DONATE
When: Wednesday evenings
Dates: Oct 3, Nov 14 & 28, Dec 5, Jan 9 & 30, Feb 13, Mar 13
Where: Westpark 8 Cinemas, 3735 Alton Parkway, Irvine
Time: Introduction at 7:00pm; film follows immediately
Presented by screenwriter and psychologist Dr. Michael Berlin
Followed by a lively audience discussion
Follow Me – October 3, 2012
Regal Westpark 8
Around midnight on July 4, 1976, an elite team of Israeli soldiers fell upon and killed a group of PLO terrorists, freeing more than 100 Jewish and Israeli hostages who had been held captive at Uganda’s Entebbe Airport. The single casualty from the Israeli side was Yonatan “Yoni” Netanyahu, brother of Israel’s prime minister and the 30-year-old mission leader. Through his letters and photos, film clips of the daring rescue, and interviews with relatives and friends, Yoni’s story is lovingly recounted, reminding viewers of the unending loyalty and bravery of the soldiers who give everything to defend a nation – and a culture – under siege.
Kaddish For A Friend – November 14, 2012
Regal Westpark 8
Growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp, 14-year-old Ali learned to hate Jews. When his family relocates to Berlin, Ali, wishing to prove himself to his new friends, breaks into the nearby apartment of an elderly Jewish war veteran. The “friends” follow him into the apartment and vandalize it with abandon, but when the neighbor returns unexpectedly, he recognizes only Ali and reports him to the police. To avoid deportation, Ali must repair the damages, both physical and emotional. Inspired by two real people, Kaddish for a Friend is a tragicomic story about friendship, trust and the art of forgiveness. In Arabic, German and Russian with English subtitles.
Free Men – November 28, 2012
Regal Westpark 8
When Younes, a young Algerian immigrant in Vichy-era Paris, is arrested and threatened while trying to peddle black market goods during the Nazi occupation, he accepts a deal to spy on the elite community hidden behind the pristine walls of the Mosque of Paris, whose rector is suspected of providing Jews with false identification papers. Yet, once Younes is exposed to the calm, ritualistic world of the Mosque, he begins to have a change of heart. Inspired by true stories. In French, with English subtitles?
Bottle in the Gaza Sea – December 5, 2012
Regal Westpark 8
Set against the Israeli-Palestinian troubles of 2007-08, this film recounts the story of a 17-year old French-Israeli girl in Jerusalem, who has her soldier brother drop an anti-hate message stuffed in a bottle into the Gaza Sea. When the bottle is recovered by a 20-year-old Palestinian experiencing the same horrors, but on the opposite side of the fence, a vigorous e-mail correspondence – and budding romance – ensue. A sober look at youthful aspiration set against a background of ancient troubles. In French, with English subtitles.
The Day I Saw Your Heart – January 9, 2013
Regal Westpark 8
Mélanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds) stars as twenty-something x-ray technician Justine, who has a thing for “hitting-and-quitting” boyfriends. Just as she meets Sami, who might just prove to be her soul mate, her giddiness is squelched by her neurotic, Jewish father’s announcement that his new young wife is expecting. The film follows Justine and her sister as they attempt to deal with the looming pregnancy and the torturous route to familial reconciliation. This French rom-com tackles not only thorny father-daughter relationships, but also secularism and faith, commitment and frivolity, life and death. In French, with English subtitles.
Reuniting The Rubins – January 30, 2013
Regal Westpark 8
Lenny Rubins, an up-tight London lawyer, puts his retirement dream cruise on hold when his ailing mother emotionally blackmails him into reuniting his estranged children for a Passover Seder. They may be peas from the same pod, but with a control-freak capitalist, an outspoken eco-warrior, an outer-worldly Buddhist Monk, and a bible-bashing born-again rabbi, Lenny has to wonder. With wit and warmth, first-time director Yoav Factor delivers a universal tale of the strength and ultimate unity of family.
Room 514 – February 13, 2013
Regal Westpark 8
When a young, idealistic Israeli military investigator confronts an elite soldier with accusations of unnecessary violence against a Palestinian in the Occupied Territories, her integrity and determination are put to the test. Taking a stand against a perceived abuse of power in spite of her colleagues’ advice to back off, her zealous quest for justice results in far-reaching consequences for all involved. Inspired by real events, writer-director Sharon Bar-Ziv’s debut feature is a provocative and gritty drama that offers a raw, direct look at how a generation of young Israelis has been shaped by the ongoing conflict. In Hebrew and Russian with English subtitles.
Hotel Lux – March 13, 2013
Regal Westpark 8
Berlin, 1933: Apolitical ladies’ man Hans Zeisig and Jewish leftist Siggi Meyer have a Stalin-Hitler comedy act that slays them in the aisles. By 1936, Meyer has gone into hiding and Zeisig isn’t having much fun with his Stalin number. Donning Meyer’s Hitler outfit, he performs a skit he knows will be his last. After unsuccessful attempts to get to the U.S., Zeisig wrangles a fake Soviet passport and arrives at Moscow’s Hotel Lux, where Comintern members are lodged in an atmosphere of mistrust. There he meets Nikolai Yezhov, the violent, diminutive chief of the secret police, who is convinced the actor is Hitler’s personal astrologer. Zeisig is assigned a translator, a Meyer partisan, who tries to save him from an increasingly sticky situation. In German, Russian and English, with subtitles.
