Follow Us 
Weekly Poll
Kansas International Film Festival offers Jewish flavor |
 |
 |
 |
| News | |||
| Friday, 12 September 2008 03:00 | |||
|
Cinema lovers in greater Kansas City do not need to travel to Cannes, Toronto or Jerusalem to attend a first-class film festival. Opportunity knocks next weekend with the opening of the eight annual Kansas International Film Festival. KIFF takes place Sept. 19-25 at the Glenwood Arts Theatre.
This year’s festival will premiere more than 50 films over seven days. The lineup contains an eclectic mix of dramatic features and documentaries, with many filmmakers in attendance for question-and-answer sessions after their showings. Four films are noteworthy for their Jewish content.
• “Driving Men” is a free-wheeling documentary from Jewish filmmaker Susan Mogul about her relationships with the men in her life. This never-married Baby Boomer lets it all hang out. In “Taxicab Confession”-style interviews, her subjects sit behind the wheel while Mogul sits shotgun, shooting the video. The range of men includes former boyfriends, platonic confidantes, her three younger brothers and father. This road trip of her experiences with the opposite sex was filmed in Los Angeles, Manhattan and Long Island. She is a fun-loving, free spirit who enjoys being the center of attention. She fits to a “T” the label of an artistic feminist intellectual. She explains that men were always puzzles to her, and she has spent a lot of time trying to figure them out.
A box of matzah, the blowing of the shofar and the importance of a good education are all part of this heartfelt movie. I give it 3½ stars (out of 4). It will be shown at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21.
• “Tammuz” is the true story of the eight Israeli F-16 pilots who flew on a top-secret mission on the morning of June 7, 1981. Their target was the Iraqi nuclear reactor denoted by the title. This documentary by Nir Toib reveals the moral and the political dilemmas Israelis faced before undertaking their surprise attack. Israel’s then-Prime Minister Menahem Begin viewed Iraq’s then-President Sadam Hussein as the next Hitler with the similar goal of wiping out the Jewish population. It feels torn from today’s headlines, what with the parallels being drawn to the current Iranian nuclear program.
Even though we know how the mission turned out, this detailed account is suspenseful and thrilling. There is actual black-and-white video footage taken from the air during the mission and present-day interviews with members of the squadron. The film is in Hebrew with English subtitles. My rating: 3½ stars. It plays at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23
• “A Friend Indeed — The Bill Sackter Story” is a wonderful documentary about the youngest son of Russian Jewish immigrants who ran a family grocery store in Minneapolis. Bill was classified as sub-normal, forcibly removed from his family, whom he would never see again, and committed to a state mental institution at age 7. He could have been forgotten, but after 44 years his life was about to change. He was befriended by a newly-married couple who overlooked his homeless bum appearance. He was fascinated with wigs and loved to play the harmonica. After almost losing his legs, these guardian angels took Bill to their small farm house a few miles south of Iowa City. Bill learned how to make a warm cup of coffee and ran Wild Bill’s on the campus. When he learned of his Jewish heritage, he studied the Torah and had a Bar Mitzvah at age 66. His Hebrew name, “Simcha,” which means happiness, fits him. He became a symbol of kindness, generosity and selflessness. His triumphs over mental disability made him the subject of an Emmy Award-winning feature film (“Bill”) starring Mickey Rooney. This gem is my personal favorite and it brought tears to my eyes. My rating: 4 stars. It screens at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23.
• Ben Byer, a Jewish actor, playwright and filmmaker from Chicago, was diagnosed in 2002 at the age of 31 with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). He decided to give his life special meaning and make a contribution to society with a visual diary capturing three years in his fight against the terminal disease. His life-affirming documentary, “Indestructible,” will be shown at 5:20 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22. Anyone who has been given the death sentence of an incurable disease, or a family member who has seen the gradual deterioration of a loved one, can identify with this film. This attention-grabber is told with compassion, tenderness and understanding. You may approach the subject matter with trepidation, but Byer maintains a smile and a sense of humor through his ordeal. A particularly memorable episode involves his trip to Israel, seeking what Judaism has to offer, incluiding a climb up Masada with his brother, Josh. My rating: 4 stars.
KIFF ticket details
A KIFF festival pass is $60. Individual tickets are $6.50 (for shows start before 6 p.m.) and $8.50. Seniors (60 and over) are $6.50 anytime. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Glenwood Arts. For more information, call (913) 642-4404 or visit www.kansasfilm.com.
Keith “The Film Guy” Cohen, a freelance writer, lives in Overland Park.|"By Keith D. Cohen
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email This
Hits: 328 Trackback(0)Comments (0)
|
TrackBack URI for this entry
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
