AJS Film Program 2024 December 14-20

Session Submission Type: Meeting

Abstract

AJS Film Program 2024
December 14-20

NOTE: THE LINKS BELOW ARE NOT LIVE. PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THE FILM ACCESS LINK TO THE FILM YOU WISH TO WATCH IN A NEW BROWSER WINDOW. ADDITIONALLY, YOU WILL NEED TO COPY AND PASTE THE PASSWORD.

As usual, this year's film series promises to be exciting. It will feature the best of recent films that can be adopted for classroom and public programming. This year’s selection will explore memory, personal and collective, and Jewish identity. Our selections include The Red Star, a mysterious and complex story. The movie opens with a Queen Esther beauty pageant and the disappearance of one of the contestants; along the way, it unveils the story of Laila Salama, a mysterious and adventurous woman who was also Silvia Céspedes, the perfect wife and mother. It interacts with Jewish survival and identity with creativity and surprise. A Matter of Opinion is an artistic reimagining of a 1995 interview engaging with memory and the use of silence to create space for reflection. In addition, the directors, Gabriel Lichtman and Adam Golfer will join Dr. Rachel Schaff and Dr. Daniela Goldfine to discuss their films' pedagogical opportunities in our panel discussion “Teaching Through Films” as part of our AJS Film Committee's focus on the pedagogical impact of film in the classroom. Three Attempts At Goyification creatively interacts with the meaning of identity through three humorous attempts to become a goy (gentile) and Egypt: A Love Song is a journey through Jewish identity that crosses nations, religions, and cultures. All these films are available for AJS members starting December 14 through December 20, 2024. We look forward to seeing you at the screenings and the pedagogical session. Together, let’s celebrate the importance of cinema and media in scholarship and teaching. See you at the movies!

The Film Committee: Jim Bunton, Daniela Goldfine, Phyllis Lassner, and Rachel Schaff
The Red Star, Gabriel Lichtman, 72 minutes, 2021, Argentina, fake documentary, biography, mystery, comedy
Laila Salama is a mystery. Daughter of an MI6 spy, a Miss Teen Beauty, Rommel's lover, Wiesenthal's informant, she took part in the operation to capture Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. There's even a film about her and a tango composed in her honor. Laila Salama was also Silvia Céspedes, the perfect wife and mother. A heroine denied by the official history records. Filmmaker Gabriel Lichtmann embarks on the making of a film about Laila's life. Through a series of interviews with curious characters, he manages to assemble the puzzle pieces, uncovering a secret that remained hidden for years.
Film Access Link: https://vimeo.com/482025213?share=copy=
Password: @EliasSalama1


For educational sales, contact the filmmaker: glicht@gmail.com


Egypt: A Love Song, Iris Zaki, 74 minutes, 2022, Israel, documentary
Director Iris Zaki embarks on a transgenerational journey with her father, unraveling the intricate tapestry of Jewish/Arab identity and culture by tracing the footsteps of her remarkable grandmother, Souad Zaki. A celebrated Jewish Arabic singer in 1940s Egypt, Souad's story unfolds as she starred alongside Umm Kulthum and gained fame throughout the Arab world. Marrying renowned Muslim musician Mohamed Elakkad, Souad faced abandonment, fleeing to Israel, where she lived a dual life as a cleaning lady and a singer. Through scripted period scenes, rare archival materials, and intimate conversations, the film weaves a tempestuous saga, transcending cultures, religions, and generations. Iris Zaki's unique documentary style explores her family's complex identity, offering a poignant and unfiltered glimpse into their shared history.
Film Access Link: https://gooddocs.net/apps/downloads/customers/2940654190725/orders/109152654
Password: No password needed
Note: link will be live December 7


For educational sales, contact Linda Lu: outreach@gooddocs.net
A Matter of Opinion, Adam Golfer, 26 minutes, United States, Experimental
Director Adam Golfer's short film reimagines an interview with his grandfather and his grandfather’s wife with their Ghanaian-American neighbor in 1995, prompted by her school assignment to interview someone alive during World War II.
Film Access Link: https://adgolf.xhbtr.com/a-matter-of-opinion
Password: No password needed


For educational sales, contact the filmmaker: adgolf@gmail.com
Three Attempts at Goyification, Michaela Kobsa-Mark, 49 minutes, Germany, Autodocumentary
Director Michaela Kobsa-Mark provokes the audience to question the value, constraints, and place of Jewish identity. The film features a young Jewish woman in contemporary Berlin adorned with a sandwich board advertising her desire to renounce her Jewish identity. Structured as a series of encounters with Jewish and non-Jewish Berliners, the film follows Michaela’s attempts to escape from “antisemitism, philosemitism, guilt, and responsibility” to be “goyified as a fellow human being.” Whether the film is a joke, a self-parody, a philosophical inquiry, or interweaves them all, its unsettling questions invite challenging discussion.

Film Access Link: https://vimeo.com/video/912329964
Password: goyification2024


For educational sales, contact the filmmaker: michaela.kobsa-mark@stud.filmakademie.de

Sub Unit

• AJS