April 17 - 25, 2010 - Toronto Jewish Film Festival

SYMBOLS USED IN THe PROGRAMMETABLE OF CONTENTSAGBCRHSCPeople of the Comic BookFree EventsAl Green TheatreBloor CinemaSilverCity Richmond Hill CinemasCineplex Odeon Sheppard Centre Cinemas4 Festival Schedule5 How to Buy Tickets6 Executive Director’s Welcome7 Chair’s Welcome8 David A. Stein Memorial Award9 FilmMatters9 Free Ticketed Events9 Cinephile Events9 Art Exhibit10 Curator’s Notes12 Programme Coordinator’s Notes13 Opening Night13 Closing Night14 Special Presentation15 Film List48 Patron Circle49 Members50 Special Thanks50 Nosh Donors50 Volunteers51 TJFF Staff52 Sponsors74 Alphabetical Film Index18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM3

Festival ScheduleSATURDAY APRIL 17, 20109:15 PM BC A Matter of SizeSUNDAY APRIL 18, 201011:00 AM BC Off and Running11:00 AM AG Paul Buhle Talk—“Jews and Comic Art”1:00 PM BC Hidden Children1:00 PM SC Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood1:00 PM RH Brothers1:15 PM AG Mensch3:15 PM BC Where I Stand: The Hank Greenspun Story3:20 PM SC Exodus: The True Story3:30 PM RH Inside Hana’s Suitcase4:00 PM AG The Comic Art Forum5:30 PM SC Anita6:15 PM AG Honor6:15 PM RH Eli & Ben7:00 PM BC Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today8:00 PM SC A Matter of Size8:30 PM RH Victoria Day8:45 PM AG Gay DaysMONDAY APRIL 19, 2010NOON AG American Splendor1:00 PM BC Nora’s Will2:45 PM AG The Jazz Baroness3:15 PM BC Coco4:30 PM SC The Worst Company in the World5:30 PM AG Who Framed Roger Rabbit5:45 PM BC Seven Minutes in Heaven6:00 PM RH Noodle6:15 PM SC Honor8:00 PM BC Eyes Wide Open8:15 PM RH Gloomy Sunday8:30 PM AG The False Forest and Other Pictures-Stories9:15 PM SC Re-Birth Part 1TUESDAY APRIL 20, 2010NOON AG Paint What You Remember1:00 PM BC The Wolberg Family2:00 PM AG Comic Book Confidential3:15 PM BC Mrs. Moskowitz & the Cats4:30 PM SC Hidden Children5:30 PM BC The People v. Leo Frank5:30 PM AG Ahead of Time w/ The Irene Hilda Story6:00 PM RH Nora’s Will6:45 PM SC Seven Minutes in Heaven8:15 PM BC Jaffa, the Orange’s Clockwork8:15 PM AG Last Son8:15 PM RH Eyes Wide Open9:00 PM SC Re-Birth Part 2WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2010NOON AG As Lilith w/ Lone Samaritan1:00 PM BC Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to HollywoodAG Al Green TheatreBC Bloor CinemaRH SilverCity Richmond Hill CinemasSC Cineplex Odeon Sheppard Centre Cinemas3:00 PM AG Dubak: A Palestinian Jeww/ Achziv, A Place for Love3:30 PM BC What If? The Helene Mayer Story w/ Not Idly By4:30 PM SC Ida’s Dance Club5:45 PM AG Heart of Stone5:45 PM BC Oh, What a Mess6:00 PM RH Coco6:15 PM SC Mrs. Moskowitz & the Cats8:00 PM BC Bride Flight8:30 PM AG Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist8:30 PM SC Five Hours from Paris8:30 PM RH Re-Birth Part 1THURSDAY APRIL 22, 2010NOON AG Claude Lanzmannw/ Gitai in Search of His Carmel1:00 PM BC Anita2:30 PM AG Five Hours from Paris3:15 PM BC Ultimatum4:30 PM SC Oh, What a Mess5:30 PM BC The Loners5:30 PM AG Protector6:00 PM RH The Wolberg Family6:30 PM SC Ahead of Time w/ The Irene Hilda Story8:00 PM BC The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground8:15 PM AG Lebanon8:30 PM RH Re-Birth Part 29:15 PM SC Jaffa, the Orange’s ClockworkFRIDAY APRIL 23, 2010NOON AG Sayed Kashua: Forever Sacred w/ Arab Labor1:00 PM BC Haredim—A Documentary Trilogy2:15 PM AG Israel Ltd.4:00 PM AG The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld StorySATURDAY APRIL 24, 20107:00 PM BC Joann Sfar Draws from Memory9:15 PM BC Berlin ’369:15 PM AG Simon Konianski9:15 PM SC The Loners9:15 PM RH Bride FlightFritz the CatSUNDAY APRIL 25, 2010MIDNIGHT BC11:00 AM BC Bar Mitzvah11:00 AM AG Irreverent Imagination:1:00 PM SC Berlin ’361:00 PM RH UltimatumThe Golden Age of Looney Tunes1:15 PM AG The Brothers Warner1:30 PM BC Amos Oz: The Nature of Dreams3:30 PM BC William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe3:30 PM AG Fragments w/ The Valderama Sisters3:30 PM SC Simon Konianski3:30 PM RH Lebanon6:00 PM BC Exodus: The True Story6:15 PM AG The Mad Playboy of Art8:45 PM BC Ajami4

How to Buy TicketsIN-PERSON TICKET PURCHASESPASSESAdvance Box Offices*April 1–17TJFF Box Office19 Madison Avenue, downstairsMonday to Friday 1:00–7:00 pmSaturday & Sunday Noon–5:00 pmApril 11–17Cineplex Odeon Sheppard Centre Cinemas Box Office4861 Yonge Street at Sheppard (Sheppard Subway Station)Monday to Friday 2:00–6:00 pmSaturday & Sunday 2:00–6:00 pm(Closed Good Friday & Easter Monday)*A $2.00 service charge will apply.FESTIVAL BOX OFFICES (April 18–25)Venue box office opens 1 hour before the first scheduled screeningof the day and closes 30 minutes after the start of last screeningof the day.Bloor Cinema506 Bloor Street West at Bathurst (Bathurst Subway Station)Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC750 Spadina Avenue at Bloor (Spadina Subway Station)Cineplex Odeon Sheppard Centre Cinemas4861 Yonge Street at Sheppard (Sheppard Subway Station)This box office will not be open on Friday April 23SilverCity Richmond Hill Cinemas8771 Yonge Street (Yonge & Hwy 7)This box office will not be open on Friday April 23ONLINE TICKET ORDERSVisit our website, tjff.com, and follow the instructions.A $4.50 service charge per order will apply.PHONE ORDERS (April 1–25)Phone 416.967.1528 to order ticketsPhone hours:Monday to Friday Noon–6:00 pmSaturday and Sunday Noon–5:00 pmA $3.50 service charge per order will apply.The Really Flexible Pass: $140(20 Films/Events, Excluding Opening Night and SpecialPresentations). Any combination of tickets, subject to availabilityThe Weekday Special: $60(All films Monday through Friday before 5:00 pm)1 ticket per screening, subject to availabilityThe Richmond Hill Pass: $60(All films at SilverCity Richmond Hill Cinemas)1 ticket per screening, subject to availabilityMaximum 10 tickets per passPass InformationWith a pass you must still obtain a ticket for each screening.Tickets can be selected in person only, from any TJFF Box Office.Passes can be redeemed beginning April 1, 2010. Pass ticketscannot be selected online or over the phone. All passes and ticketsare subject to availability.SINGLE TICKETSOpening Night at the Bloor: $20Due to the busy nature of opening night, the box office at theBloor Cinema on April 17 will sell tickets for Opening Night only.General Admission: $12Seniors/Students: $7 (ID required)Weekday Matinees: $7 (Mon–Fri, screenings before 5:00 pm)Special Presentations: $20Free Student Admission:Subject to availability. Five minutes prior to each screening,students with ID will be admitted for free from a Rush Line.Free Events:All free events are ticketed and are subject to availability. Freeprogrammes can be booked in advance, in person only, at anyTJFF box office. Maximum 2 tickets per person.Ticketing Policies:All sales are final. No refunds. Seating is guaranteed until 15minutes before the screening. Latecomers will be admitted onlyat the discretion of TJFF staff. There will be no admittance 15minutes after the start of a programme. Students and seniors willbe required to show ID. Programmes are subject to change. Allfilms are presented in their original language with English subtitles.Please check our website, tjff.com, for film ratings.5

Executive Director’s WelcomeHELEN ZUKERMANPHOTO: TIM LEYESEXECUTIVE DIRECTORIn Judaism, 18 is considered a lucky number—it means“life”! This Festival marks our 18 th year as a celebrationand exploration of the Jewish experience. For 18 years,we have been celebrating Life. From Israel to Iceland, andcountries in between, we travel the Jewish world throughfilm, and gain insight into all the ways our culture andreligion is celebrated.When the Toronto Jewish Film Festival began in1993, there were few Jewish-content films that played intraditional movie houses, though they sometimes made itinto art houses. Films like Sophie’s Choice were rarities.Schindler’s List was the breakthrough film, thanks toSteven Spielberg—people who would never have gone tosee a Holocaust film went because it was Spielberg. Blesshim for educating so many hundreds of thousands.Jewish-content films from around the world, as well,are making it into mainstream venues. In particular, it hasbeen exciting for me to watch the evolution of Israeli filmfrom mediocrity to excellence, receiving the exposure itdeserves. This is both a thrill and a challenge for those ofus running festivals. Because of the marketplace, moreJewish-content films are being made—and that can onlybe a good thing!From the day we opened in May 1993, you haveembraced us with your presence. We shared your laughter,tears and sometimes criticisms about the choices we made.We listen to and consider all of your comments.We endeavour to be an honest Festival by includingwork that might make us uncomfortable—often filmsdealing with the Middle East. It is important to us thatthese films, made by Israelis, have a forum to showcaseissues that concern Israelis. The stories should be heard,not necessarily agreed with.With the expansion of the Festival into four venuesthis year, and with the special sidebar series curated anddeveloped by Ellie Skrow, we have fulfilled our goal ofbeing not a “film festival for the Jews,” but a Jewish FilmFestival. Our special series (Rhythm and Jews, Comedy,People of the Comic Book) go beyond religion and Jewishculture, reaching into the diverse community that isToronto in 2010.Eighteen years feels like yesterday and forever—weird and wonderful! It is an important milestone forremembering the Festival’s original founders: LindaBronfman, myself and the late Debra Plotkin. We lickedstamps, watched films, worried that “nobody would showup” and thought we would have to close the balconies atthe Bloor Cinema because it was too big for us!Our first opening night, we had booked only the lateshowslot at 9 pm. When the cinema’s 7 pm show ran late,we had a dilemma. What to do?Aha! Food, conversation and song! We hatched a planto have music (Ezra, a street klezmer), a film studentinterviewing people in line and, of course, cookies.The cookies became part of our Festival, only to becomplemented by “herring-night Wednesdays.”There were other challenges, too. We had reservedthe first two rows in the balcony for our “patrons,” butdiscovered, to our horror, that the stuffing was comingout of the seats. Carol Lavine (one of our founding boardmembers) and I raced over to Honest Ed’s and boughta package of washcloths, pinning them over the seats,hoping our patrons wouldn’t notice. And hoping none ofthe safety pins flung open!Some of you have been with us for a year, a decadeor longer, while others are new to the Festival and makingyour own memories.I wish you a happy Festival. Know that you are the mostimportant part of it! You make it what it is.The Toronto Jewish Film Festival is “a window to and amirror of the diversity of the Jewish experience across theworld.” Come, open the window and look in the mirror!6 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

Chair’s WelcomeAVIVA ZUKERMAN SCHURECHAIRChai there. (Okay, I promise, that is the last chai joke inthis note. I just couldn’t resist!)As someone who has been fortunate to have beenaround the Festival since its inaugural year, 1993, I find italmost surreal to be here at year 18. My first volunteer jobsfor the Festival were doing pickups of guests at the airportand pinning dishcloths over the rips in theatre seats.Our opening-night film that first year was Black to thePromised Land, a documentary about a group of African-American children from New York spending the summer ona kibbutz, and how two cultures learned from each other.It was a great film, but even better was the opportunity tomeet the filmmaker, Madeline Ali, and one of the youthparticipants, Pearl, and hear more about the film and theproject. The memory stays with me 18 years later, as do allthe films and people I have seen over the years. Films thatI would have never seen, issues I would never have thoughtabout and people I would have missed out on hearing if ithad not been for the Toronto Jewish Film Festival and theremarkable work it does year after year to bring Toronto thebest in film that highlights the Jewish experience from allover the world.The Board had two specific focuses this year: lookingback and reaching forward.We formally honoured some of the special peopleand organizations who have been an integral part of oursuccess over the last 18 years. These included long-timedonors, festival volunteers, TJFF staff and other specialpeople who have made this journey toward 18 easier anda lot more fun.We continued our commitment to reaching out tonew audiences with our Cinephile programme, which waslaunched in 2008, hosting events during the year—including a “spin and screen” at Spynga and a screening ofthe film Anvil at the Varsity VIP, complete with Caplansky’ssmoked meat. We will continue this programme in the fallwith monthly events.I would like to take this opportunity to formally thankthe board for their hard work and continued enthusiasm forthe Festival.In this past year of financial uncertainty, we are deeplygrateful to all of you who have kept the Festival as one ofyour priorities. Whether you contributed $18 or $1,800,we are deeply appreciative of all our donors.Let us celebrate 18 years of the TJFF. Mazel tov!18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM7

David A. Stein Memorial AwardThe David A. Stein Memorial AwardThe David A. Stein Memorial Award is presented inmemory of David A. Stein, a gifted Toronto filmmaker whopassed away in 2004 at age 34. The “Tzimmie”—namedafter his production company, Tzimmes Entertainment—is an annual $5,000 award to the director of the bestdocumentary making its Canadian premiere at theToronto Jewish Film Festival, and supports documentaryfilmmakers in creating works that would have interestedDavid and that carry on his passion for storytelling.Largely self-taught, David began his film careerin 1993, first as a production manager and later aswriter, director and editor of short films, as well ascorporate identity and music videos. He made his firstdocumentary—Towards a Just Society, a study of racerelations in Canada—in 1998 for the Canadian Councilof Christians and Jews. David also worked on television’sBetrayal series, where he strived to give meaning to thestories of Mordechai Vanunu and Jonathan Pollard.David worked closely with the TJFF, producing comedictrailers that also reflected his understanding of the humancondition. In many ways the TJFF was a second home forhim with his love of film and Yiddishkeit.In this year of Chai, the Stein Family and TJFF arecommitted to further expanding the David A. SteinMemorial Award into a series of awards. This will allowus to recognize more films in different genres, and theircreators. Examples may be an award for the best Canadianfilm at the festival, or best film by a first-time director—the possibilities are many.Going forward, the David A. Stein Memorial Award,the first major award offered by the Festival, will becomethe umbrella under which others are recognized. This willpermit individuals and families to remember someonespecial to them or to mark a major life-cycle event. As well,corporations and other friends of the Festival may havetheir names front and centre, as part of the TJFF.The importance of supporting new Jewish-contentfilms cannot be overemphasized. Just as David struggledto gain recognition and raise funds to make his films, wecan remember and honour him by easing the path forothers. Often some recognition and a modest amount ofmoney can provide the resources to allow filmmakers togo forward with their work. People often came to David foradvice, so this award will continue his legacy of helpingothers. The Festival is happy to be part of this innovationas we move beyond Chai and into the future.Mel and Renee Stein and family thank Helen Zukermanand the TJFF for helping make the David A. Stein MemorialAward possible and meaningful.THIS YEAR’S JURY FOR THEDAVID A. STEIN MEMORIAL AWARDJoel Greenberg, the co-founder of Studio 180, is aChalmers and Dora award-winning playwright and directorwho has directed and/or choreographed more than 100professional productions across Canada.Daniel Iron has been a legal counsel at Telefilm Canada;a partner at Rhombus Media, where he producedfeatures and TV series; and the founder of his ownproduction company, Foundry Films Inc., responsible formany acclaimed TV series and feature films.Helga Stephenson, of the Public Relations firmDaniels/Stephenson, is best known for her work asExecutive Director of the Toronto International FilmFestival. She is a co-founder of Human Rights WatchCanada Committee and Chair of the Human Rights WatchFilm Festival and the Reykjavik International Film Festival.PAST WINNERS2009: My First War2008: Stealing Klimt8 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

FilmMattersFREE PROGRAMMES, Cinephile Events & Art exhibitFilmMattersFREE Ticketed EventsNow in its third year, FilmMatters offers students fromparticipating schools the opportunity to attend freescreenings of films that explore cultural and religiousdiversity. Through the generous support of the TrilliumFoundation and Cineplex Entertainment, we are able tooffer our programme not just during the Festival, but alsothroughout the year.In 2010, FilmMatters is pleased to present films thatare relevant to courses across the curriculum. Teachersof history will be familiar with the case of Leo Frank, awhite Jewish man who was lynched after being wrongfullyconvicted for the rape and murder of a young girl whoworked in his factory. The People v. Leo Frank offers athought-provoking look at racial and religious prejudice inthe early part of the 20 th century.Heart of Stone explores the tension between Blacksand Jews in contemporary society. Before the race riotsof the 1960s, Weequahic High School in Newark, N.J.,was one of the top schools in the U.S., comprised mostlyof middle-class Jewish students. By the time Ron Stonebecame principal in 2001, it was one of the most violentschools. To restore WHS to its former glory, Stone workedwith gang members to create a non-violence zone andenlisted alumni, mostly older, white Jewish males andyoung African-Americans, to raise scholarship fundsand encourage the pursuit of education. The combinedefforts of Stone and the alumni group gave these studentssomething they had not had for generations: a future.FilmMatters is also thrilled to offer students thechance to meet Dr. Rick Hodes, whose efforts in securinglife-saving surgeries for children in Ethiopia have earnedhim the honour of being named one of CNN’s Heroes in2007. Dr. Hodes will be here for a screening of Making theCrooked Straight, a documentary about him that played toa full house at last year’s Festival.Finally, the documentary Off and Running offers newinsight into the issue of interracial adoption. Avery isan African-American teenager who lives with her adoptivewhite, Jewish, lesbian parents. Avery’s decision to contacther birth mother sparks a complicated exploration ofrace and identity, highlighting the complexities ofinterracial adoption.ALL SCREENINGS WILL BE HELD AT 10 Am AT THE BLOOR CINEMA.FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BOOK TICKETS, CONTACT SUSANSTARKMAN AT FILMMATTERS@TJFF.CA OR CALL 416.324.9121.Paul Buhle Talk—“Jews and Comic Art”FREE TALKSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 11 AM • AL GREEN THEATREComic Art ForumFREE PANELWITH HARVEY PEKAR, BEN KATCHORAND PAUL BUHLECINEPHILE EVENTSSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 4 PM • AL GREEN THEATREJoann Sfar Draws from MemoryWork-In-ProgressFrance/Usa 2010, 60 MinDirector: Sam BallSATURDAY APRIL 24 • 7 PM • BLOOR CINEMAThe TJFF Cinephile programme provides an entrée into allthat the Toronto Jewish Film Festival has to offer yearround,in a casual and friendly environment. It is anoutreach initiative designed to appeal to those with anactive, social lifestyle. Cinephile hosts events matchinggreat films and guest speakers with great food as a “tasteof the Toronto Jewish Film Festival” and an introduction tothe Festival itself.For more information on TJFF Cinephile programme, pleaseemail cinephile@tjff.ca.GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BYART EXHIBIT“JEWS AND AMERICAN COMICS:THE NEW GENERATIONS”A special art exhibit, curated by Brown University studentsformerly enrolled in Paul Buhle’s course “JewishAmericans: Film and Comics,” will be on display at theMiles Nadal JCC throughout the Festival. The exhibitaccompanies TJFF’s sidebar series, PEOPLE OF THECOMIC BOOK: The Creators of Superheroes, GraphicNovels & Toons.18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM9

Curator’s NotesELLIE SKROWCURATOR, SPECIAL PROGRAMMESPEOPLE OF THE COMIC BOOK:The Creators of Superheroes,Graphic Novels & ToonsPHOTO: TIM LEYES“Only a Jew would think of calling himself Clark Kent.”—Jules Feiffer, cartoonist“Along with jazz, the comic book is one of America’s fewindigenous art forms, but unlike jazz it’s a specificallyJewish contribution to American culture. … Comic booksare to art what Yiddish is to language … a vital andexpressive language that talks with its hands.”—Art Spiegelman, artist and writerJews basically invented the comic book. They have playeda predominant role throughout its history as well, startingfrom the Golden Age of Comics (roughly 1938–50), whenthe superhero first appeared on the 1938 cover of ActionComics No. 1 in the guise of Superman, created by acouple of Jewish kids—Toronto-born Joe Shuster andCleveland native Jerry Siegel.Jewish artists also invented and developed the graphicnovel, and played a formative role in the creation of earlyanimation, or “toons.”With the exception of several recent museumexhibitions in the U.S. and Europe, comic art (theumbrella term that encompasses the genres outlinedabove) has largely been an unrecognized art form.People of the Comic Book celebrates the pioneers andcreators of this unique form of popular culture, through aseries of documentary films, features, shorts and specialevents that pay tribute to the remarkable contribution ofJewish artists.The Jewish role in comic art has recently been thesubject of several scholarly works, including Jews andAmerican Comics and The Art of Harvey Kurtzman:The Mad Genius of Comics, edited and co-editedrespectively by author/lecturer Paul Buhle. Paul wasan outstanding guest speaker at TJFF’s Schreibers inHollywood screenwriters series in 2007. We are delightedto welcome him back to launch the comic art sidebarseries on Sunday, April 18, with a fascinating talk,illustrated by clips. (Also noteworthy: Who Framed RogerRabbit, preceded by Paul’s illuminating introduction—itwill make you see the work in a whole new light.) Specialseries guests also include Harvey Pekar (AmericanSplendor) and Ben Katchor (Pleasures of Urban Decay),who will read from his wry, poetic short stories, The FalseForest and Other Picture-Stories, illustrated with projectedimages of his evocative graphic art. Additional highlights ofthe series include The Comic Art Forum (with guests Pekar,Katchor and Buhle) and two exciting works-in-progress:The Mad Playboy of Art, a portrait of Mad Magazine artistWill Elder, by Gary VandenBergh, and Joann Sfar Drawsfrom Memory, a profile of the French graphic artist/directorJoann Sfar, by Sam Ball.Comic books were first created in 1933 by MaxwellGaines (born Max Ginzberg) as a way of capitalizing onthe “funnies,” the immensely popular daily newspapercomic strips. Publishers originally collected and putthem between covers, and then recruited new stories.Comic-book art—like songwriting, comedy and Hollywoodmoviemaking, also predominantly Jewish—was onceconsidered to be “low-class.” Marginalized as immigrantsor children of immigrants, Jews gravitated to theseindustries or created new ones of their own. They wereadvised to change their names if they wanted to succeedduring those overtly anti-Semitic times, and superheroesdidn’t dare appear to be Jewish. But they all had an alterego … a secret identity. The story of the Jewish creation ofcomic books is beautifully told in Michael Chabon’sPulitzer Prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures ofKavalier and Clay.According to Jules Feiffer, the Superman story is“the ultimate assimilationist fantasy, to chronicle the smartJewish boy’s American dream. … [I]t wasn’t Krypton thatSuperman really came from; it was the planet Minsk.”Superman’s real name, after all, Kal-El, is remarkablysimilar to the Hebrew words meaning “the voice of God,”and the Golem, from Jewish folklore, is often cited asthe original superhero—created out of clay to fight evil inthe world.Another comic-book superhero—Batman—appeared onthe heels of Superman in 1939, and was also created bytwo Jewish boys—artist Bob Kane (born Robert Kahn) andwriter Bill Finger. EC’s crime and horror comics of the ’50s10 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

(William M. Gaines, publisher) and Mad Magazine (HarveyKurtzman, Will Elder and others), with its groundbreakingsatire, followed. Marvel Comics, spearheaded by Stan Lee(born Stanley Lieber) and featuring the work of artist JackKirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg), among others, introduceda new archetypal superhero in the ’60s—Spiderman, theHulk, Iron Man, X-Men, Wolverine, Fantastic Four andmany others.The graphic novel (or sequential art) as a distinctart form emanated from the extraordinary talents ofWill Eisner, whose 1940 comic strip The Spirit capturedlife growing up in the Jewish tenements of the Bronx, andwhose graphic novel A Contract with God in 1978 featureda pious Jew who renounces his faith following the death ofhis young daughter.Other noteworthy Jewish names in comic art—among avery, very long list—include Ralph Bakshi (Robert Crumb,though gentile, is “Jewish by way of ambience,” accordingto author Paul Buhle, “with Jews not only as his frequentsubjects, but his friends, wives and children”), RubeGoldberg, Jules Feiffer, William Steig (Shrek), DanielClowes (Ghost World), Al Capp (Li’l Abner) and, of course,Art Spiegelman. Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus(1980) and Maus 2 (1992) are remarkable memoirs aboutSpiegelman’s father’s experiences during the Holocaust,and the troubled relationship between father and son.Jewish women have also played a key role in comic art,among them: Aline Kaminsky-Crumb, Sharon Rudahl,Trina Robbins, Miriam Katin and a whole new generationof young, female artists.In the field of animation, perhaps the seminal roleof Jewish artists is not as obvious. People readily thinkof Chuck Jones and Tex Avery (not Jewish), but Jewishcreators’ contribution to early toons is profound. Mostnotably, the Fleischer Brothers’ cartoons (e.g., Ko-Kothe Clown, Popeye, Betty Boop) conveyed humour andwit, remarkably innovative technique and a unique urbaneJewish sensibility. Disney Studios was not overpopulated byJews (whether Walt was anti-Semitic or not is still debated;he was most certainly anti-union)—when the anti-unionbust came, former Jewish Disney animator Isadore “Friz”Freleng left for rival Warner Brothers, as senior directorunder producer Leon Schlesinger. They created anatmosphere of complete freedom for artists, in which thezany Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were born. Also atWarners’ animation studio, composer Carl W. Stalling andMel Blanc, whose “1,000” voices, including Bugs Bunny,Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird and Wile E.Coyote, left an indelible mark. (Blanc’s headstone carriesa Jewish star and the inscription “That’s All Folks!”).A recent article in The Forward, by David Kaufmann,puts forth a really convincing case that the wisecrackingBugs Bunny himself—without a doubt a New Yorker—is definitely Jewish.In 2010, Eisner’s legacy lives on, with such esteemedJewish writers as Neil Gaiman and, in Israel, Etgar Keret,also renowned for their graphic novels.Comic-book movies are now Big Business. Disney’srecent acquisition of Marvel Comics for $4.24 billionattests to the fact that this phenomenon will likelycontinue. The current crop of comic-book flicks have beenrevamped with ever more spectacular digital technologyand special effects. The same holds true for animatedfeatures—another huge box-office draw. It’s interesting toponder whether anything’s been lost along the way.People of the Comic Book takes us back to the verybeginning, when comic art began. As we witnessed inprevious TJFF sidebars, it isn’t just the fact that Jewsdominated this particular form of popular culture thatis the cause for celebration; it’s the fact that they werefantastically good at what they created.The Jewish artists and writers who invented anddeveloped comic art were visionaries and innovators—immensely talented, terrific storytellers, witty and wry intheir perceptions—and masters of their craft.KA-POW! SOCK! BAM! We hope you enjoy the series.People of the Comic Book• American Splendor• The Comic Art Forum• Comic Book Confidential• The False Forest and Other Picture-Stories—Ben Katchor• Fritz the Cat• Irreverent Imagination: The Golden Age of Looney Tunes• Joann Sfar Draws from Memory• Last Son• The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story• The Mad Playboy of Art• Paul Buhle Talk—“Jews and Comic Art”• Who Framed Roger Rabbit• Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential ArtistTitles in the sidebar have been identifiedin the alphabetical index with the icon orcheck www.tjff.com for series outline.Generously Sponsored by Shirley Granovsky18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM11

Programme Coordinator’s NotesLARRY ANKLEWICZPHOTO: TIM LEYESPROGRAMME COORDINATORWelcome to the Toronto Jewish Film Festival’s 18 thanniversary. We are celebrating this milestone with a newcollection of outstanding films from around the world.This year we have terrific films from 18 countries. Ourprogramming team chose the best of the best from over400 films that were submitted to us.We found some outstanding works to present at thisyear’s Festival, including such Israeli gems as The Loners,about two Israeli soldiers of Soviet background who bringan entire army base to a standstill; Lebanon, an intensefilm about waging war from inside a tank; and the Oscar ® -nominated Ajami. Other nuggets include the Dutch epicBride Flight; Re-birth, the French TV miniseries about thebirth of Israel; and the brilliant German feature about aGerman-Jewish athlete just prior to the 1936 Olympics,Berlin ’36. We are also presenting such excellent Israelifilms as Five Hours from Paris and the popular comedyA Matter of Size.We are proud to have a number of North Americanpremieres this year, including a very special film thathas just been restored, Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today(1948) [The 2009 Schulberg/Waletzky Restoration],Exodus: The True Story and The Irene Hilda Story.Two themes have emerged from our selections thisyear. One is based on Black/Jewish relations and consistsof three films—Off and Running, the story of two Jewishwomen who have adopted Black and mixed-race children,and how their daughter overcomes some of the self-doubtsand confusion of her upbringing; Heart of Stone tells abouta high school that at one time had a mainly Jewish studentbody and now has primarily Black and minority students,and how the principal, along with the alumni, are tryingto help the school reclaim some of its old academic glory;and The People v. Leo Frank, which relates the case ofLeo Frank, who was accused of killing a young femaleworker at the factory he managed in Atlanta, Georgia, inthe early part of the 20 th century.Another theme spotlights some truly remarkablepersonalities. The films include Ahead of Time, about theincredible Ruth Gruber, a Jewish writer, journalist andphotographer who, during the 1930s, covered stories inthe Soviet Arctic and Alaska, and in the ’40s helped bringsome 1,000 Jewish refugees from Europe to the U.S. Shewas also on the scene when the battered refugee shipExodus limped into Haifa harbour and the passengerswere taken back to internment camps in Germany. Gruberinterviewed the passengers, and her reports captured theworld’s attention.Other films about remarkable personalities includeWhere I Stand: The Hank Greenspun Story, about the manwho ran weapons for the Jewish underground in Palestineduring the late 1940s, helped turn Las Vegas into thegambling capital of the United States and then took on JoeMcCarthy and the Internal Revenue Service in the U.S.Then we have Achziv, a Place for Love, about Eli Avivi,an Israeli who built a paradise for the hippie and druggeneration in Israel; a film about Israel’s leading author,Amos Oz: The Nature of Dreams; the story of film pioneersthe Warner Brothers; Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai; Jewishsinger and entertainer Irene Hilda; Pannonica Rothschild,the Jewish “Jazz Baroness”; and many more.One of the most exciting films is The Klezmatics: OnHoly Ground, which is making its world premiere at ourFestival. We are very proud to present the story of one ofthe best-known klezmer bands in the world, and the onlyklezmer band to have won a Grammy Award, which theyreceived for their album of Woody Guthrie songs.The film takes us on a world tour of klezmer music. Wesee the band perform with such talented guests as ChavaAlberstein, Joshua Nelson and others. We also accompanythe Klezmatics on a visit to Germany and Poland, as theysearch for their roots and the roots of their music. This isa film that should not be missed, and three members ofthe Klezmatics, Frank London, Lorin Sklamberg and LisaGutkin, will be at the theatre to perform a mini-concert,live and in person.This is yet another bumper year for the Toronto JewishFilm Festival, with almost 100 films on our schedule. Iknow you can’t watch all the films, but all the films arecertainly worth watching. So enjoy as many as you can,because the next nine days are filled with lots of wonderfulfilms we are sure will excite and entertain you.12 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

Opening NightClosing NightA MATTER OF SIZE (SIPUR GADOL)TORONTO PREMIEREISRAEL/FRANCE/GERMANY 2009, 90 MINHEBREW, JAPANESE WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTORS: SHARON MAYMON, EREZ TADMORCAST: DVIR BENEDEK, ITZIK COHEN, SHMULIK COHEN,LEVANA FINKELSTEINSATURDAY APRIL 17 • 9:15 PM • BLOOR CINEMASUNDAY APRIL 18 • 8 PM • SHEPPARD CENTREHerzl joins a fitness club to get into shape, but theprocess turns out to be sheer torture and the results aredisappointing. Losing weight and getting fit is not easy.Finally fed up with the ridicule he faces on a daily basis,Herzl chances upon sumo wrestling as a way to turn hissize into self-respect. He manages to convince somefriends to join him, and they all learn some importantlessons about life itself. Described by Variety as displaying“a finely honed visual sense and superb comic timing,” AMatter of Size contains a little bit of everything—comedy,romance, friendship. In the tradition of The Full Monty,this charming film features winning performances by anexcellent cast and a moral about self-image for all of us,big or small, to ponder.GUEST INVITEDAJAMIISRAEL/GERMANY 2009, 120 MINHEBREW, ARABIC WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTORS: SCANDAR COPTI, YARON SHANICAST: FOUAD HABASH, IBRAHIM FREGE, SCANDAR COPTI,SHAHIR KABAHA, ERAN NAIMSUNDAY APRIL 25 • 8:45 PM • BLOOR CINEMAThis powerful drama uses five interconnected storiesto explore the lives of the Christian, Muslim and Jewishinhabitants in the mixed Jaffa neighbourhood of Ajami:a young Israeli fighting a criminal vendetta against hisfamily, a Palestinian refugee working illegally to financelife-saving surgery, a Jewish police detective obsessed withfinding his missing brother and a Palestinian dreaming ofa future with his Jewish girlfriend. The two directors of thefilm—an Israeli Arab and an Israeli Jew—have put togethera powerful and moving film that deals realistically with thecharacters it focuses on and spins stories that are onlystrengthened by their interdependency. Ajami has won ahost of prizes, including the Wolgin Prize at the JerusalemFilm Festival, the Ophir Prize for Best Israeli Film of 2009and an Academy Award ® nomination.CLOSING NIGHT GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BYOPENING NIGHT GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM13

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONNUREMBERG:ITS LESSON FOR TODAY (1948)[The 2009 Schulberg/WaletzskyRestoration]North American PremiereUSA/Germany 1948/2009, 80 minutesENGLISH, GERMAN, FRENCH, RUSSIAN WITH SUBTITLESWriter/Director: Stuart SchulbergEditor: Joseph ZigmanProducers: Stuart Schulberg & Pare LorentzProduction Supervisor: Eric Pommer,Office of Military Government/U.S.Musical Score: Hans-Otto BorgmannRestoration Created by: Sandra Schulberg & Josh WaletzkyNarrator: Liev SchreiberMusical Score Reconstruction: John CalifraSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 7 PM • BLOOR CINEMA“Let Nuremberg stand as a warning to all who planand wage aggressive war.”—Justice Robert H. Jackson, Chief U.S. Prosecutor,1 st Nuremberg Trial, 1945–46The TJFF is honoured to present the North AmericanPremiere of Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today, meticulouslyand painstakingly restored by Sandra Schulberg andJosh Waletzky. Completed in 1948, and widely shownin German cinemas during 1948–49, the film wassubsequently withheld from American cinemas by the U.S.government for a number of reasons, including the graphicnature of its content. There may have been concern thatreaction to the film might have an adverse impact onpublic support for the rebuilding of Germany’s economy, amajor plank of the postwar Marshall Plan. But as SandraSchulberg discovered in her research, the decision provedcontroversial, as revealed in several investigative newsstories that appeared during the fall of 1949 in major U.S.papers. Producer Pare Lorentz even offered to buy the filmfrom the government and release it himself. His offer wasrefused. In any event, the English-language version of thefilm was never properly completed, and the original picturenegative and sound elements were lost or destroyed.One of the greatest courtroom dramas in history,Nuremberg illustrates how the four Allied prosecutionteams built their case against the top Nazi war criminalsduring a trial that lasted from November 20, 1945, toOctober 1, 1946 (and which is officially known as theInternational Military Tribunal). The film is an invaluablehistorical document that traces the Nazi rise to power andHitler’s strategy during WWII, and is startlingly relevantin depicting the establishment of the “Nurembergprinciples”—the foundation for all subsequent trials forcrimes against humanity. Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Todayalso presents irrefutable proof that the Jews were Hitler’sprimary victims.The film’s narrative structure mirrors the four countsof indictment, and the courtroom sequences are intercutwith the Nazis’ own documents and films. Much of the filmfootage was found by brothers Stuart and Budd Schulberg,members of John Ford’s special OSS Field PhotographicBranch/War Crimes Unit, and was compiled (with thehelp of their colleagues Ray Kellogg, Joe Zigman and BobParrish) into a four-hour evidentiary film, The Nazi Plan.The same team created a 60-minute compilation of Alliedfootage, Nazi Concentration Camps, which shocked thecourtroom when it was presented on November 29, 1945.Nuremberg builds to a climax with the summationsof the four chief prosecutors and the chilling verdicts ofthe Allied judges. Nuremberg is an incredible piece ofcinematic history that can now be seen in an internationalversion that, for the first time, allows you to hear theparticipants speaking in their own languages. Riveting …extraordinarily powerful … and not-to-be missed.Warning: Graphic archival footage.GUESTS: JOURNALIST EVAN SOLOMON, HOST OF CBCNEWSNETWORK’S POWER AND POLITICS WITH EVAN SOLOMON;SANDRA SCHULBERG, RESTORATION PROJECT DIRECTOR;AND JOSH WALETZKY, RESTORATION PICTURE/SOUND EDITORGENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY ANONYMOUS14 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

Proud sponsor of the 2006 Toronto Jewish Film Festival.FILM LISTAMOS OZ: THE NATURE OF DREAMSISRAEL/CANADA 2009, 86 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTORS: MASHA ZUR GLOZMAN, YONATHAN ZURSUNDAY APRIL 25 • 1:30 PM • BLOOR CINEMAAmos Oz may be the most important writer in Israel today.He is well-known for his support of Israel’s existence andfor its maintenance of its character and future. He is alsowell-known for his criticism of government policies and hissense of social justice. In this film (which offers a broaderperspective than the film on Oz TJFF screened last year),the writer talks about his childhood in Jerusalem, hisparents and his life on the kibbutz, as well as the relationsbetween Jews of different origins and the peace processand politics in Israel. The cameras also follow Oz abroad,where he meets with other writers and politicians.GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BYANITACANADIAN PREMIEREARGENTINA 2009, 106 MINSPANISH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: MARCOS CARNEVALECAST: ALEJANDRA MANZO, NORMA ALEANDRO,LUIS LUQUE, LEONOR MANSOSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 5:30 PM • SHEPPARD CENTREThursday April 22 • 1 pm • BLOOR CINEMAThe morning of July 18, 1994, begins like any other day,but things change suddenly when the nearby ArgentineIsraelite Mutual Association is bombed, sending AnitaFeldman’s life into a tailspin. Her mother has gone tocollect a cheque for government support of Anita, whosuffers from Down syndrome. Not understanding whathas happened, Anita goes in search of her mother andbecomes swept up with people who are disoriented likeherself. As Anita, Alejandra Manzo, an actress living withDown syndrome, delivers a stunning performance in thislovely and gentle film.WEEKDAY MATINEES PRESENTED BY16 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

AS LILITHCANADIAN PREMIEREISRAEL 2009, 77 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: EYTAN HARRISWEDNESDAY APRIL 21 • NOON • AL GREEN THEATREFollowing the suicide of her 14-year-old daughter,Lilith decides to cremate the girl in keeping with herunconventional religious beliefs. Upon this declaration,the head of the Jewish ultra-Orthodox organization Zaka,which assists in the recovery of human remains afterterrorist attacks, declares an all-out war against Lilith,initiating a series of bizarre trials. With incredible accessto all parties involved, filmmaker Eytan Harris (AbeNathan: As the Sun Sets, TJFF 2006) tells an engaging,unbiased story that captures the dark humour of theseabsurd events while pondering the unknowable question ofwhy a young girl took her own life.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING FILMLONE SAMARITANCANADIAN PREMIEREISRAEL 2009, 50 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: BARAK HEYMANNA fascinating look at a tiny, little-known sect who havevery strict rules about assimilation because of their fearof extinction. Sophie Tzdaka, an Israeli TV personality,and her three sisters have left the community. Herfather, Baruch, one of the most well-known figures in theSamaritan community, is being excommunicated becauseof his children’s rejection of the sect and its mores. Thefilm tells his story through the eyes of his daughter Sophieand depicts a touching father-daughter journey.BAR MITZVAHUSA 1935, 75 MINYIDDISH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: HENRY LYNNCAST: BORIS THOMASHEFSKY, ANITA CHAYES,REGINA ZUCKERBERG, SAM COLTONSUNDAY APRIL 25 • 11 AM • BLOOR CINEMAActor, singer and producer Boris Thomashefsky(1868–1939) was a pioneer of the American Yiddishtheater and one of its central figures for nearly 50years. Bar Mitzvah features his only film performance.Thomashefsky plays a Polish widower whose wife was lostat sea 10 years earlier. He announces his plans to remarryas his son prepares for his bar mitzvah. But it turns out hiswife survived the shipwreck and comes home just in timefor her husband’s remarriage. A wonderful example of highmelodrama typical of popular Yiddish theatre at the time,Bar Mitzvah also features vaudeville humour, playful songsand dancing. Newly restored and subtitled by the NationalCentre for Jewish Film.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILMBALANCING ACTS: A YIDDISH THEATERIN THE SOVIET UNIONWORK-IN-PROGRESSUSA 2010, 18 MINENGLISH, YIDDISH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: SAM BALLThis documentary gem narrated by Ed Asner recountsthe exhilarating, ultimately tragic experiment that broughttogether Marc Chagall, actor Solomon Mikhoels anddirector Alexander Granovsky to create avant-garde Jewishtheatre with unprecedented mass appeal.GUESTS: DIRECTOR SAM BALL AND COMPOSER/PRODUCERWILLIAM SUSMAN (BALANCING ACTS)DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF JESSE HABERFELD FREEDMAN,LOUIS FREEDMAN AND MORRIS HABERFELD18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM17

FILM LISTBERLIN ’36CANADIAN PREMIEREGERMANY 2009, 97 MINGERMAN WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: KASPER HEIDELBACHCAST: KAROLINE HERFURTH, SEBASTIAN URZENDOWSKY,AXEL PRAHL, ROBERT GALLINOWSKI, THOMAS THIEME,JOHANN VONBULOW, AUGUST ZIRNERSATURDAY APRIL 24 • 9:15 PM • BLOOR CINEMASUNDAY APRIL 25 • 1 PM • SHEPPARD CENTREAmerica threatened to boycott the 1936 Olympics inBerlin if Jews were excluded. In an attempt to prevent theboycott, the Nazis recruited Gretel Bergmann, a Jewishhigh jumper, considered the best at her sport in Germanyand one of the leading high jumpers in the world. But theGermans didn’t really want her and looked for a way tokeep her from winning a spot. In addition to disruptingBergmann’s training routine, they even brought in a ringer,a man who had been raised as a woman by his mother, tocompete for a high-jumping spot on the team. Berlin ’36is a well-made, engrossing drama based on the true storyof a woman’s attempts to survive and maintain her dignityand respect while under tremendous pressure. A greatcompanion to What If? The Helene Mayer Story.Warning: NudityBRIDE FLIGHTCANADIAN PREMIERENETHERLANDS 2008, 130 MINDUTCH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: BEN SOMBOGAARTCAST: KARINA SMULDERS, ELISE SCHAAP, ANNA DRIJVER,WALDEMAR TOENSTRA, RUTGER HAUERWEDNESDAY APRIL 21 • 8 PM • BLOOR CINEMASATURDAY APRIL 24 • 9:15 PM • RICHMOND HILLThis epic film begins with a 1953 air race that is won by aDutch plane carrying, among others, women joining theirfiancés in New Zealand. The story focuses on three ofthese women and a male hunk, Frank, who befriends themon the plane. When Frank dies years later, all the womengather for his funeral, and their stories play out in a seriesof well-structured flashbacks where we learn how each isintimately connected to Frank and to each other. Beautifulphotography that takes full advantage of the New Zealandlandscape and a storyline that spans several decadescombine to make this an intriguing romantic story, inwhich the actions of the characters have repercussions ontheir lives for years to come, proving that past and presentare inextricably linked.Warning: NudityGENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY STEPHEN AND COOKIE SANDLERGUEST INVITEDGENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY MARSHA BRONFMAN18 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

BROTHERS (FRÈRES)SWITZERLAND 2008, 116 MINHEBREW, SPANISH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: IGAAL NIDDAMCAST: BARUCH BRENER, ORNA FITOUSSI, MICHA SELECTARSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 1 PM • RICHMOND HILLBrothers Dan and Aaron meet in Israel after many yearsapart, only to discover how different they have become.Dan is a secular Jew living on a kibbutz, while Aaron isan Orthodox lawyer and Torah scholar from the U.S., whohas come to Israel to fight a court case. The conflictbetween the brothers is echoed in the legal battle, whichhighlights the issue of separation of state and religion inmodern Israel. A fascinating argument that will certainlyprovoke discussion!THE BROTHERS WARNERUSA 2008, 90 MINDIRECTOR: CASS WARNERSUNDAY APRIL 25 • 1:15 PM • AL GREEN THEATREMade by the granddaughter of Harry Warner, The BrothersWarner offers an intimate portrait of the legendary familywho rose from immigrant poverty and created a majorHollywood studio with a strong social conscience. In 1934,Warner Bros. was the first studio to boycott Germany;in 1939, it produced the first Hollywood film to confrontNazism, Confessions of a Nazi Spy. The studio alsotried to make a film called Concentration Camp, but wasstopped. Unlike most documentaries about the Hollywoodstudio system, this wonderful film goes beyond theconventional mythology and delivers a very human story ofthe brothers—the strategic general, Harry Warner; honestAbe; visionary Sam; and volatile Jack—who producedsuch iconic films as The Jazz Singer, Casablanca and TheAdventures of Robin Hood. The Brothers Warner exploresthe family rivalries and personal tragedies, as well as theJewish roots that shaped these larger-than-life men.18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM19

FILM LISTCINEMA’S EXILES:FROM HITLER TO HOLLYWOODUSA 2009, 117 MINDIRECTOR: KAREN THOMASSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 1 PM • SHEPPARD CENTREWEDNESDAY APRIL 21 • 1 PM • BLOOR CINEMAWhen Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933,one of his earliest actions was to ban Jews from workingin that country’s innovative film industry. European-bornfilm artists such as Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang, Henry Kosterand Peter Lorre, who had previously created landmarksof the German cinema, fled their homeland. Cinema’sExiles traces the experiences of those refugees who wentto Hollywood and explores their influence on Americancinema. This entertaining and intelligent documentaryprofiles those whose careers had to be restarted inHollywood and their struggles with the new language andculture. The film also features clips and discussions ofthese artists’ contributions to such memorable films asCasablanca, Double Indemnity, To Be or Not to Be andHigh Noon.WEEKDAY MATINEES PRESENTED BYCLAUDE LANZMANN, AN ODE TO LIFENORTH AMERICAN PREMIEREFRANCE 2009, 52 MINFRENCH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: SYLVAIN ROUMETTETHURSDAY APRIL 22 • NOON • AL GREEN THEATREA revealing documentary portrait of filmmaker ClaudeLanzmann, whose monumental film Shoah (1985)challenged previous cinematic depictions of the Holocaust.Director Sylvain Roumette explores Lanzmann’s highschool years in Clermont-Ferrand, where he joined theFrench Resistance against the Nazis; his post-war years inBerlin; his career as a journalist; and his relationship withthe writer Simone de Beauvoir. Lanzmann also discussesthe philosophy behind the moral and artistic choices hemade while producing Shoah. A memorable portrait of aniconoclastic and deeply humanistic individual.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING FILMGITAI IN SEARCH OF HIS CARMELNORTH AMERICAN PREMIEREISRAEL 2009, 50 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: RAN TALOver the past 30 years, Israeli director Amos Gitai hasgained international acclaim for his provocative, originalfilms. Here, as Gitai is followed by a camera crew for sixweeks during the production of his recent film Carmel, wegain insight into the unique and unconventional manner inwhich he shoots his films. Gitai in Search of His Carmel isa wonderful primer for the director’s work that will satisfyboth Gitai fans and newcomers to his work.20 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

COCOCANADIAN PREMIEREFRANCE 2009, 95 MINFRENCH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: GAD ELMALEHCAST: GAD ELMALEH, PASCALE ARBILLOT, JEAN BENGUIGUIMONDAY APRIL 19 • 3:15 PM • BLOOR CINEMAWEDNESDAY APRIL 21 • 6 PM • RICHMOND HILLGad Elmaleh (Father’s Footsteps, TJFF 2009) is one of themost popular stand-up comedians and actors in Franceand this is his first directorial effort. In Coco, he stars asa well-liked, self-made man who goes a little overboardwhen he learns that he has a heart defect; he decides toturn his son’s bar mitzvah into a huge spectacle, invitingsome 6,000 guests. Featuring a very likeable performanceby Elmaleh, Coco is full of broad humour, slapstick andplayful puns.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILMI AM RUTHIE SEGAL, HEAR ME ROARUK 2009, 10 MINDIRECTOR: MINKIE SPIROA girl defies her parents’ expectations on her batmitzvah day.WEEKDAY MATINEES PRESENTED BYTHE COMIC ART FORUMwith Harvey Pekar, Ben Katchor and Paul Buhle90 minSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 4 PM • AL GREEN THEATREWhat’s new in Jews and comics, and … what’s old! Thislively forum—with special guests and listeners joiningthe conversation—will probe familiar questions (what is itabout comic art that drew Jewish artists in the first place?)and go on to recent ones (why is 90 percent of comicart on the web?). Just some of the other topics: Where isthe comics industry going, now that the traditional comicbook of the pulp variety is dying, and what has happenedsince comics became a growth industry, but mainly forthe sale of superhero characters to Hollywood? Paul Buhle(author or editor of 42 books) and Harvey Pekar (AmericanSplendor) have collaborated on a series of comic artvolumes, including The Beats, Students for a DemocraticSociety, an adaptation of Studs Terkel’s Working and theforthcoming Yiddishland. Graphic novelist Ben Katchor(“The most poetic, deeply layered artist ever to draw acomic strip”) is the only cartoonist to receive a “genius”MacArthur Fellowship. Katchor’s most recent pop opera(in collaboration with Mark Mulcahy) will be performed atLincoln Center in May.GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY SHIRLEY GRANOVSKY18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM21

ELI & BENISRAEL 2008, 90 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: ORI RAVIDCAST: LIOR ASHKENAZI, YUVAL SHEVACH, TZAHI GRADSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 6:15 PM • RICHMOND HILLTwelve-year-old Eli’s world is turned upside down when hisfather, the city architect for Herzliya, is accused of takinga bribe to facilitate the construction of a new buildingthat would otherwise not have been approved by the city.Eli’s trust and belief in his father is thrown into question,and he faces a barrage of hostility from his friends andschoolmates. Eli winds up questioning everything hebelieves in and has to decide whether to do the right thingor the easy thing. This is one of those rare films that delvesinto father-son relationships and poses the questionof whether children can really believe everything theirparents tell them.EXODUS: THE TRUE STORYNORTH AMERICAN PREMIEREISRAEL 2009, 79 MINHEBREW, FRENCH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTORS: ITZIK LERNER, URI BORREDASUNDAY APRIL 18 • 3:20 PM • SHEPPARD CENTRESUNDAY APRIL 25 • 6 PM • BLOOR CINEMAThe Exodus 1947 was an ancient American riverboat calledthe President Warfield that was refitted to carry 4,500Holocaust survivors to Palestine. The only obstacle wasthe British navy boats that patrolled the seas in search ofJewish ships carrying such immigrants. When the Exoduswas spotted in the Mediterranean, British warships kept itunder close surveillance and eventually rammed the ship.They forced the passengers onto three British prison shipsand transported them to detention camps in Germany. Thisfilm follows three of the passengers and tells the story oftheir harrowing experiences through their memories, aswell as those of French and British witnesses.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILMCOHEN ON THE BRIDGE:RESCUE AT ENTEBBEFRANCE/ISRAEL/UK/USA 2009, 20 MINDIRECTOR: ANDREW WAINRIBAn animated chronicle of the terrorist hijacking of AirFrance Flight 139 and the Israeli military rescue effortat Entebbe.Guest: Director Andrew WainribGENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM23

FILM LISTEYES WIDE OPEN (EINAYIM PHUHOT)ISRAEL/GERMANY/FRANCE 2009, 91 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: HAIM TABAKMANCAST: ZOHAR SHTRAUSS, RAN DANKER, TINKERBELL, TZAHI GRADMONDAY APRIL 19 • 8 PM • BLOOR CINEMATUESDAY APRIL 20 • 8:15 PM • RICHMOND HILLWhat happens when a married man with a family in theultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem falls inlove with another man? A father of four sons, Aaron facesgreat temptation when a young man shows up at hisbutcher shop. The film sensitively deals with some of theproblems the religious Orthodox must contend with whenthey wander from the straight and narrow; they might bevisited by the “purity police” or face the condemnation ofthe entire community.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILMSINNERISRAEL 2009, 28 MINENGLISH, HEBREW, ITALIAN WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: MENI PHILIPThirteen-year-old Yotam is a student at an ultra-Orthodoxyeshiva. Confused by his budding sexuality, he confides inhis rabbi, which leads to tragic results.CO-PRESENTED WITHTHE FALSE FORESTAND OTHER PICTURE-STORIESA READING BY BEN KATCHOR, 60 MINMONDAY APRIL 19 • 8:30 PM • AL GREEN THEATREIn this special live appearance, graphic novelist BenKatchor (The Jew of New York, Julius Kniple: RealEstate Photographer) will read from his short stories,accompanied by projected images of his comic artillustrations, on the subjects of architecture and urbandesign. Katchor, “the most poetic, deeply layered artistever to draw a comic strip” (New York Times Book Review),is the only cartoonist to receive a “genius” MacArthurFellowship. He has also written for the stage, includingthree pop operas with composer Mark Mulcahy; he’s aformer contributor to Art Spiegelman’s Raw; and he’s aregular contributor to The New Yorker and The Forward.Katchor’s picture-stories appear in Metropolis Magazine.According to author Michael Chabon, “We have never—at least not since Herriman (Krazy Kat)—had a writer likeKatchor.… Though his style in no way resembles that ofJack Kirby or Will Eisner, Ben Katchor is along with themone of the three great depictors of New York City inthe history of comics.… Katchor’s style, like all the greatstyles, is addictive.… In the end it isn’t nostalgia butloneliness of an impossible beauty and profundity that isthe great theme.…”GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY SHIRLEY GRANOVSKY24 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

FIVE HOURS FROM PARIS(HAMESH SHAOT ME’PARIZ)ISRAEL 2009, 90 MINHEBREW, RUSSIAN WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: LEONID PRUDOVSKYCAST: DROR KEREN, ELENA YARALOVA, VLADIMIR FREEDMANWEDNESDAY APRIL 21 • 8:30 PM • SHEPPARD CENTREThursday APRIL 22 • 2:30 PM • AL GREEN THEATRESometimes the most powerful love hides beneath thesurface of the most ordinary people. When divorced cabdriver Yigal drops his son off at school, he meets Lina, amarried woman on the brink of leaving Israel to join herhusband in Canada. Neither is looking for romance, butsomehow they find themselves drawn to each other, andtheir conventional lives are radically transformed. With astunning performance by Dror Keren (Adam Resurrectedand Aviva, My Love), the film reveals the beauty and acheof awakening romance. An extremely strong feature debutfor director Leonid Prudovsky, Five Hours from Paris marksthe beginning of a new voice in film.GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BYFRAGMENTS (RESISIM)CANADIAN PREMIEREISRAEL 2009, 50 MINHEBREW, RUSSIAN WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: YONATAN HAIMOVICHSUNDAY APRIL 25 • 3:30 PM • AL GREEN THEATREAfter a series of tragic events, the filmmaker journeys backto the Jerusalem apartment complex that once housedhis family upon their emigration from the Soviet Union,in an attempt to reconnect with those few remainingpieces of his childhood. Through his exploration of thefaces, stories and memories of the people that shaped hislife, he skillfully weaves a poetic tapestry of passionatebut alienated figures all sharing in the sadness of theirown personal tragedies. This touching, beautiful personaldocumentary manages to transcend to the universal in itsexamination of the fragile nature of the human spirit.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING FILMTHE VALDERAMA SISTERSNORTH AMERICAN PREMIEREISRAEL 2009, 48 MINSPANISH, HEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTORS: NOAM DEMSKY, MORDI KERSHNERThe strong, independent Valderama sisters are part ofPeru’s Bnei Moshe community, which consists of formerCatholics in the final throes of converting to Judaism, withthe ultimate goal of immigrating to Israel. In February2005, a rabbinical conversion court is sent by Israel toofficiate at the conversion of those who qualify. We followthese sisters through the conversion, the departure fromPeru and their arrival in Israel, where they face the realityand culture shock of their new home.GUEST: ANER PREMINGER OF THE SAPIR FILM SCHOOL,WHERE FRAGMENTS WAS PRODUCED18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM25

Special PresentationTHE KLEZMATICS: ON HOLY GROUNDWORLD PREMIEREUSA 2010, 108 MINDIRECTOR: ERIk GREENBERG ANJOUTHURSDAY APRIL 22 • 8 PM • BLOOR CINEMAFor over 20 years the Klezmatics have been at thevanguard of the international klezmer revival movement.The Grammy Award-winning group’s innovative, downtownN.Y. sensibilities have redefined the boundaries ofcontemporary Jewish music, through nine albums andcollaborations with such diverse artists as Chava Alberstein,Arlo Guthrie, Itzhak Perlman and Joshua Nelson. Followingthe group through tours in the U.S., Germany and Poland,this strikingly honest documentary portrait reveals thechallenges faced by exceptionally creative musicians asthey strive to continue making joyous, boundary-breakingmusic, while balancing the demands of family, career andtheir own individual personalities.GUEST: DIRECTOR ERIk GREENBERG ANJOUPRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING CONCERTLIVE IN CONCERT! MEMBERS OFTHE KLEZMATICS: FRANK LONDON,LORIN SKLAMBERG AND LISA GUTKINLAST SONCANADIAN PREMIEREUSA 2009, 60 MINDIRECTOR: BRAD RICCATUESDAY APRIL 20 • 8:15 PM • AL GREEN THEATRE“It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s … Superman!” The Man ofSteel took the world by storm when Toronto-born JoeShuster (artist) and Cleveland native Jerome Siegel (writer)created the character for DC Comics in 1938. This newdocumentary traces the fascinating story of the inventionof the iconic superhero, and posits several theoriesabout the character’s origins, including Jewish and otherinfluences that helped shape the Superman mythology.Incorporating never-before-seen archival footage, Last Sonlooks at the stories behind Superman’s mild-manneredsecret identity, and what actually happened when JerrySiegel’s father mysteriously died during a robbery. The sonof Jewish immigrant parents from Rotterdam and Kiev, JoeShuster moved to Cleveland from Toronto when he was10. A cousin to Frank Shuster, of Wayne and Shuster fame,Joe worked as a newsboy for the Toronto Daily Star, whichhe claims was the model for The Daily Planet.PRESENTED WITH SUPERMAN CARTOONS FROM THE ’40SBY MAX AND DAVE FLEISCHER (30 min)GUEST INVITEDGENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY SHIRLEY GRANOVSKY30 minThroughout their illustrious career, the Klezmatics havepersevered through many challenges to continue makingtheir unique brand of wild, mystical, provocative, reflectiveand ecstatically danceable music. Come celebrate thisWorld Premiere screening with a special pre-film liveperformance by members of the Klezmatics: FRANKLONDON, LORIN SKLAMBERG and LISA GUTKIN.GENEROUSLY CO-SPONSORED BY18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM33

FILM LISTLEBANONISRAEL/GERMANY/FRANCE 2009, 94 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: SAMUEL MAOZCAST: OSHRI COHEN, YOAV DONAT, MICHAEL MOSHONOV,ZOHAR SHTRAUSSTHURSDAY APRIL 22 • 8:15 PM • AL GREEN THEATRESUNDAY APRIL 25 • 3:30 PM • RICHMOND HILLA lone tank crew and a small group of paratroopers aresent into a small Lebanese town, in June 1982 duringthe first Lebanon War, to search for PLO terrorists. Themission turns into a nightmare as the tank crew findthemselves in a situation they cannot control and survivalbecomes primary: the main question for the young meninside the tank becomes whether to kill or be killed. Thisintense, powerful and very personal film takes placealmost entirely within the confines of a tank in the middleof combat, and shows the cruelest and most realisticaspects of war. The story is based on the director/screenwriter’s own experiences as a gunner inside a tankduring the first Lebanon War. Winner of the Golden Lion atthe Venice Film Festival.WARNING: VIOLENCE AND NUDITYTHE LINE KING:THE AL HIRSCHFELD STORYUSA 1996, 86 MINDIRECTOR: SUSAN WARMS DRYFOOSFRIDAY APRIL 23 • 4 PM • AL GREEN THEATREThis delightful, Oscar ® -nominated documentary is a richand loving portrait of the remarkable Al Hirschfeld—bestknown for his caricatures of show-biz personalities (mostnotably of the Broadway stage) that graced the artssection of the New York Times for decades. Producedwhen Hirschfeld was a vibrant 93 (he died in 2003 at age99), the film captures his touching relationship with hissecond wife, Dolly, and his daughter Nina (whose name iscryptically embedded in all of Hirschfeld’s drawings), hisproficiency in sculpture and lithography, and his travelsand interests. Perhaps best of all, the film reveals thetrue mastery of Hirschfeld’s work. His ability to depictthe essence of an image in a deceptively simple lineprofoundly influenced other artists, including cartoonistsand animators. Celebrities appearing in the film topay homage to the legend include Lauren Bacall, CarolChanning, Katherine Hepburn, Jules Feiffer andColleen Dewhurst.GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY SHIRLEY GRANOVSKY34 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

THE LONERS (HABODEDIM)CANADIAN PREMIEREISRAEL 2009, 92 MINHEBREW, RUSSIAN WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: RENEN SCHORRTHURSDAY APRIL 22 • 5:30 PM • BLOOR CINEMASATURDAY APRIL 24 • 9:15 PM • SHEPPARD CENTREThe Loners tells of two Russian-speaking immigrantsserving in the army who desire to assimilate into Israelisociety. Through events they could not have foreseen, theyare accused of treason; although innocent, their demandfor a retrial falls on deaf ears. Increasingly desperate asthey lose their freedom and dignity in prison, they attemptone last-ditch effort to be heard. The Loners was inspiredby true events that took place in a military prison innorthern Israel. As with his landmark Israeli film,Late Summer Blues (1987), director Renen Schorr hasagain created a stirring portrait of alienated youth trying tobe heard in a country where they feel silenced.The Loners is the new long-awaited feature by Schorr,who has influenced a whole generation of young Israelifilmmakers through the world-renowned Sam Spiegel FilmSchool in Jerusalem, which he founded and has headedfor over 20 years.THE MAD PLAYBOY OF ARTWORK-IN-PROGRESSUSA 2010, 90 MINDIRECTOR: GARY VANDENBERGHSUNDAY APRIL 25 • 6:15 PM • AL GREEN THEATREWill Elder, born Wolf William Eisenberg in the Bronxin 1921, was a comic book artist who perhaps bestepitomized the essence of the legendary Mad Magazine’szany humour and irreverent parody and satire. FilmmakerGary VandenBergh (who also happens to be Elder’sson-in-law) brings his exciting documentary-in-progressto the TJFF, with an entertaining look at the man, histimes and his work. Elder was best known for his frenziedand painstaking method of filling every inch of the pagewith hilarious things going on in the background—the“incidentals,” described lovingly by Elder’s colleagues as“chicken fat.” The preview includes terrific interviews withMad editor Harvey Kurtzman, Jerry Garcia, Terry Gilliam,writer/cartoonist Al Jaffee and others who comment onElder’s incredible talent and influence, as well as his workon humour magazines Mad, Trump and Humbug, and theLittle Annie Fanny comic strips in Playboy.GUESTS: DIRECTOR GARY VANDENBERGH, NANCY ELDERVANDENBERGH (WILL ELDER’S DAUGHTER)GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY SHIRLEY GRANOVSKY18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM35

FILM LISTMENSCHCANADIAN PREMIEREFRANCE 2009, 87 MINFRENCH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: STEVE SUISSACAST: NICOLAS CAZALÉ, SAMI FREY, ANTHONY DELON,MAURICE BÉNICHOUSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 1:15 PM • AL GREEN THEATREMRS. MOSKOWITZ & THE CATSTORONTO PREMIEREISRAEL 2009, 83 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: JORGE GURVICHCAST: RITA ZOHAR, MONI MOSHONOV, TIKI DAYAN, SHULAMIT ADARTUESDAY APRIL 20 • 3:15 PM • BLOOR CINEMAWEDNESDAY APRIL 21 • 6:15 PM • SHEPPARD CENTRENow in his 30s, Sam is an excellent safecracker; he feelsit is the only career for which he is suited. He tries tobalance this life with the demands of his family: a youngson who he is raising alone, a girlfriend who is wary of thepotential dangers of Sam’s profession and a grandfatherwho strongly urges him to get into the family food business.When he agrees to join the powerful local crime boss in alarge jewel heist, he risks the collapse of his two worlds.Compelling and at times very suspenseful, while offeringan intriguing character study and an exploration of familyrelations, Mensch follows in the tradition of some of thebest caper films.Yolanda, a retired French teacher, wakes up in the geriatricward of a hospital; she has a titanium plate in her hipthat confines her to a wheelchair and she faces a lengthyconvalescence among people she feels are different fromher. Eventually she discovers a new life and new friends,especially Shaul, a former soccer player who knows enoughFrench to flirt with her. Like a young woman in love, shestarts smiling, paying attention to the clothes she wears,putting on makeup—doing anything she can to captivatethis charming man. When she is forced to return to herhome, and her previous solitary life of French TV and catsin heat, a knock on her door changes her life .…WEEKDAY MATINEES PRESENTED BY36 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

NOODLEISRAEL 2007, 90 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: AYELET MENAHEMICAST: MILI AVITAL, BAO QI CHEN, ALON ABUTBULMONDAY APRIL 19 • 6 PM • RICHMOND HILLIsraeli film star Mili Avital is Miri, whose Chinese domesticdisappears while on an outing, leaving her young sonwaiting for her in Miri’s house, abandoned. After anextensive search, Miri discovers that the woman has beenapprehended and deported to Beijing because of illegaldocumentation. Determined to reunite mother and son,Miri devises an ingenious plan that takes advantage ofher position as a flight attendant with El-Al, which justhappens to fly to Beijing. A TJFF hit back in honour of our18 th birthday, Noodle is a heartwarming and beautifulfilm with a stunning performance by the actor who playsthe little boy!NORA’S WILL (CINCO DIAS SIN NORA)TORONTO PREMIEREMEXICO 2008, 92 MINSPANISH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: MARIANA CHENILLOCAST: ENRIQUE ARREOLA, ARI BRICKMAN,JUAN CARLOS COLOMBO, MARINA DE TAVIRAMONDAY APRIL 19 • 1 PM • BLOOR CINEMATUESDAY APRIL 20 • 6 PM • RICHMOND HILLThis story begins when José finds that Nora, from whomhe has been divorced for many years, has committedsuicide. Nora’s suicide is not surprising—according to herex-husband, Nora had attempted this 14 times before. Therabbi tells José that because of the Passover holiday, ifNora is not buried that same day, they would have to waitfive days for the funeral to be held. Before she took herlife, Nora had made preparations for the Passover sederand had connived to assure herself that José would takecare of the funeral arrangements. Nora’s preparations andJosé’s determination not to follow orders lead to someamusing incidents as the film takes on an increasinglyfarcical atmosphere.WEEKDAY MATINEES PRESENTED BYCO-PRESENTED WITH18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM37

FILM LISTOFF AND RUNNINGTORONTO PREMIEREUSA 2009, 76 MINDIRECTOR: NICOLE OPPERSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 11 AM • BLOOR CINEMAAvery, a young African-American girl, is living with twowhite Jewish lesbians for parents and two adoptedbrothers of mixed race. She has grown up in this uniqueand loving household, but when her curiosity about herroots starts bothering her, she decides to contact herbirth mother. As she questions her own race and identity,she begins staying away from home, skipping school andrisks losing her shot at a college athletic scholarship. Thisdocumentary follows Avery through the most difficultperiod of her life and the choices she makes, exploring thestrength of family bonds and the lengths people must goto find themselves.OH, WHAT A MESS(SO EIN SCHLAMASSEL)NORTH AMERICAN PREMIEREGERMANY 2009, 88 MINGERMAN WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: DIRK REGELCAST: NATALIA AVELON, JOHANNES ZIRNER, MARIELLA AHRENSWEDNESDAY APRIL 21 • 5:45 PM • BLOOR CINEMATHURSDAY APRIL 22 • 4:30 PM • SHEPPARD CENTREIn this charming German comedy, 30-something Jil thinksshe has met the man of her dreams, a Christian landscapearchitect, who she fears will not be accepted by her strictJewish family. The couple decides to fool the family bypretending he is Jewish. How long can they keep this up?“As a Jewish girl growing up in Germany,” explains producerAlice Brauner, “the few Jewish boys you get to know inkindergarten are like your cousins or brothers, so how canyou fall in love with a Jewish man?” Oh, What a Messoffers a refreshing portrait of contemporary Jewish lifein Berlin and the distinctive forms that culture clash andintermarriage take there.38 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

PAINT WHAT YOU REMEMBERCANADIAN PREMIEREPOLAND 2009, 30 MINENGLISH, POLISH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: SLAWOMIR GRUNBERGTuesday April 20 • NOON • AL GREEN THEATREMayer Kirshenblatt left his hometown of Opatow, Poland,in 1934 at the age of 17 and emigrated to Toronto. In1990, at the urging of his daughter and his wife, he tookup painting and completed more than 300 paintingsbefore his passing in late 2009. His paintings provide aninsight into the world Kirshenblatt left behind, a worldthat no longer exists. He painted what he remembered:the streets, the buildings and the people of his hometown.This film follows him on a journey back to Opatow andshows off the vibrant colours and bold canvases hecreated. It also shows him around his new hometown ofToronto and tells of his life over the past few decades.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILMSBENEATH THE EYE OF TIMECANADA 2010, 3 MINDIRECTOR: MADI PILLERPAUL BUHLE TALK—“JEWS AND COMIC ART”90 MINSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 11 AM • AL GREEN THEATREThe connections between Jews and comic art on theprinted page and on screen (film, TV and computer)offer one of the most enigmatic and valuable sagas inall Jewish/popular cultural life. Before Jewish artists andentrepreneurs created the comic book and the archetypalsuperhero, Rube Goldberg and Milt Gross invented wildlyimaginary machines and the first graphic novel. Moreimportant, the Fleischer brothers as much as inventedanimation, with Betty Boop’s syncopated madness. For30 years, movie cartoons filled theatre screens betweenfeatures, and as they crashed, William M. Gaines(EC Comics) and Harvey Kurtzman (Mad Magazine)reinvented comic art once more. And that was only thebeginning! Comics scholar Paul Buhle opens up theTJFF’s exploration and celebration of this field with filmclips and observations, high points, disappointments and,increasingly, Jewish self-identification.GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY SHIRLEY GRANOVSKYPaint-on-glass animation brings to life a traditionalPassover song from the Haggadah.PAINTING DADDYCANADA 2009, 7 MINDIRECTOR: ASTRA BURKAA filmmaker’s affectionate and heartwarming look at herfather’s career as a painter.GUESTS INVITEDGENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY ELEANOR DOVER18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM39

FILM LISTTHE PEOPLE V. LEO FRANKUSA 2009, 86 MINDIRECTOR: BEN LOETERMANTUESDAY APRIL 20 • 5:30 PM • BLOOR CINEMAThe events leading up to the 1913 lynching of Leo Frank,an American Jew wrongfully accused of murdering a younggirl who worked in his factory, are faithfully recreated inthis fascinating documentary. Dramatic sequences, takenfrom transcripts, documents and letters, help to makethe film both a first-rate murder mystery and a thoughtprovokinglook at racial and religious prejudice in theearly-20 th -century American South. Ben Loeterman’s filmoffers a wealth of rare archival images and new interviewswith historians, politicians and the descendants of theparticipants, infusing these nearly century-old events witha special resonance for today.GUEST: DIRECTOR BEN LOETERMANGENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY MEL & RENEE STEIN & FAMILYPROTECTOR (PROTEKTOR)CZECH REPUBLIC 2009, 98 MINCZECH, GERMAN WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: MAREK NAJBRTCAST: MAREK DANIEL, JANA PLODKOVÁ,JIŘI ORNEST, SIMON SCHWARZTHURSDAY APRIL 22 • 5:30 PM • AL GREEN THEATREGerman-occupied Prague in the late 1930s. Emil, aradio host, is obsessively in love with his wife, Hana, aJewish screen actress. To protect her from the fate ofthe Jews around them, he agrees to become the officialradio voice of the Nazi Party. But Emil’s success as acollaborator threatens to destroy the very thing he’s tryingto protect. Provocative, stylish and sexy, Protector is avisually stunning psychological thriller that evokes ’30sand ’40s film noir. “We have seen our share of dramasabout Germans, Jews and collaborators over the last sixand a half decades,” declared the Jerusalem Jewish FilmFestival, “but director Marek Najbrt’s film maintainssophistication and originality.”Warning: NudityPRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILMSO SOON FORGOTTENCANADA 2009, 15 MINDIRECTOR: ZACH BERNBAUMTrue story of Otto Teibeth, a Polish Jew who posed as aNazi and rescued a train full of Jews being deported to aconcentration camp.40 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

RE-BIRTH (REVIVRE) (2 PARTS)CANADIAN PREMIEREFRANCE 2009, 135 MIN/PARTFRENCH, HEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: HAIM BOUZAGLOCAST: CLEMENT SIBONY, REYMONDE AMSELLEM,BERNARD CAMPAN, NADIA FARÈS, GRÉGORY FITOUSSIPART 1: MONDAY APRIL 19 • 9:15 PM • SHEPPARD CENTREWEDNESDAY APRIL 21 • 8:30 PM • RICHMOND HILLPART 2: TUESDAY APRIL 20 • 9 PM • SHEPPARD CENTRETHURSDAY APRIL 22 • 8:30 PM • RICHMOND HILLThe years between World War II and the Declaration ofthe State of Israel witnessed a battle of wills between theJewish community in Palestine, who were working to bringJewish refugees into Palestine, and the British rulers, whosought to prevent Jewish immigration. The Exodus wasthe most famous example of this battle on the high seas,but other boats attempted to break through the Britishblockade as well. This is the story of one of those boatsand the people who boarded it in hopes of reaching theirPromised Land. The refugees were a mixture of European(Ashkenazi) Holocaust survivors and North Africans(Sephardim) leaving their native Arab lands to make a newhome for themselves in a Jewish country. This Frenchmadetelevision miniseries shows the difficulties thesepeople suffered to make their dreams come true.PART 1 PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILMSUMMER CAMPISRAEL 2009, 6 MINDIRECTORS: MOR ELNEKAVE, TOMER KOHNSAYED KASHUA: FOREVER SCAREDCANADIAN PREMIEREISRAEL 2009, 56 MINHEBREW, ARABIC WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: DORIT ZIMBALISTFRIDAY APRIL 23 • NOON • AL GREEN THEATRESayed Kashua feels he doesn’t belong anywhere. ManyJews don’t like him because he’s an Arab; many Arabsdon’t like him because he’s successful and they considerhim a collaborator. As a result, he is always scared.Kashua writes a regular column in Hebrew for Ha’aretz,one of the largest daily newspapers in Israel, about theexperience of an Israeli Arab living in a Jewish society.He often pokes fun at the problems he encounters asa member of a minority within the Jewish state.This documentary shows his daily life, his family andhis work on the popular Israeli television series he writes,Arab Labor.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILMARAB LABOR: INDEPENDENCE DAYISRAEL 2007, 30 MINDIRECTOR: RONI NINIOWritten by Sayed Kashua, this Israeli TV series centres ona young Arab family living on the outskirts of Jerusalem.In this episode, the couple is in the running when a millionshekels is offered to the first baby born on the country’s60 th birthday.The story of a man looking for his lover after the war,told through vintage photos shot by a fugitive at theillegal immigrant camp in Cyprus during the BritishMandate period.GUEST: DIRECTOR HAIM BOUZAGLO18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM41

FILM LISTSEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN(SHEVA DAKOT BE’GAN EDEN)TORONTO PREMIEREISRAEL/FRANCE/HUNGARY 2009, 94 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: OMRI GIVONCAST: REYMONDE AMSELLEM, ELDAD PRIVES,NADAV NATES, RONIT YUDKEVITCHMONDAY APRIL 19 • 5:45 PM • BLOOR CINEMATUESDAY APRIL 20 • 6:45 PM • SHEPPARD CENTREGalia (stunningly played by Reymonde Amsellem of ThreeMothers), a young woman from Jerusalem, cannot recallthe terrorist bombing that left her boyfriend in a comaand herself with severe burns and significant memoryloss. As people and objects begin to resurface from thatfateful day—a necklace, a handsome stranger named Boaz(Eldad Prives)—Galia begins piecing together the eventsin the form of flashbacks and hallucinations that send herback to that traumatic incident. All of this culminates inan unforgettable final act that will stay with you long afterthe movie ends. Seven Minutes in Heaven transcends thesensationalism one associates with a film about a suicidebombing, and becomes a mesmerizing and complexcharacter study that probes the deeper themes of memoryand identity.SIMON KONIANSKIBELGIUM/FRANCE/CANADA 2009, 97 MINFRENCH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: MICHA WALDCAST: JONATHAN ZACCAÏ, POPECK, ABRAHAM LEBER,IRÈNE HERZ, NASSIM BEN ABDELOUMENSATURDAY APRIL 24 • 9:15 PM • AL GREEN THEATRESUNDAY APRIL 25 • 3:30 PM • SHEPPARD CENTRESimon Konianski is a 35-year-old, overeducated andunderemployed schlimazel. After his non-Jewish girlfrienddumps him for a fellow dancer, Simon is forced tomove back in with his father, who gleefully takes outhis disappointments on his good-for-nothing son. Whenhis father passes away, Simon endeavours to fulfill hisburial wishes and, with the help of his paranoid uncle, ameddling aunt and his kidnapped son, ventures acrossEurope with the dead body and its living ghost in tow.This absurdly epic journey causes Simon to confront theculture and history he’s been so desperately trying to shed.Filmmaker Micha Wald has managed to render a poignantand ludicrously hilarious tale of a post-Holocaust,post-modern Europe.Warning: NudityPRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILM(ROCK THE) BELZCANADA 2009, 5 MINDIRECTOR: KAVEH NABATIANFeaturing the music of Socalled, Theodore Bikel and SansPression, this whimsical and bittersweet short mixes atraditional Yiddish ballad with rap and puppetry.GUEST INVITED42 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

ULTIMATUMCANADIAN PREMIEREFRANCE/ISRAEL/ITALY 2009, 102 MINFRENCH, HEBREW, ITALIAN WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: ALAIN TASMACAST: GASPARD ULLIEL, JASMINE TRINCA,ANNA GALIENA, SARAH ADLERTHURSDAY APRIL 22 • 3:15 PM • BLOOR CINEMASUNDAY APRIL 25 • 1 PM • RICHMOND HILLIn his intense, original feature film Ultimatum, Alain Tasmaconvincingly depicts what it was like for young peopleto live in fear of chemical weapons during the 1990–91Persian Gulf War. The story follows two French expatsand their small group of friends living in Israel, movinglyrevealing how war strips people of their pretenses andleaves them in their most raw and vulnerable state.Adapted from Gallic author Valerie Zenatti’s 2006 novel,Ultimatum shows the human side of the war that newsfootage missed. The film also boasts a supporting castof Israeli film stars, including Sarah Adler (Jellyfish,TJFF 2008), Hanna Laszlo (Shiva, TJFF 2009) and LiorAshkenazi (Late Marriage, TJFF 2002).VICTORIA DAYCANADA 2009, 82 MINDIRECTOR: DAVID BEZMOZGISCAST: MARK RENDALL, HOLLY DEVEAUX, JOHN MAVRO,SCOTT BEAUDINSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 8:30 PM • RICHMOND HILLBased on a story by David Bezmozgis, this coming-of-agetale is set in the Russian Jewish community of Toronto.On Victoria Day weekend in the late 1980s, a group ofRussian kids go to a Bob Dylan concert at Ontario Place.When one boy fails to return home, members of thecommunity join in the search for him. Meanwhile, life goeson as the entire nation is focused on Wayne Gretzky andthe Edmonton Oilers’ playoff run, in this honest film that issimple and universal.GUEST: DIRECTOR DAVID BEZMOZGISWEEKDAY MATINEES PRESENTED BY18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM43

FILM LISTWHAT IF? THE HELENE MAYER STORYCANADIAN PREMIERERUSSIA/GERMANY/USA 2008, 48 MINDIRECTOR: SEMYON PINKHASOYWEDNESDAY APRIL 21 • 3:30 PM • BLOOR CINEMAHelene Mayer was the best female fencer in the world;at 18, she was the first woman to win the gold medal forGermany in the 1928 Olympics. But in the early 1930s,Mayer moved to the U.S. after she was kicked out of aGerman fencing club for being half-Jewish. When the1936 Olympics came to Berlin, the International OlympicCommittee pressured Germany not to discriminate againstJewish athletes. Germany invited Helene Mayer back torepresent them in the 1936 Olympics to appease theIOC, and she agreed. Many believe this gesture helpedto whitewash the Nazi racial policies of the time. A greatcompanion to Berlin ’36.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING FILMNOT IDLY BY: PETER BERGSON,AMERICA AND THE HOLOCAUSTCANADIAN PREMIEREUSA 2009, 40 MINDIRECTOR: PIERRE SAUVAGEPeter Bergson was raised in Palestine as Hillel Kook,and came to the U.S. in 1940 as an activist in theIrgun, committed to exposing the growing evidence ofthe Nazis’ destruction of European Jewry and trying toenergize Western countries to open their gates to refugees.American Jewish leaders responded with inaction.GUEST: DIRECTOR SEMYON PINKHASOYWHERE I STAND:THE HANK GREENSPUN STORYCANADIAN PREMIEREUSA 2008, 98 MINDIRECTOR: SCOTT GOLDSTEINSUNDAY APRIL 18 • 3:15 PM • BLOOR CINEMADepending on where you stand, Hank Greenspun was aconvicted gun runner, a Las Vegas visionary, a crusadingnewspaper publisher, the target of the Watergate burglarsor a hero of Israel’s War of Independence. He lived aremarkable life. At various times, Greenspun worked forgangster Bugsy Siegel, took on Sen. Joseph McCarthy andeven fought with the American IRS. No enemy was too bigor too powerful for Greenspun, and this documentary—made up of old newsreels, photos, animation and currentinterviews with family and friends—gives us all the heroicmoments of Greenspun’s career as well as all of hisflaws. If you’ve never heard of Hank Greenspun, here isyour opportunity to meet one of the most interesting andintriguing characters of the 20 th century.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILMTEN FOR GRANDPACANADA 2009, 8 MINDIRECTOR: DOUG KARRA young man poses 10 questions to his dead grandfather—husband, father, White House reporter, film producer,defence contractor, businessman … Soviet agent?GUEST INVITEDGenerously Sponsored by The Leonard Wolinsky FoundationWEEKDAY MATINEES PRESENTED BY44 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBITUSA 1988, 104 MINDIRECTOR: ROBERT ZEMECKISCAST: BOB HOSKINS, CHRISTOPHER LLOYD,JOANNA CASSIDY, CHARLES FLEISCHER, STUBBY KAYE,KATHLEEN TURNER (UNCREDITED)MONDAY APRIL 19 • 5:30 PM • AL GREEN THEATRE“There are many ways in which this film is a pivotalHollywood phenomenon both of great importance andof a distinctly Jewish character. American animation, atits peak during the 1940s, had all but disappeared intochildren-related television until Roger Rabbit broughtadult audiences into the theatres and, just as important,prompted the referential television comedy of TheSimpsons, with huge effect on comedy at large. RogerRabbit is an ‘inside Hollywood’ story revisiting 1940s noirthemes of the Blacklist era in satirical form. The ‘toons’are ordinary studio workers, the kind who belong to unionsand ride the streetcar lines about to be put out of business.New bosses in town employ thugs to get rid of anyone intheir way, and we know who the victors and victims are.Eddie can’t save the Red Car trolleys, but he helps thetoons, fools the weasels and saves the dame. He could bethe John Garfield who survived to tell the tale.”—Paul BuhleGUEST: AUTHOR PAUL BUHLEGENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY SHIRLEY GRANOVSKYWILL EISNER:PORTRAIT OF A SEQUENTIAL ARTISTUSA 2007, 96 MINDIRECTOR: ANDREW D. COOKEWEDNESDAY APRIL 21 • 8:30 PM • AL GREEN THEATRENamed “the most influential comic artist of all time” byWizard magazine, Will Eisner transformed the “funnypapers” by creating a new form of art—the graphic novel.Part of an extraordinary group of Jewish cartoonists ofthe time, as well as a successful entrepreneur, Eisner wasperhaps the most highly regarded internationally.The Spirit, an urban crime-fighter series based on Eisner’sJewish upbringing in the tenements of New York, was arealistic portrayal of life on the streets, filled with subtlehumour. Other Eisner works that dealt overtly with Jewishthemes include A Contract with God, The Plot, Faginthe Jew and Family Business. Eisner’s life, work and timesare brought wonderfully to life in this film, whichincludes interviews with Michael Chabon, Jules Feiffer,Neil Gaiman, Art Spiegelman, Frank Miller and others. ATJFF reprise screening.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILMMUNROUSA 1960, 9 MINDIRECTOR: GENE DEITCHJules Feiffer’s Academy Award ® -winning animated filmabout a four-year-old boy drafted into the army.GUEST INVITEDGENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY SHIRLEY GRANOVSKY18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM45

FILM LISTWILLIAM KUNSTLER:DISTURBING THE UNIVERSEUSA 2009, 85 MINDIRECTOR: EMILY KUNSTLER, SARAH KUNSTLERSUNDAY APRIL 25 • 3:30 PM • BLOOR CINEMAWilliam Kunstler was a radical American civil rights lawyerwho took on some of the most controversial cases of the20 th century, defending such renowned figures as theChicago 8, Martin Luther King, the Attica inmates andeven the head of the terrorist group responsible for the1993 World Trade Center bombing. “I suspect that morepeople have gone to their deaths through a legal system,”said Kunstler talking to a crowd during the Chicago 8 trial,“than through all the illegalities in the history of man.”This powerful documentary was made by Kunstler’sdaughters in an effort to understand their father and thereasons behind his choices. William Kunstler: Disturbingthe Universe is an honest piece of work about a personwith the courage of his convictions.GUEST INVITEDCo-presented withTHE WOLBERG FAMILY(LA FAMILLE WOLBERG)Canadian PremiereFRANCE 2009, 80 MINFRENCH WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: AXELLE ROPERTCAST: FRANÇOIS DAMIENS, VALÉRIE BENGUIGUI,VALENTIN VIGOURT, LÉOPOLDINE SERRETUESDAY APRIL 20 • 1 PM • BLOOR CINEMATHURSDAY APRIL 22 • 6 PM • RICHMOND HILLSimon Wolberg (François Damiens) is the mayor of a smallFrench provincial town. He is madly in love with his wifeand a prying father to his young daughter and son. Drivenby his obsession with his family, Simon self-destructivelytests these bonds. “What is a family man?” askedfirst-time feature director Axelle Ropert. “How can a manand a woman stay together for years? How can you letyour children go and how can you leave your father andmother?” A highlight of last year’s Directors’ Fortnightat the Cannes Film Festival, The Wolberg Family is asensitive family drama that features rich, nuancedperformances and a bittersweet R&B score to highlight thefragility of family.WEEKDAY MATINEES PRESENTED BY46 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

THE WORST COMPANY IN THE WORLDCANADIAN PREMIEREISRAEL 2009, 50 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: REGEV CONTESMONDAY APRIL 19 • 4:30 PM • SHEPPARD CENTREWhat a story—a unique group of men trying to run aninsurance company. The only trouble is that they arecomplete and utter failures in their venture. But they havea lot of fun and have made the company their excusefor getting together and enjoying each other’s company.Director Regev Contes attempts to help his father’scompany from going belly-up, but in the end, friendshipand family ties turn out to be more important than profits,and the company staggers along in its own merry way.PRESENTED WITH THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILMGEFILTE FISHISRAEL 2008, 10 MINHEBREW WITH SUBTITLESDIRECTOR: SHELLY KLING-YOSEFA bride-to-be is supposed to prepare gefilte fish for thewedding party, but is torn between her family and hersympathy for the carp she has to kill.18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM47

Patron CircleWE GRATEFULLYACKNOWLEDGE THEOUTSTANDING SUPPORTOF OUR PATRON CIRCLEMEMBERS. THANK YOU.Executive ProducerMarsha BronfmanShirley GranovskyZukerman Family FoundationDirectorAnonymousEleanor DoverThe Ganz Family FoundationStephen & Cookie SandlerShaRna FoundationJoan SohnMel & Renee Stein & FamilyThe Leonard Wolinsky FoundationScreenwriterAnonymousNani & Austin BeutelToby & Aaron BrotmanSydney & FlorenceCooper FoundationLeslie & Anna DanAl & Malka GreenGuild ElectricLinda & Will HechterFlorence MinzNancy PencerThe Gerald Schwartz &Heather Reisman FoundationSilver & Goren,Chartered AccountantsThe Howard & Carole TanenbaumFamily Charitable FoundationCinematographerAnonymous (5)Tona & Bernie AbramsNancy & Arthur AmeisApotex Foundation—Honey & Barry ShermanBarry & Eleanor ApplebyRonnie & Bunnie ApplebyRonnie & Debra Aronson & FamilyGilda AuerbackAllan & Gila BadnerHelen & Hy BergelDavid & Renette BermanBarb & Lorne BernsteinPaul & Barbara BernsteinPenny & Arnie CaderDebra & Barry CampbellHenry & Vicki CampbellPaul & Adrienne CohenEna CordCollin & Marian CraigMoishe & Roz DavidsonElli Davis & Paul WiseStanley & Gail DebowDiscount Car & Truck Rentals—Herb & Rhoda SingerPearl & David ElmanThe Field Family FoundationPhyllis & Ab FlattMichael & SandraFlorence FoundationCharles & MarilynGold Family FoundationBernie & Fran GoldmanMurray & Sheila GoldmanStanley & Rhonda GordonHarry & Sara GormanSenator Jerry & Carole GrafsteinToddy & Irving GranovskyCynthia & Samuel GreenMolline & David GreenBrian Greenspan & Marla BergerAndrea & Steve HalperinBrian & Cynthia HandsB. A. HarrisIrving HimelHeather & Ron HoffmanAlbert & Arlene IsraelAllen & Sharon KarpMarvin & Estelle KatesSuanne Kelman & Allan FoxDebbie & Warren Kimel & FamilyMurray & Marvelle KofflerSam & Mary KohnAlan & Carol LavineMariam Leitman & Craig PerkinsNathan & Glennie LindenbergNancy & Irving LiptonDr. Joel & Bina MaserMarilyn & Saul MerrickFaye MinukVictor & Sharon MoncarzNew Wave TravelAlice Nusbaum & Mitchell BrownIsaac & Sylvia PeckDavid & Barbara PeltzSarah & Morris PerlisEsterita Rajsky & FamilyAllan & Dayle RakowskyBrenlee RobinsonHarry & Evelyn RosenRobert & Dorothy RossSF Partnership, LLPJulia & Michael M. Sax & FamilyLawrence & Kesa SendersBonnie & Mel ShearGerald Sheff & Shanitha KachanRuth Sheps & Andrew MelesMarvin & Carole SherkinSaul & Thelma ShulmanLynn & Skip SigelThe Silver Tree FoundationSheldon & Vivian SilverbergLeonard & Micki SimpsonSnugabye Inc.Susan & Roger StronellThe Lawrence & JudithTanenbaum Family FoundationBeverley TarshisTom’s PlaceSharon WeintraubNan & Jack WisemanElizabeth Wolfe & Paul SchnierHarold & Carole WolfeGreg & Linda WolfondPaul Pinky Wynn & Jeff WynnDov ZevyDavid ZitzermanCarole & Bernie ZuckerAviva, Peter, Brody, Palmer,Ty & Lex Zukerman SchureYona ZukermanThe Patron Programme isgenerously sponsored by:48 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

MembersTHANK YOU TO OURMEMBERS FOR YOURGENEROUS SUPPORT(To March 15, 2010)Best FriendsAnonymousPhilip AnismanJerry & Tammy BalitskyDorys & Murray BernbaumOrah BuckThe Cader-Beutel FamilySharon & Stanley ClavirBeverley & Samuel H. CohenConsulate General of FranceStan & Sue FreedmanHarvey FruitmanAnne GoldenRalph & Roslyn Halbert FoundationRon JourardEddy & Deanna PeransonElaine SingerMyrna WeinsteinBrian & Valerie WhitefieldRhonda Wilansky & Israel Ben-IshaiClose FriendsAlbert & Rose AlonElaine CooperMartin Geffen & Cathy MalloveDavid Kaufman & Naomi AlbomNorma & Ernie KirshGinger & Mark MittlemanBertha & Gordon MurrayJillian PivnickJohn & Hannah RosenNoel & Heather RosenDavid & Judy SaulAllan & Helaine ShiffTemple Sinai Congregation of TorontoEllie TesherFriendsAnonymousPhyllis Angel & Joel GreenbergSandy AtlinBarbara & Stanley BeckEdith & Maurice BellmanJoe & Claire BenezraAna & Saul BermanLil Brown—In memory ofmy precious daughter ArleneJoseph Mark BuckLeo & Bayla ChaikofHenrietta ChesniePhyllis & Jack ChisvinLita and Ron ClavierMintzy Clement & Rafi SkrzydloCherie DaitchmanCelia Denov & Robert BellMichael & Janette DiamondHarry & Cecile ErlichShim & Vivian FelsenAnna GangbarRon & Celie GoldsteinSharon & David GreenJack & Ellen GryfeMarilyn HerbertRon & Michele HerczegSol HermolinCarol JacobsonMichael KerbelAlbert KrakauerFred & Sharon KroftRuth & Harold MarglesGloria MorrisSylvia & Harvey NaftolinMyra and Charles NovogrodskyGail PosenGail & Frank RothAbraham RotsteinLesley & Peter SevittJudy & Gerald SlanMichael & Susan SoleCarl & Virginia SolomonReva SpuntBeverley SternNancy SternbergGloria TemkinKaren TrusterAllison WeissLorraine WeygmanCarol WolkoveShirley WorthFansSylvia Abugov-SpringerMel AikenLarry & Gerry AnklewiczTerri & Allan AxelrodBarney AwerbuckSharon BaltmanMiriam BeckermanEnid BergAbraham & Sheila BirenbaumSandra BurnsHarold & Mary ChapmanEthel CherrySandi CracowerBerthe CygelfarbRenata & Alex EisenEnvironmental Health Strategies Inc.David & Syma ForbergSheila & David FreemanMiriam FrohlingerReva & David GarberNora GoldWalter & Nina GoldMarlene GoldbachGeorge GoldbergStanley GoldfarbMiri GotkindSylvia GreenspoonSandra HabermanFrances & Paul HellenSarah HerlinFred HerscovitchBarbara HimelDebbie HollendSam & Beverley HoltzmanMarian HorwitzHappy IscoveDaisy & Sydney JacobsBen & Connie KachuckIrwin KatzBarry KirshinHedley KoltunEileen KrugerCheryl Landy & Ken ZatzmanH. LawSharon LeuchterHoward J. LevineJudy MandelEllen NicholsGrace OldsBonnie & Bob OttoPaula RembachFrances RotsteinRobert and Marlene RudermanRhona SauberKen & Susan SchelbergRachel & Ben SchlesingerSchneider MedicineProfessional CorpPal & Eva ShantoJanet ShermanEsther & Sam ShillingHannah SilvermanBernice SlotnickHelen & Bob SmolkinMitch SmolkinMary SpringArnold & Anice StarkSandra SteinSol & Ruth SteinbergBarbara TamirRoz TobiasDorothy VisMadeleine VolakMark WaldmanEllen WaxmanGail WeberDodi WeillLarry WeinribAlisa WeymanAnn WigodaLynda WiseTony WoskGloria WunderPat ZelikovitzJean Zinman18TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM49

Special ThanksNosh DonorsVolunteersTHE TORONTO JEWISHFILM FESTIVAL WOULDLIKE TO EXTEND ASPECIAL THANKS TOTHE FOLLOWING:Judy Agensky (Agensky & Company Ltd)Hussain Amarshi, Tom Alexander(Mongrel Media)Christopher Ashby (Sutton Place Hotel)Mark AskwithHila AviramSam BallStephen BergsonEllen BesenDavid BezmozgisPeter Birkemoe, Chris Butcher(The Beguiling)George BradyTerry Brandwein (Criterion Films)Paul BuhleAngie Burns (Maple Pictures)Lloyd ChesleyJudy CohenJerome Cauchard and Marie Delanoe(Consulate General of France in Toronto)Tali Dagan, Nugit Altschuler(Haifa International Film Festival)Shirin Ezekiel (Hillel of Greater Toronto)Sean Farnel (Hot Docs)Jeff FowlerCathie Fulton (Ontario Film Review Board)Neil Goldenberg, Larry Meyers(Disely Food Services)Anne GottliebJoel GreenbergRabbi Tina GrimbergPegi GrossJane Gutteridge(National Film Board of Canada)Jeff HandsJeet HeerHilary Helstein(Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival)Cecile HiernauxElena HoffsteinEllis Jacob (Cineplex Entertainment)Ben KatchorJane Klain (Paley Center, New York)Jordan KlapmanWolf Lamers, Paul Ginsburg(NBC/Universal)Sarah LazarovicArnie LipseyChris MacDonald (Hot Docs)Ron MannYariv MozerOxford Film & Television, UKHarvey PekarAndrea Picard (Cinematheque Ontario)Madi Piller (TAIS)Margaret Ramsay (Warner Brothers)Mark RappaportRembrandt FilmsBrad RiccaSharon Rivo, Lisa Rivo, Juliet Burch(The National Center for Jewish Film)Liam RomalisKarina Rotenstein (Hot Docs)Leora SchaeferRenen SchorrSandra SchulbergHannah Schwarz (Holocaust Centre)Tamar ShostakovskyRisa ShumanJudith Siegel (Center for Jewish History)Eric Stein (Ashkenaz)Gary ToppPierre Tremblay (Ryerson)Gary VandenBerghLarry WeinsteinAviva Weintraub, Andrew Ingall(The Jewish Museum)THANK YOU TO ALL OFOUR “NOSH” DONORS.YOU MAKE WAITING INLINE FUNBoston PizzaBy The Way CaféCafé Mirage (Sheppard Centre)Cobs BreadCrêpes à GoGoFeature FoodsGhazaleMetropolitan Ice CreamMill Street BreweryPusateri’s Fine FoodsSpring Rolls (Sheppard Centre)What-A-Bagel (York Mills/Leslie)OUR VOLUNTEERS—THANK YOU FOR YOURDEDICATION—WE CAN’TDO IT WITHOUT YOU.Advertising CoordinatorJoy D. KaufmanGala Evening Co-chairsBarbara PeltzDayle RakowskyPatron Circle/Sponsor CoordinatorElaine LesterAl Green Theatre Volunteer CoordinatorPhyllis Angel GreenbergCineplex Odeon Sheppard Centre CinemasVolunteer CoordinatorPoria HeiselSilverCity Richmond Hill CinemasVolunteer CoordinatorClaire BenezraAuction CoordinatorsRayna JolleyCarol LavineCinephile CoordinatorsAllison WeissNaomi ZenerBram Aaron, Jeremie Abessira,Renata Alberton, Noa Alon,Stanley Applebaum, Sandy Atlin,Barbara Aufgang, Sharon Basman,Nancy Beaman, Anna-Mae Belmont,Debbie Bergson, Natalie Bilcar,Myer Boldes, Irv Borchiver,Barb Borenstein, Lilly Borenstein,Claire Brasileetin, Rudy Brunell,Robert Buckler, Rochelle Carrady,Deb Cassells, Bill Castor, Lynda Castor,Gayle Chaprik, Brenda Cooper,Robbie Cooper, Felicia Cukier,Lorraine Diment, Rochelle Donen,Ruth Donsky, Evy Eisenberg, Jane Elvin,Ginny Evans, Sandra Finkelman,Susan Freedman, Henry Goldbach,Marlene Goldbach, Ron Goldberg,Paul Goldberg, Rosalind Goldenberg,Ricky Goldman, Michael Goodis,Fran Goodman, Millie Gotlib,Marilyn Gould, Sharon Green,Julie Greisdorf, Mariana Grinblat,Elke Handleman, Rose Haspel,Manny Heisel, Patricia Himmel,Nicky Hirshman, Hindy Hirt, Pearl Hoz,Joanne Hunter, Gladys Isenberg,50 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM

TJFF StaffAnna Mae Isenberg, Norma Jacobson,Soufian Jalili, Romar Johnson,Miriam Kalushner, David Kaplansky,Sonja Kasapinovic, Faye Kates,Bonny Katz, Judy Keeler,Andrey Klimenko, Sonia Kotzen,Sylvia Krinsky, Evelyn Kruger,Mel Kruger, Renee Kulik, Shirley Kumove,Marion Landen, Guilla Langella,Vivian Lachovitsky, Barbara Lazar,Hymie Lebowitz, Ruth Lebowitz,Helen Lepek, Sharon Leuchter,June Levine, Howard Levine, Liora Levy,Bonnie Lipton, Roz Lofsky, Joan London,Carl Lyons, Mary Gail Lyons,Terry Maiden, Judy Mandel, Tammy Manor,Judith Marinoff, Eva Markowski,Margie Marmor, Sharon Moncarz,Victor Moncarz, Phyllis Mosten,Lisa Newman, Eva Ormut,Jo-anne Page, Victor Page,Roseanne Pelz, Marilyn Perelman,Judy Petersiel, Harv Pressement,Ruthie Pressement, Carol Price,Pearl Raider, Devora Resnick,Esther Rodzynek, Eve Rozen,Miriam Rubin, Dahlia Rusinek,Bella Sanderson, Blair Sanderson,Lucy Scheer, Shirley Scherer,Marvin Schiff, Lucette Schindler,Ben Schlesinger, Rachel Schlesinger,Elysse Schlein, Nancy Schlein,Howard Segal, Joan Segal, Lesley Sevitt,David Shipley, Cindy Shore-Beauvais,Joel Shuster, Sharoni Sibony,Marilynn Siegel, Michelle Singer,Rochelle Singer, Miriam Smith,Bob Smolkin, Helen Smolkin,Mary Spring, Leslie Springman,Anice Stark, Arnold Stark,Dolores Steinman, Aida Tills,Stephanie Valensky, Sheila Walker,Goldie Wallensky, Melanie Wasserman,Ellen Waxman, Fran Weisberg,Lawrie Weiser, Leo Weksler,Brian Whitefield, Carly Whitefield,Valerie Whitefield, Brian Williams,Judy Wineberg, Asna Wise,Dorothy Wright, Danka Zadorecki,Alicia Zavitz, Marge Zdunich,Allison Zemel, Peninah Zilberman,Stan ZinbergExecutive DirectorHelen ZukermanAdministrative AssistantGinger MittlemanProgramme CoordinatorLarry AnklewiczAssistant Programme CoordinatorStuart HandsCurator, Special ProgrammesEllie SkrowDirector of DevelopmentRoz DavidsonDirector of OperationsCheryl LandyFilmMatters Education CoordinatorSusan StarkmanCinephile/Education OutreachDebbie WernerOttawa OutreachTammy QuinnPublic RelationsGATIngrid HamiltonVitaly GurevichTechnical DirectorsYuval SagivDaniel EskinEvent Project ManagerStacey HelpertProduction InternsJulie BelmanJacqueline Rivera EscobarSheppard Centre CinemasTheatre ManagerKris PrueWeb MasterGeoff PurchaseFestival Marketing DesignNiilo AutioLauren CudeJoey LapegnaJason GerardJames WilsonSpencer Xiong—Overdrive (Design Limited)Catalogue PrintingSpirit Graphics Ltd.Festival Flyer Printing & DistributionIn conjunction with the Toronto StarNewspaper Ltd.Macintosh Consulting & SupportHenry Rose—MacWizardVolunteer CoordinatorGerry Anklewicz—BloorAd Insert/Flyer DesignMargaret TillingDavid Wilson—Graphic MillBox Office ManagerDavid Dodsley—TIFFTJFF ProgrammersLarry AnklewiczAmit BreuerDaniel EskinStuart HandsTammy QuinnEllie SkrowSusan StarkmanHelen ZukermanTJFF Board of DirectorsBernie AbramsRobert CooperMartin GeffenWilliam HechterCarol LavineBarbra PeltzDayle RakowskyBeverly TarshisSharon WeintraubAllison WeissAviva Zukerman Schure (Chair)Herb Abramson (Honorary Board Member)We regret if any names have been omittedVolunteer programmegenerously sponsored byRegistration #13522 6793 RR000118TH ANNUAL TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL APRIL 17–25 2010 TJFF.COM51

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ALPHABETICAL FILM INDEX22 Achziv, a Place for Love15 Ahead of Time13 Ajami c l o s i n g n i g h t15 American Splendor16 Amos Oz: The Nature of Dreams16 Anita41 Arab Labor: Independence Day s h o r t17 As Lilith17 Balancing Acts:A Yiddish Theater in the Soviet Union s h o r t17 Bar Mitzvah39 Beneath the Eye of Time s h o r t18 Berlin ’3618 Bride Flight19 Brothers19 The Brothers Warner20 Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood20 Claude Lanzmann, An Ode to Life21 Coco23 Cohen on the Bridge: Rescue at Entebbe s h o r t21 The Comic Art Forum22 Comic Book Confidential22 Dubak: A Palestinian Jew23 Eli & Ben23 Exodus: The True Story24 Eyes Wide Open24 The False Forest and Other Picture-Stories25 Five Hours from Paris25 Fragments26 Fritz the Cat26 Gay Days47 Gefilte Fish s h o r t27 Gevald (Part of Haredim—A Documentary Trilogy)20 Gitai in Search of His Carmel27 Gloomy Sunday28 Heart of Stone28 Hidden Children29 Honor21 I Am Ruthie Segal, Hear Me Roar s h o r t29 Ida’s Dance Club30 Inside Hana’s Suitcase15 The Irene Hilda Story30 Irreverent Imagination:The Golden Age of Looney Tunes31 Israel Ltd.31 Jaffa, The Orange’s Clockwork32 The Jazz Baroness32 Joann Sfar Draws from Memory33 The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground s p e c i a l p r e s e n tat i o n33 Last Son34 Lebanon34 The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story17 Lone Samaritan35 The Loners35 The Mad Playboy of Art13 A Matter of Size o p e n i n g n i g h t36 Mensch36 Mrs. Moskowitz & the Cats45 Munro s h o r t37 Noodle37 Nora’s Will44 Not Idly By:Peter Bergson, America and the Holocaust14 Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today s p e c i a l p r e s e n tat i o n38 Off and Running38 Oh, What a Mess39 Painting Daddy s h o r t39 Paint What You Remember39 Paul Buhle Talk—“Jews and Comic Art”40 The People v. Leo Frank32 Pleasures of Urban Decay s h o r t29 Point of View s h o r t40 Protector31 Prrrride s h o r t27 The Rabbi’s Daughter and the Midwife(Part of Haredim—A Documentary Trilogy)41 Re-Birth27 Religion.com(Part of Haredim—A Documentary Trilogy)42 (Rock the) Belz s h o r t28 Sarah & Hayah s h o r t41 Sayed Kashua: Forever Scared22 The Secret of Drawing—Daniel Clowes42 Seven Minutes in Heaven42 Simon Konianski24 Sinner s h o r t40 So Soon Forgotten s h o r t41 Summer Camp s h o r t44 Ten for Grandpa s h o r t43 Ultimatum25 The Valderama Sisters s h o r t43 Victoria Day44 What If? The Helene Mayer Story44 Where I Stand: The Hank Greenspun Story45 Who Framed Roger Rabbit45 Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist46 William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe46 The Wolberg Family47 The Worst Company in the World74 POWERFUL INTERNATIONAL FILM