Film
March 18th 2009
Speaking about the Jewish experience
Annual film festival offers something for everyone with largest line-up yet
The Counterfeiters, the story of Saloman Sorowitsch, who was involved with the Nazis in the largest counterfeiting scheme in history, is one of 15 movies showing at the Winnipeg International Jewish Film Festival, on now.
Documentaries, coming-of-age stories, comedies, dramas and reinterpretations of tales from the Torah – all are part of the 2009 Winnipeg International Jewish Film Festival.
Presented by the Rady Jewish Community Centre in conjunction with The Asper Foundation, the festival runs from Mar. 18 to Mar. 31 and boasts a line-up of films from a number of countries.
“It’s just an opportunity for people to see great film,” said Tamar Barr, program director at the Rady Centre. “There is no better way to reach people than through film because people seem to relate a lot through film. They are drawn into it and at the same time they are entertained.”
The festival, which usually draws a crowd of 1,500, is now in its sixth year. The 2009 edition will be the largest yet, with 15 films from around the globe.
Story Links
“There is not a unified theme that runs through each film,” Barr said. “They are all diverse. There is an array of genres from the family-friendly to the coming-of-age, cutting drama. Essentially, there is something for everyone.”
Organizers decided what to screen based on which films won awards, which films were new and which films were popular. Though they still had to consider their budget and availability, organizers wanted to make this year’s festival larger and more publicized than ever.
“All of these films speak about the Jewish experience in different ways,” Barr said. “Whether it is an intimate Holocaust experience story or a group of Israeli women’s stories who spin together to show how modern day life of a Jewish woman is, there are stories here that are relatable to everyone, not just Jewish men and women. We want people to come out and embrace it.”
This article appeared in Volume 63, Number 24 of The Uniter, published March 19th 2009.
