The 2018 AJFF Lineup

The 2018 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival offers 74 films (one split into three parts), ranging from world premieres to an 80-year-old revival. The full lineup:

“1945,” Hungary, narrative, 91 minutes — The postwar tension rises in a remote town when the arrival of two Orthodox Jews forces people to face their wartime sins.
“116 Cameras,” United States, documentary, 15 minutes — The Shoah Project turns Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss’s testimony into an interactive hologram.
“Above the Drowning Sea,” Canada, documentary, 92 minutes — A Chinese diplomat in Vienna helps thousands of Jews escape the Nazis to take World War II refuge in Shanghai.
“An Act of Defiance,” South Africa and Netherlands, narrative, 123 minutes — A lawyer risks his career to defend Nelson Mandela and nine others, including Jewish anti-apartheid activists, in 1960s South Africa in this historical thriller.
“Almost Famous,” Israel, narrative, 95 minutes — Two high school siblings deal with instant fame when one of them makes it onto an “American Idol”-type TV talent show in this musical dramedy.
“A Bag of Marbles,” France, Canada and Czech Republic, narrative, 110 minutes — Two young Jewish brothers try to escape the Nazis in occupied France.
“The Body Collector,” Netherlands, narrative, 142 minutes — An investigative journalist tries to prove that a famous art collector was a Nazi war criminal in this thriller based on a true story (and sponsored by the Atlanta Jewish Times).
“Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story,” United States, documentary, 90 minutes — The notorious Jewish actress is also a brilliant inventor whose work contributes to technologies such as wi-fi.
“The Boy Downstairs,” United States, narrative, 91 minutes — Zosia Mamet from “Girls” stars in a romantic comedy about a young woman who moves into the perfect apartment in Brooklyn, only to find an ex-boyfriend living downstairs.
“The Boys From Brazil,” United States and United Kingdom, narrative, 125 minutes — Laurence Olivier and Gregory Peck face off in a thriller involving Josef Mengele’s clone-Hitler plot.
“Budapest Noir,” Hungary, narrative, 95 minutes — A tough, cynical reporter investigates a prostitute’s murder as the government moves toward an alignment with the Nazis.
“Bye Bye Germany,” Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, narrative, 102 minutes — Revenge comes on the postwar black market as Holocaust survivors sell overpriced linens door to door to guilt-ridden Germans under the noses of American military authorities.
“The Cakemaker,” Germany and Israel, narrative, 105 minutes — A German pastry chef moves to Jerusalem and works in the cafe owned by the widow of the Israeli businessman with whom he was having an affair.
“Challah Rising in the Desert: The Jews of New Mexico,” United States, documentary, 84 minutes — Several waves of immigration create a unique Jewish culture in New Mexico.
“The Cousin,” Israel, narrative, 92 minutes — A dark comedy explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the eyes of a liberal TV personality forced to reconsider his views after an Arab laborer he hires is accused of an assault on a teenage girl.
“Cuba’s Forgotten Jewels: A Haven in Havana,” United States, documentary, 46 minutes — Some Jews escape Nazi-dominated Europe to find refuge in Cuba.
“Death in the Terminal,” Israel, documentary, 54 minutes — Witness accounts and surveillance footage help re-create a terrorist attack on a bus station and its ugly climax.
“Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas,” Canada, documentary, 52 minutes — The Jewish songwriters who created the soundtrack of the season are celebrated.
“Foxtrot,” Israel, narrative, 108 minutes — Israel’s submission for the foreign-language Academy Award shows military life at a remote outpost and the grief of parents who are told their son has been killed in the line of duty.
“Funny Girl,” United States, narrative, 155 minutes — A restored version of the Barbra Streisand bio-pic about Fanny Brice gets a 50th-anniversary celebration.
“Futures Past,” United States, documentary, 89 minutes — Filmmaker Jordan Melamed explores the modernization of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the life of its former chairman and his father, Holocaust survivor Leo Melamed.
“GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II,” United States, documentary, 87 minutes — Jews face anti-Semitism within their own ranks while battling the Nazi regime.
“Gilbert,” United States, documentary, 98 minutes — Comedian Gilbert Gottfried opens up about the life behind the laughs and the shrill voice.
“Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds: The Conductor Zubin Mehta,” Germany, documentary, 89 minutes — Stirring music supports this biography of the Israel Philharmonic’s music director for life.
“Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel,” Israel, Japan, United States and South Korea, documentary, 85 minutes — Jewish American ballplayers, including ex-Braves Jason Marquis, Ryan Lavarnway and Nate Freiman, represent Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
“The History of Love,” Canada, France, Romania and United States, narrative, 134 minutes — Derek Jacobi and Elliott Gould star in a romantic drama whose epic sweep carries from pre-World War II Poland to contemporary New York.
“If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast,” United States, documentary, 86 minutes — Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Betty White, Dick Van Dyke and other celebrities in their 90s talk about the joy they find in life.
“The Invisibles,” Germany, narrative, 110 minutes — A docu-drama presents the stories of Jews who managed to survive World War II in Berlin.
“Iom Romì,” Italy and United States, documentary, 31 minutes — Watch a day in the life of the Jewish community of Rome.
“Itzhak,” United States, Israel, documentary, 83 minutes — Violinist Itzhak Perlman is followed as he performs around the world.
“Jungle,” Australia, Colombia and United States, narrative, 115 minutes — Daniel Radcliffe, the Jewish actor best known as Harry Potter, portrays Israeli Yossi Ghinsberg as he gets more adventure than he bargained for on a trip into Bolivia’s rain forest.
“Keep the Change,” United States, narrative, 94 minutes — Two adults with autism meet at the JCC and fall in love.
“The Last Suit,” Spain and Argentina, narrative, 86 minutes — Facing retirement, an 88-year-old tailor in Argentina takes a final journey to Europe to find the man who saved him at Auschwitz.
“Let Yourself Go,” Italy, narrative, 98 minutes — A divorced psychoanalyst’s need to get into shape produces comedy after he hires a spirited, young, female physical trainer.
“Longing,” Israel, narrative, 104 minutes — A confirmed bachelor has his world turned upside down in a tragicomedy when he learns that he fathered a son with his college girlfriend and that the young man has just died.
“Mamele,” Poland, narrative, 97 minutes — A Yiddish musical Cinderella story, set in Lodz and starring Molly Picon, returns to the big screen to mark its 80th anniversary.
“The Mighty Atom,” United States, documentary, 74 minutes — Born poor and sickly in Poland in 1893, Joseph Greenstein grows to become a world-famous strongman despite topping out at 5-foot-4 and 140 pounds.
“Mr. & Mrs. Adelman,” France, narrative, 120 minutes — A novelist’s death is the occasion to recall his decades-long romance with his wife.
“On My Way Out: The Secret Life of Nani and Popi,” Canada, documentary, 40 minutes — In their 90s, seemingly happily married Holocaust survivors reveal to their children and grandchildren that the husband is gay.
“Playing God,” Germany and Netherlands, documentary, 95 minutes — Ken Feinberg handles the overwhelming responsibility of administering settlements for families who suffered through disasters from the 9/11 attacks to the BP oil spill.
“A Quiet Heart,” Israel, narrative, 92 minutes — A gifted, secular pianist faces ultra-Orthodox fanaticism after she moves to Jerusalem and befriends an Italian monk and a mute boy.
“Remember Baghdad,” United Kingdom, Iraq and Israel, documentary, 69 minutes — Displaced Iraqi Jews look back at what was lost in the destruction of a once-thriving community.
“Russian Jews,” Russia, documentary, 86 minutes, 125 minutes and 126 minutes — Epic hardly begins to describe this creative three-part examination of the history of Russian Jews in and out of the motherland.
“Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me,” United States, documentary, 100 minutes — Celebrity interviews, photos and video clips bring to life the complex story of the Jewish, African-American member of the Rat Pack.
“Saving Neta,” Israel, narrative, 90 minutes — A drifter meets four women on the edge, one in each season of the year, in an anthology of dramatic stories.
“Scaffolding,” Israel and Poland, narrative, 92 minutes — A troubled young man has new possibilities opened to him by a dedicated teacher, only to have his personal aspirations come into conflict with family obligations.
“Schindler’s List,” United States, narrative, 195 minutes — Steven Spielberg’s Holocaust classic about the salvation offered by a German industrialist returns for its 25th anniversary.
“Shalom Bollywood: The Untold Story of Indian Cinema,” India and Australia, documentary, 76 minutes — The tiny Jewish community plays a huge role in the development of the world’s biggest movie industry.
“Shelter,” Germany, Israel and France, narrative, 93 minutes — A Mossad agent and her ex-Hezbollah informer spend two weeks hiding out together in Germany in this spy thriller.
“Spielberg,” United States, documentary, 147 minutes — Steven Spielberg’s filmmaking career and the personal stories behind it are charted.
“Take My Nose … Please!,” United States, documentary, 99 minutes — Women debate whether to get plastic surgery in this funny look at female empowerment and the pursuit of beauty.
“The Testament,” Austria and Israel, narrative, 96 minutes — A dedicated Holocaust researcher digs into the cover-up of a massacre in Austria and finds disturbing information about his mother.
“The Twinning Reaction,” United States, documentary, 55 minutes — The Neubauer-Bernard study in the 1960s splits up twins and triplets to be raised by different adoptive families, then secretly has psychoanalysts follow them to explore the question of nature vs. nurture.
“Winter Hunt,” Germany, narrative, 75 minutes — A young woman pretends to have a car accident in the German countryside so she can confront a former Auschwitz guard and force him to confess his crimes in this tense psychological thriller.
Shorts Program 1 — “Shimala,” Israel, narrative, 9 minutes; “Habesha,” United States and Israel, documentary, 13 minutes; “Across the Line,” Israel, narrative, 30 minutes; “Chad Gadya,” United States, narrative, 3 minutes; “Stitchers: Tapestry of Spirit,” United States, documentary, 16 minutes.
Shorts Program 2 — “Open Your Eyes,” Israel, narrative, 14 minutes; “El Hara,” Tunisia and France, documentary, 16 minutes; “The Outer Circle,” United Kingdom, narrative, 13 minutes; “The Driver Is Red,” United States, documentary, 15 minutes; “Devil Wears a Suit,” Australia, narrative, 20 minutes.
Shorts Program 3 — “Wendy’s Shabbat,” United States, documentary, 10 minutes; “Bagels in the Blood,” United States and Canada, documentary, 5 minutes; “Rebel,” Israel, narrative, 17 minutes; “Compartments,” Israel and Germany, narrative, 15 minutes; “The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm,” United States, documentary, 19 minutes.
Shorts Program 4 — “The Forger,” United States and France, documentary, 17 minutes; “The Pirate Captain Toledano,” United States, narrative, 10 minutes; “Our Heroes,” Israel, narrative, 17 minutes; “Mustard Seed,” Canada and Germany, narrative, 9 minutes; “Spring Chicken,” United States, Mexico and Israel, documentary, 10 minutes.

Tickets go on sale Wednesday, Jan. 17, at ajff.org.

The 2018 AJFF Lineup

The 18th Atlanta Jewish Film Festival offers 74 films spread across 192 screenings.

comments