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March 6, 2009
Mini film fest to be the best
Smaller show will give a taste of the main event in the fall.
SARA NEWHAM
In food terms, the mini Vancouver Jewish Film Festival is like a mazza, a little bite to whet the appetites of the tasters for the main feast – or fest, in this case – to come later.
The mini festival will run eight films and two shorts from March 28 to March 30 as a precursor to the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival's main show, which previously ran in the spring but has been moved to October and November.
"This our first mini festival and really what we're trying to do is give people a taste of what's going to happen in October/November and also keep them informed," said Ian Merkel, chair of the screening committee of the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival (VJFF). He added that a number of sponsors and attendees had suggested the date change. "They love to see some of the movies so this way they could still see a small sample because what we could do in the mini festival is pick the best."
Merkel said there were four big reasons the society decided to shift the date for the festival to the fall season. First, he said, the fall was a more convenient time for the theatres at which the films of the festival are screened. Further, many attendees go on vacation during the spring and students are often studying for their exams, making it difficult or impossible for them to attend. The weather also played a role in the decision, Merkel explained, because people are more likely to go to a movie when it's rainy and cold than they are when the weather begins to warm up.
But changing the date of the film festival meant that it would have been 18 months between festivals. "We thought: 'Gee, our attendees, supporters, sponsors are going to think, What's happened to our festival, why are we waiting so long?'" said Merkel. From that, the mini festival was born.
The programming committee selected an eclectic array of films that will appeal to a broad range of audiences.
"It's a depressing time right now with the [ailing] economy and the war in Israel so ... for many of our films, we've tried to make it so they wouldn't be political, they wouldn't be too depressing, and they'd have a good sampling of what they would show normally at a festival covering quite a few language groups," said Merkel.
As part of the upbeat theme, a few comedies have been selected in the hope that the film festival will draw a younger crowd than the traditional 50-80 age group the event attracts.
"As a board, as a committee, we're trying to broaden the age group," said Richard Wolak, a member of the VJFF board. By younger crowd, Wolak meant, "not necessarily kids but more like late high school, college age and 20s and young professionals, that kind of crowd. So we've got a really good sampling of films that will attract a younger group."
To that end, an Israeli comedy, Nymphs in the Mist, will be shown at 10 p.m. on March 28. A complement of beer and wine will be on sale, also in an effort to appeal to that younger audience.
The other comedy, Empty Nest, examines the life of a couple after their children leave home. It will be seen March 29 at 9 p.m.
The VJFF Mini-Fest will also act as the North American première for Hidden Children, a French docudrama that remains upbeat despite the topic. It looks at what happened to two Jewish boys hidden away before their parents were taken to a Nazi death camp during the Second World War. It examines the powerful legal and religious forces at work after the boys are placed with a devout Catholic woman who illicitly baptizes the children and refuses to return them to their biological family.
Meanwhile, the film Two Ladies, playing on March 29 at 10 a.m. as part of the Sunday morning Bagel Breakfast series, addresses the topic of interfaith relations as it looks at the complex friendship between two older Algerian women immigrants to France.
Other movies to watch for include the documentary Sharon. Though political in topic, Merkel said the film takes a factual, balanced approach to the former prime minister Ariel Sharon's actions, thoughts and daily routine in the last years of his life.
Finally, directed by James Sherman, Beau Jest includes some of the more well-known actors in the festival, including Lainie Kazan. The film centres on the deception of a young Jewish woman who is dating a non-Jewish man. Because she is afraid of her parents' reaction, she hires an actor to be her Jewish boyfriend. From the first family Shabbat and throughout a series of Jewish events, the hired boyfriend gradually wins over the woman's family.
With last year's Vancouver Jewish Film Festival considered the best in the event's 21-year history, organizers hope the Mini-Fest attracts between 2,000 and 2,500 people or more.
"We think because of the title films and we've got quite a bit of community contribution – there have been blocks of tickets sold and things like that – we'll have a higher attendance than we have in the past," said Merkel, adding that the festival brings in films from around the world that would never make it into mainstream theatres. He said this year's festival will top the last.
"It's going to cover a lot more age groups, a lot more people and I think they're just going to be fascinated with the quality and the variety of films to take with them and wait until October or November," said Merkel. "I'm hoping they'll go: 'Wow, what a different bunch of films! What a great smorgasbord of a taste of what's to come.'"
Tickets range in price from $10-$12 for each film and up to $20 for the closing night film and reception. They can also be purchased in four packs for $30 to $36. Tickets are available to buy online at www.vjff.org and www.festivalcinemas.ca or at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver box office starting March 9.
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