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 starting next weekend when local audiences can find their very own slice of film nirvana in Overland Park at the 11th annual Kansas International Film Festival (KIFF). KIFF will take place Sept. 30-Oct.6 at the Glenwood Arts Theatre located inside the Metcalf South Shopping Center.
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 following the presentation of their films.
Three films will have a distinctive Jewish flavor.
“Berlin 36” is a drama based on the true story of German Jewess Gretel Bergmann, one of the best high jumpers of her day. Berlin is the host city for the 1936 Olympic Games. America is threatening a boycott if no Jewish athletes are included on the German team.
Gretel has mixed emotions when invited to the German training facility. She doesn’t want to win a medal as she is opposed to Hitler’s racial policies. A renowned Jewish sports official tells her that she would undermine talk of a superior Aryan race by setting a world record. The scheming Nazis feel they have found a better athlete in Marie Ketteler. Gretel and Marie become roommates and good friends. The very intelligent Gretel has to endure taunting and ridicule from other female team members. The replacement trainer makes her run more laps in an effort to get her to drop out. He even separates her from the others by making her eat alone. Gretel makes a surprising discovery, but threats directed at her and her family force her to keep silent. Black and white archival footage and authentic photographs are seamlessly inserted into the narrative. The real-life Gretel appears in an interview at the conclusion of the movie. The dialogue is in German with English subtitles. This relatively unknown story makes me appreciate as a Jew the freedom to compete in sports competition. It will be shown on Monday night, Oct. 3, at 7:25 p.m. I highly recommend this film with my rating of 3 stars (out of 4).
“Habermann” (Saturday, Oct. 1, at 3 p.m.) is a fictitious wartime drama based on a true story. August Habermann is a fourth-generation German residing in the small Sudetenland village of Eglau (standing in for Bludov). Habermann is the wealthiest person around employing most of the Czech population either in his flour mill or sawmill. The movie opens in 1937 with his marriage in the Catholic church to the beautiful Jana, an orphan who grew up in a monastery following her mother’s death. We learn at the outset that Jana’s birth certificate indicates her father’s surname was Silberstein. The bulk of the movie spans the seven-year period from 1938-1945 when the Third Reich occupies the area. August is continually hounded by Major Kurt Koslowski for his saint-like morals and fair treatment of his predominantly Czech workers. The movie gets off to a promising start, but runs out of steam with a violent third act. It turns into a long and tiresome soap opera with made-for-television production values after trying to emulate “Schindler’s List.” The subplot involving Jana being half-Jewish and their marriage a violation of the Nuremberg Laws enacted to protect German blood and honor takes a back seat, becoming almost inconsequential to the friction between the Germans and Czechs. The movie gets confusing with so many characters to keep track of and goes off on several tangents. The movie ends with brutal mob scenes representing Czech vengeance which ultimately resulted in 3 million Sudeten Germans being expelled from their country. The actor playing the Nazi antagonist stands out for the best performance. The passionless lead character is rather bland and fails to curry much sympathy. The dialogue is in German and Czech with English subtitles. The movie won the Jewish Eye for Best Feature Film at the 2010 World Jewish Film Festival. My rating 2 ½ stars.
“Israel vs. Israel” is a powerful documentary that will stir up discussion and debate. It follows four Israeli peace activists who oppose the military occupation in the West Bank and want more humane treatment for the Palestinians. The protest groups represented in the film are Breaking the Silence, Anarchists Against the Wall, Rabbis for Human Rights and Checkpoint Watch. Filmmaker Terje Carlsson filled the roles of producer, director and cinematographer. He is also credited for the original musical score. The movie brings up the issues of nationalism versus religion and differentiates between the state of Israel and the biblical land of Israel that God promised to the Jewish people in perpetuity. The excellent cinematography takes you to places that you will not see on your tour when visiting from the United States. The hatred is most evident in Hebron where soldiers are constantly demanding that the camera be turned off. The movie is slanted toward those opposing what the government is doing and the extreme security precautions. It pushes for territorial compromise and moral behavior that treats human life as holy. The documentary is partially in Hebrew with English subtitles and has a running time of 58 minutes. It screens on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 2, at 3:45 p.m. and you are encouraged to stick around afterwards to meet Carlsson, who will be in attendance.
My rating 3 1/2 stars.
Higher profile major studio releases premiering at KIFF before their regular fall openings include: “Take Shelter,” the Critics Week Grand Prize winner at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival; “We Need to Talk About Kevin” starring Oscar winner Tilda Swinton; “Like Crazy,” Grand Jury Prize winner at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival; and “Dirty Girl,” a comedy about a troubled and promiscuous Oklahoma high school student in the 1980s.
Full festival passes which cover admission to all KIFF films along with special advance seating privileges are priced at $60. Individual tickets are $6.50 before 5 p.m. and $8.50 for evening shows. Seniors 60 and over pay $6.75 anytime. Discounts are available for Film League members. Tickets may be purchased at the Glenwood Arts. For more information, call 913-642-4404 or visit www.kansasfilm.com.