Film List

Sept. 11: “The Rashevski Tango” by Sam Garbarski, examines what it means to be Jewish as the question is lived by three generations of Belgian Jews brought together for the funeral of the clan’s matriarch. Cinema Village (22 E. 12th St.; [212] 924-3363).

Sept. 15: “Old Jews Telling Jokes,” a much-loved item on YouTube and other websites, First Run Features is releasing a DVD version, by Sam Hoffman. Frequently funny, occasionally silly, but certainly charming. www.firstrunfeatures.com.

Sept. 25-Oct. 11: The 47th New York Film Festival, returning to its old home, the newly refurbished Alice Tully Hall. This year’s lineup includes at least three must-sees for Jewish audiences: Samuel Maoz’s “Lebanon,” a tale of the ’82 war as seen by the crew of an

Israeli tank; “Life During Wartime,” a bar mitzvah story from the poet laureate of unhappy suburbia, Todd Solondz (“Storytelling”); and “Room and a Half,” a surreal documentary by Andrey Khrzhanovsky about the life and influence of Jewish-Russian poet Joseph Brodsky. Alice Tully Hall (Broadway and 65th Street). www.filmlinc.com.

Oct. 2: “As Seen Through These Eyes,” a new documentary by Hilary Helstein, pursues another previously under-discussed aspect of the Shoah, the role of clandestine Jewish artists in resisting and documenting the Nazis and their crimes. Cinema Village (22 E. 12th St.; [212] 924-3363).

Oct. 23: “Killing Kasztner,” a new documentary by Gaylen Ross. Ironically, shortly after “Tickling Leo” opens, with its narrative that pivots on the Kasztner train, this film examines the true story of Rudolph Kasztner and his controversial life-saving efforts in occupied Hungary. Significantly, the documentary confronts the story of Kasztner’s assassination by a right-wing Israeli at a time when such an action resonates powerfully yet again. Cinema Village (22. E. 12th St.; [212] 924-3363).

Oct. 23: “The Wedding Song” by Karin Albou. Second feature film by the director of “La Petite Jerusalem” traces the friendship of teenage girls, one Jewish, one Muslim in WWII Tunis. I was enthralled by the first film, rather less so by the new one. When “The Wedding Song” focuses on the folk traditions that allow the women of the community, both Jews and Muslims alike, to find a safe space for themselves, Albou is on firm ground and the film is genuinely fascinating and more than a little subversive.
Nov. 12-19: The Other Israel Film Festival celebrates its third year of existence with a full slate of new films about the Arab minority (Christian, Druze, Muslim and Bedouin) in the Jewish state. Sight unseen, I would peg “Jaffa,” the new film by Keren Yedaya (“Or: My Treasure”) as the one to catch. JCC in Manhattan (Amsterdam Avenue. at 76th Street) and other locations around town. www.otherisrael.org.

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