SHTTL: Director: Ady Walter | Ukraine / France | 2022 |  Drama | Yiddish | English & Chinese Subtitles | 114 min
Featuring an in-person introduction and discussion with Director Ady Walter

Preceded by THE BOY: Director: Yahav Winner | Israel | 2023 | Short/Drama | Hebrew | English Subtitles | 25 min

OPENING NIGHT
Followed by our Famous Kosher Dessert Buffet

VENUE: MCL Cyberport Cinema

Screening: Saturday, 11 November, 7:30pm
Tickets: Adults HKD 380 | Students/Seniors HKD 280

SYNOPSIS

SHTTL: French director Ady Walter’s remarkable cinematic accomplishment was recorded in a single-shot on a set built in a forest outside Kiev. This evocative and visually compelling film takes place in a Jewish village the night before the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Ady places the story of an assimilated Jew returning to his village to rescue his beloved from an arranged marriage, against a multi-character story of shtetl life that is about to be destroyed. Featuring an eminent international cast that includes Moshe Lobel and Saul Rubinek, the actors trained to speak Yiddish and Ukrainian. Many of the crew are now fighting in the current war in Ukraine. Ady will travel to Hong Kong to give us his personal views on this vital story.

THE BOY: Avinoam and Barak, a father and son from the Gaza Strip,each face the approaching war in their own way. Barak wants to stop everything andAvinoam wants to stop Barak. They both comfort each other. One night when Barakdisappears, Avinoam will be forced to accept that his child needs help

SHTTL (片名)

導演：阿迪沃特 | 英國、烏克蘭、法國 | 2022 年意第緒語戲劇，配中英文字幕 | 114分鐘

CLICK HERE FOR SHTTL TRAILER

Director: Haim Hecht |  Israel | 2012 | Documentary | English / Hebrew / Polish | English Subtitles | 65 min
Jerome Hoberman, Music Director and Conductor of The Hong Kong Bach Choir & Orchestra, will join us in-person to provide his insight into the story of The Return of the Violin.

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Sunday, 12 November, 12:00pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

A young Jewish boy [Bronislaw Huberman] from Czestochowa, Poland, plays the violin with such virtuosity that a nobleman gifts him a 1731 Stradivarius, which he later plays in front of composer Johannes Brahms. While playing at Carnegie Hall in 1936 Huberman’s violin is stolen. Forced to flee Europe at the onset of World War II, he emigrates to Israel where he establishes the Israeli National Orchestra (the present day Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra) and rescues hundreds of Jewish musicians from Nazi Europe. In this documentary, American violinist Joshua Bell reveals the compelling story of the violin, which was only recovered in 1985.

Director: Maxim Pozdorovkin| USA | 2022 | Animated Documentary | English | 90 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Sunday, 12 November, 1:50pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

This startling animated documentary addresses an insidious, centuries-old conspiracy theory that continues to rear its ugly head today: the idea that Jews have a secret international plot to control the world. Filmmaker Maxim Pozdorovkin and a host of talented voice actors including Mayim Bialik, Liev Schreiber, Jason Alexander, and Ben Shenkman connect the dots of hate and fear, walking us through almost 250 years of antisemitic ideology, and focusing on how times of uncertainty give rise to hatred and increase anxieties in marginalized populations.

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Director: Igal Lerner| Content Advisor: Erez Fridman | Israel | 2021 |  Documentary | Hebrew | English Subtitles | 60 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Sunday, 12 November, 3:35pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

Yair Shamir joins us in Hong Kong to present this film which intertwines personal testimonies with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage to reveal the personal and public history of his father Yitzhak Shamir, former Prime Minister of Israel, a ground-breaking leader who impacted the Middle East for decades.

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Director: Philippe Le Guay | France | 2021 | Drama / Thriller | French | English Subtitles | 114 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Sunday, 12 November, 5:20pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

After a Jewish couple in Paris sells their basement storage unit to a former history teacher (“The Intouchables'” François Cluzet), they discover his secret life as an antisemitic conspiracy theorist. As the couple struggles to rescind the sale, the buyer befriends their naive teenage daughter.

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Director: Ofir Raul Graizer | Israel /Germany / Czechia | 2022 | Drama | Hebrew / Arabic / English / English Subtitles | 127 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Sunday, 12 November, 7:30pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

An Israeli swimming coach, living in Chicago, returns home after 10 years of absence to bury his estranged father. An encounter with a beloved childhood friend, and his Ethiopian fiancé, sets a series of events in motion that will affect everyone’s lives. This visually arresting story moves between a flower shop and an ancient monastery, between a swimming pool in Chicago and the Mediterranean, between life and death – and somewhere in the middle.

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SPONSORED by The Dorfman Family
SUPPORTED by The Consulate General of Germany in Hong Kong,  Consulate of Israel in Hong Kong and Macau

Director: Barry Avrich | Canada | 2022 |  Documentary | Engish | 84 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Monday, 13 November, 7:00pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Rosalie Silberman Abella was determined from a young age to defend the rights of those who faced injustice. After her family relocates to Toronto in 1950 she studies law and, at 29 years old, was appointed a judge, becoming both the youngest and the first pregnant judge in Canadian history. Looking back on an illustrious career that included being the first Jewish woman to sit on the Supreme Court of Canada, it is clear that Abella’s vision for an inclusive, diverse, and equitable Canada resonates to this day, and that we are closer to that ideal thanks to her contributions.

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Director: Mordechai Vardi | Israel | 2022 | Drama | Hebrew | English Subtitles | 108 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Monday, 13 November, 8:35pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

A compelling story of a young ultra orthodox couple coping with barrenness and the effects of a traumatic event. Beautifully acted, and at times disturbing, the film raises fundamental questions about religion and faith, presenting a complex view of the insular community where the difference between good and bad is not always clear cut.

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SUPPORTED by Consulate of Israel in Hong Kong and Macau

Director: Gudis Schneider | Israel | 2022 | Comedy | Hebrew | English subtitles| 93 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Tuesday, 14 November, 7:00pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

Elik & Jimmy: A witty and charming romantic comedy, Elik and Jimmy meet while serving in the Israeli army, days before they’re discharged. He’s an overweight corporal, she’s a beautiful officer, but there is chemistry between them. As they meet again, through the years, the spark is still there. He wants her yet she resists. Only in their 30’s, older and wiser, can Elik and Jimmy start becoming friends… and more?

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Director: Giuseppe Piccioni |  Italy | 2022 | Drama | Italian | English Subtitles | 125 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Tuesday, 14 November, 8:50pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

In 1938 Italy, after the promulgation of the racial laws, fascist-abiding restaurateur Luciano believes he can still live by his own rules inside his business. Everything changes when he hires Anna, a girl with a dangerous secret. A resonance with Europe’s flirtation with modern-day facism can be felt in every scene in this mesmerizing period thriller.

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Director: Giuseppe Piccioni | Italy | 2022 |  Drama | Italian / English Subtitles | 99 min

VENUE:  Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Wednesday, 15 November, 7:00pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

The story of a young French ultra-Orthodox woman and a divorced Italian farmer who both long to break free. Even though she is deeply unhappy and desperate to leave the faith, Esther has accompanied her father on their annual trip to Southern Italy to harvest etrogim – ‘kosher lemons’ – for the religious holiday of Sukkot. Elio, the non-Jewish owner of the farm, is grateful for their visit as it helps the farm financially. Alla Vita is a film that understands the power of subtlety. It isn’t flashy or melodramatic, nor is it interested in undermining those who choose to live a life of devout faith. Instead, it’s much more driven by its characters’ desire for a life that is truly meant for them.

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SPONSORED by The Green Family
SUPPORTED by Italian Institute of Culture in Hong Kong, Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong, Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau

Director: Jake Paltrow |  USA / Israel | 2022 | Drama | Hebrew / English Subtitles | 105 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Wednesday, 15 November, 9:00pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

This empathetic and humanistic film looks at the infamous trial of Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the mass extermination of Jews during the Second World War. Depicting the events preceding Eichmann’s 1962 execution, Director Jake Paltrow has a unique take on the impact of the event on the Israeli society of the time. Following the perspective of the three main characters, a 13-year-old child, Eichmann’s prison guard and an investigator for the prosecution, we see a light, but gripping, way to delineate the story of this national defining event.

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Director: Noam Kaplan | Israel | 2023 | Action/ Drama | Hebrew / Arabic | English Subtitles | 80 min

VENUE: K11 Art House

Screening: Thursday, 16 November, 7:00pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

In an alternative version of contemporary Israel, Nurit Bloch, a profiler, wants a child. A future. The only solution is to find a surrogate. At the same time her groundbreaking algorithm, designed to identify individuals planning to carry out terror attacks fails and a young Palestinian woman assassinates the Israeli minister of Space and Tourism. In order to ‘fix the bugs’ in her algorithm, Nurit organizes a series of interviews with the assassin, with deep philosophical and political implications.

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SUPPORTED by Consulate General of Israel in Hong Kong

Director: Yvan Attal | France | 2021 |  Drama | French | English Subtitles | 138 min

VENUE: K11 Art House

Screening: Thursday, 16 November, 8:35pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

This intriguing film challenges the very timely #MeToo debate narrative. Should all rape victims be believed no matter what? Does the accused always deserve to be sentenced to the maximum punishment? How does public discussion influence our views? By showing us the different perceptions that Mila and Alex have of what happened, but also examining how two very different cultures and lifestyles cross paths over one night, we’re left with the question “which version of their stories is the truth?”

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Director: Krzysztof Lang | Poland | 2022 |  Drama | Polish | English Subtitles | 117 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Saturday, 18 November, 7:30pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

In this Romeo and Juliet coming-of-age story set against the volatile backdrop of late-1960s Communist Warsaw, Hania and Janek are young and madly in love. Around them students are protesting against the unlawful expulsion of their colleagues from the university and Jewish citizens are being persecuted in a series of antisemitic purges.  Things spiral out of control, leading to a powerful climax set during the infamous events of March 1968. Intercut with archival footage from those days, this powerful, gripping film depicts the momentous collision of history and romance.
(Warning: Adult Content)

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Director: Marco Carmel| Israel / France | 2022 | Comedy | Hebrew / English / French / Spanish / Arabic / English Subtitles | 81 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Saturday, 18 November, 9:45pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

Set in the heart of magical Jerusalem, this comedy of mistakes is the story of a friendship between two women at a critical point in their lives. Louise, a French Jewish lawyer, arrives in Israel to finalize an important deal. Her driver, Neta sees an opportunity to profit off of Louise, and decides to stick with her at any cost. Together, as they wander the narrow alleyways of the Old City of Jerusalem, they discover a secret connection between an ultra-Orthodox woman and a Christian man who communicate through notes hidden between the stones of the Wailing Wall.

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MESSAGE TO HK FROM STAR Joséphine Draï

SPONSORED by The Zion Family

Directors: Shulamit Lifshitz, Oriel Berkovits | Israel | 2022 | Short / Animation / Drama | Hebrew / Yiddish | English Subtitles | 22 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Sunday, 19 November, 1:00pm
Double Feature Playing with Music Under the Swastica
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

Tel Aviv, 1998, summer vacation. Reut finds and reads her grandmother’s secret diary from the Holocaust. Grandma’s story resonates in Reut’s well-developed imagination, and the fun week in Tel Aviv with Grandpa and Grandma turns into something else entirely. This mixed-genre, live action/animation film is based on the childhood memories of the director, who discovered her grandmother’s Holocaust diary when she was thirteen. 

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SUPPORTED by Consulate of Israel in Hong Kong and Macau, Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre (HKHTC)

Director: Christian Berger | Germany | 2022 |  Documentary | English / German | English Subtitles | 84 min

VENUE Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Sunday, 19 November, 1:00pm
Double Feature playing with Girl No. 60427

SYNOPSIS:

Why was classical music so important to Hitler and Goebbels? The stories of Jewish cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, member of the infamous Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, and of star conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, who worked with the Nazis, provide insight. Both shared a love for classical German music. Why did gifted artists like Furtwängler make a pact with evil? Why was classical music played in extermination camps? And how did this change the way victims saw music?

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SUPPORTED by Goethe Institut Hong Kong, German Consulate General Hong Kong, Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre (HKHTC)

Director: Laura Bialis |  USA | 2023 | Documentary | English / Hebrew / Polish | English Subtitles | 93 min
Executive Producers: Nancy Spielberg, Ori Eisen, Mirit Eisen, Taube Philanthropies, Maimonides Fund

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Sunday, 19 November, 3:35pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

Photographer Roman Vishniac is best known for traversing Eastern Europe from 1935 through 1938, on assignment for the American Joint Distribution Committee, documenting Jewish life in Eastern Europe. While the purpose of the photographs was to raise funds for impoverished Jewish communities, few could have predicted that less than a decade later these communities would be wiped out. Vishniac’s photographs provide the last visual records of an entire world. After the war he continued to add to the historical record with photographs of Berlin in ruins and children in displaced persons camps before shifting his focus to groundbreaking scientific work. The film goes behind the images and beyond the myths to portray a man who took those closest to him to the brink of rejection, yet gave the world a diverse and beautiful collection.

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Director: Micah Smith | Israel | 2023 | Docu-Drama | English / Hebrew / Amharic / English subtitles| 91 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Sunday, 19 November, 5:20pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

This docu-narrative film tells the story of Asher Naim, an Israeli diplomat caught between worlds and facing a crisis of faith in himself and in his country. Asher, himself a North-African Jew, is sent to Ethiopia to negotiate the escape of 15,000 Ethiopian Jews from a country collapsing under famine and civil war. The film explores challenging questions of racism, white saviorism, cultural identity, and the hardships and politics of immigration.

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Director: Michal Kwiecinski | Poland | 2022 | Drama | German / Polish / French / Yiddish | English Subtitles | 125 min

VENUE: Golden Scene Cinema

Screening: Sunday, 19 November, 7:10pm
Tickets: HKD 110 | Students/Seniors HKD 80

SYNOPSIS:

In 1943, Filip, a Polish Jew, who managed to escape from the Warsaw ghetto, is waiting tables in the heart of Nazi Germany – while taking revenge on the Nazis in his own unique way. Alone, cosmopolitan, and incapable of deeper feelings, Filip hides his Jewish origins and often eludes death, while carelessly enjoying all the charms of a life surrounded by luxury, beautiful women and friends from all over Europe. This very sexy film is wonderfully addictive.
(Warning: Adult content)

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SUPPORTED by Consulate of Poland in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre (HKHTC)