In this sophisticated animated feature, a dark family secret is revealed unexpectedly and opens an abyss between two close friends. Jennifer, a German black woman, discovers that she is the granddaughter of a notorious Nazi commander, a shocking discovery which has the potential to destroy her 22-year friendship with Noa, an Israeli Jew.

Winner of Best Short Film at Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival; Winner of Best Short Documentary at Centre Film Festival.

Ultraorthodox Feigi and Naftali are a young childless couple living with Naftali’s parents. Naftali travels to Ukraine to pray at Rabbi Nachman’s grave for a child. During Naftali’s absence Rabbi Eliyahu, the barren healer, is invited to stay for the holiday with the family. Abusing Feigi’s trust and desire for a child he forces himself on her claiming it is divinely sanctioned as part of her treatment for barrenness.. When Naftali returns, the couple face a difficult crisis, which raises fundamental questions about faith and trust.
Best Full-Length Feature Film Nominee at Jerusalem Film Festival.

Meir and Tova are an upper-middle-class Sephardic couple, seemingly resigned to live out the rest of their semi-retirement in the banal comforts of an upscale apartment complex in a Tel Aviv suburb. When Itsik, a sexy bachelor from Miami, moves into the building’s penthouse, their lives are gleefully upended. Energized by their newfound friendship with Itsik, Meir and Tova undergo personal transformations, but will their relationship as a couple be a casualty of expressing their individual desires? Taking inspiration from his own family, director Moshe Rosenthal focuses on the Sephardic middle class, largely underrepresented in Israeli cinema, as he explores issues of identity: masculinity, the institution of marriage, social status, narcissism and conformity. Karaoke is an optimistic portrait of midlife self-discovery, laced with poignant wisdom and barbed humor.
Opening Film at San Francisco Film Festival; Winner of Best First Film at Jerusalem Film Festival; Winner of Best Screenplay at Raindance Film Festival.

Hebrew, English, Arabic
58 minutes

Referred to as “the Israeli Faulkner” by the New York Times, A.B. Yehoshua was one of the greatest contemporary Israeli writers. In this incisive biography, director Yair Qedar follows the 84-year old writer as he reflects on the final stage of his life. Widowed and suffering from ill health, Yehoshua keeps writing despite his insistence that he no longer wants to. Still possessing a clear-eyed perspective, Yehoshua discusses his complicated heritage (Sephardic father and Moroccan mother) and his belief that both Jews and Arabs are paralyzed by the past. Despite his declining health, Yehoshua remains wholeheartedly engaged with the world and continues to be a source of inspiration.

Special virtual event on Sunday 2/12 at 1 p.m.

Sponsored by The Naanmani Memorial Fund for Jewish Culture