring a documentary about photographer Roman Vishniac about his experiences in Eastern Europe.
Published : 2 months ago by Daniel Neman, daniel neman in Entertainment
The movies in the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival might be made by Jewish filmmakers or be about real or fictional Jewish people. But according to John Wilson, they — like all stories — are about the human condition.
“Opening day we’re doing something incredibly special, in that we’re showing five student films from Sapir College,” which has an Israeli film school. “They were just a few weeks away from their own film festival that they do; it was going to be late October.”
Sapir is two miles from the Gaza border. Although the school itself was not attacked, 30 of its students, faculty and alumni were killed, according to the college website. The campus remains closed now, but virtual learning resumed in late December.
The five short student films shown on opening night of the festival here will serve as the film festival the students never got to have. One film’s student producer, Yasmin Hoffman, will attend the screening to talk about the experience.
Hoffman’s film, “Elinor,” was shot at a kibbutz where the security team had to fight off terrorists on Oct. 7. Another is a documentary about an intellectually disabled woman; her father was killed in the attack and her mother was abducted and later killed. A third is a documentary about shelters; it features a 79-year-old man who was abducted in the raids.
“What I’m most passionate about is for us, the Jewish Film Festival is not only about excellence but it is also about being relevant. I think these films help others explore and expand what it means to be human.
April 16 is a catch-all day. At 3:30 p.m., “The Catskills,” a documentary about the legendary collection of New York resorts that primarily attracted Jewish patrons from the 1920s-1980s (think “Dirty Dancing”) will be preceded by a short, “Heritage Day,” about an 8-year-old girl who becomes obsessed with the Holocaust after dressing up as her grandmother, who was a survivor.
At 7 p.m., the movie will be “Love Gets a Room,” a British and Spanish film (in English) about a Jewish actress in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II who must decide whether to flee or stay behind with the man she loves.
The festival’s last day, April 18, is another catch-all. At 3:30 p.m., there will be the documentary “Vishniac,” about photographer Roman Vishniac, who took pictures of Jewish life in Eastern Europe from 1935 to 1938, told largely by his daughter.
Topics: Jewish