Franek (Ireneusz Czop) watches as his family's farmland burns in "Aftermath," the first title in the seventh
annual Jewish Film Series, opening Wednesday at the Jewish Cultural Center.IF YOU GO¦ What: Jewish Film Series.¦ When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays, April 30-May 28.¦ Where: Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace.¦ Admission: $7.¦ Phone: 423-493-0270.¦ Website: www.jewishchattanooga.com.¦ Note: Films are suitable for ages 16 and older.AT A GLANCE¦ April 30: "Aftermath," 100 minutes, Polish with English subtitles.¦ May 7: "Quality Balls: The David Steinberg Story," 80 minutes, English.¦ May 14: "Bethlehem," 99 minutes, Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles.¦ May 21: "Kidon," 97 minutes, Hebrew and French with English subtitles.¦ May 28: "Pour une Femme (For a Woman)," 100 minutes, French with English subtitles.
Cloak-and-dagger intrigue, historical drama and controversial comedy are among the themes to be explored in the seventh annual Jewish Film Series, starting Wednesday, April 30, at the Jewish Cultural Center.
Films in the series will screen on five consecutive Wednesday nights. Popcorn and a soft drink or water are included in the ticket price.
The series opens with "Aftermath," a contemporary drama that has generated both acclaim and controversy. Inspired by true events, the story centers on two brothers from a small village in rural Poland who must face a painful period in history when they learn a dark secret about their family and hometown.
The mood lightens on May 7 with "Quality Balls: The David Steinberg Story." The Canada native was a member of the acclaimed Second City comedy troupe, and his stand-up shows put him in the ranks of George Carlin and Richard Pryor. At times too controversial for U.S. networks, his religious sermonettes generated more hate mail for CBS than any network had ever received, resulting in the cancellation of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour."
On May 14, "Bethlehem" tells the story of the complex relationship between an Israeli Secret Service officer and his teenage Palestinian informant. Shuttling back and forth between conflicting points of view, the film is a raw portrayal of characters torn apart by competing loyalties and impossible moral dilemmas. It won Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay from the Israeli Film Academy and was Israel's nominee for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.
On May 21, "Kidon" imagines the comedic cloak-and-dagger puzzle behind the real-life assassination of a Hamas leader. When Mahmoud al-Mabhouh is found dead in a Dubai hotel room, the local police immediately blame the Mossad and release security tapes of what seem to be Israeli agents carrying out the killing. The shocking story makes international headlines, but no one is more shocked than the Mossad. They have never heard of the agents or their mission. Sports Illustrated model Bar Refaeli stars as an assassin.
The series concludes on May 28 with "Pour une Femme (For a Woman)," in which the unexpected arrival of a brother thought to have perished during World War II upsets the lives of a Jewish tailor and his new bride, who finds herself inconveniently attracted to her brother-in-law. Inspired by the director's own family history, the historical drama toggles between the immediate postwar period and 1980s France.