Cherry Hill Volvo Jewish Film Festival

Patron Preview Party  •  Feature Short Film  •  Del. Val. Premiere

Based on the memoirs of Cherry Hill resident and best-selling novelist Jack Engelhard (Indecent Proposal), My Father, Joe takes a heartfelt look at a family that escapes the Nazis in Paris and arrives penniless in Montreal. As Noah struggles to provide for his family, 10-year-old Jacov has the shock of his life when he discovers his father is not the superhero he thought him to be.

Guest Speakers: Director Nikila Cole & International Best-Selling Author Jack Engelhard
Includes: Wine, hors d'oeuvres, and private screening.

Brunch and Private Screening  •  Documentary

We all know making resolutions is easy; sticking to them is the hard part. When their doctors inform them they can't beat their heart disease and diabetes, Charles, John, and Garnet tell the doctors to think again! With investigative zeal, piercing expert interviews, clever animation, and a feisty attitude, Chow Down is the moving story of the success you can achieve when you rewrite the recipe for a healthy life.

Guest Speakers: Co-Directors Julia Grayer and Gage Johnston

Documentary  •  Ages 13+

This gripping work probes a Nazi-produced silent film about the Warsaw Ghetto that served historians as a resource for decades. Half a century after the Holocaust, a missing film reel revealed even greater cruelty, exposing the "authentic" as contrived. Discover the truth through victims' diaries and interviews with survivors and one of the Nazi filmmakers.

Guest Speakers: Barney Kaplan, nephew of Warsaw Ghetto diarist Chaim Kaplan, and Teresa Pollin, US Holocaust Memorial Museum Curator of Research and Archives

Presented in conjunction with the Jewish Community Relations Council's Goodwin Holocaust Museum and Education Center

An All-Star ex-con seeks redemption by coaching the only people who give him another chance: a group of yeshiva students desperate to start their own baseball team. As the Yankles learn the game, their manager learns to mend fences. A feel-good comedy about overcoming bigotry and self-doubt, co-starring Bart Johnson (High School Musical series).

We've all heard of "finders keepers," but is there Jewish legal support for this idea? Created as a class project by Politz Day School students, Yiush Shelo M'Daat carefully considers both sides of the issue with humor, wit, and a good amount of Jewish wisdom.

Feature Drama  •  Ages 13+

When his explosive belt fuse malfunctions, Tarek, a Palestinian forced on a suicide mission in Tel Aviv, must spend 48 hours in the city waiting for a new fuse. He is caught between remote detonators, the Israeli police, and new companions, including Keren, whose family has disowned her. As love blooms between these two isolated individuals, Tarek must make the decision of his life.

Includes: Post-film discussion led by Sahar Oz, Festival Director

In The Matchmaker, Avi Nesher (The Secrets) weaves the tale of Haifa teenager Arik, who works for matchmaker Yankele Bride. A mysterious Holocaust survivor, Yankele's office is in a cinema that shows only love stories. As Yankele teaches Arik the secrets of the heart, the boy experiences first love and his life takes unexpected, funny, and moving turns.

A thrilling blend of cutting edge 2-D and 3-D imagery, Cohen on the Bridge breathtakingly animates the Israel Defense Forces' daring rescue of over 100 passengers and crew held hostage by terrorists in Uganda. Oded Fehr (Resident Evil, The Mummy) narrates the story from the perspective of the first Israeli commando who opened fire.

Documentary

On the eve of World War II, over 6,000 Jews lived in Sokal, a small Polish town. By the war's end, only 30 had survived, 16 of them rescued by Francisca Halamajowa. Witness the amazing story of a Catholic woman who risked her life to hide three Jewish families in her home for two years, even as German troops camped on her property.

Guest Speaker: Fay Malkin, who was hidden by Francisca Halamajowa

Documentary  •  Delaware Valley Premiere

Convicted gunrunner for the Haganah, Las Vegas visionary, crusading newspaper publisher, target of the Watergate burglars... just a few highlights of Hank Greenspun's remarkable life! From his work for Bugsy Siegel to his public battles with Joseph McCarthy, bigoted casino owners and the IRS, Greenspun was fearless. Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins narrates the untold story of this Jewish American hero.

Guest Speaker: Director Scott Goldstein, Golden Globe and Emmy Award Winner

Documentary  •  Delaware Valley Premiere

A battered suitcase labeled "Hana Brady" is delivered to Fumiko Ishioka at the Tokyo Holocaust Museum. Thus begins the mystery that inspired the best-selling book, Hana's Suitcase. Follow Fumiko's search for the details of Hana's life. Interwoven voices of Japanese, Canadian, and Czech children create a film filled with power and hope.

Feature Drama  •  Delaware Valley Premiere  •  Ages 13+

July 16, 1942: The darkest day in modern French history. From the Vel' d'Hiv stadium, where French police cram 13,000 Jews, to the Beaune-la-Rolande concentration camp, La Rafle dares to recreate the terror of that summer. This stunning feature follows the real destinies of victims and executioners, the courageous and the collaborators. Starring Jean Reno (The Da Vinci Code, Ronin) and Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds).

Guest Speaker: Charles Middleberg, French Holocaust survivor

Presented in conjunction with the Jewish Community Relations Council's Goodwin Holocaust Museum and Education Center

Feature Comedy  •  Ages 13+  •  Advance Sales Only!

On her 14th attempt, Nora commits suicide. Nora devised a plan for her ex-husband José to handle the funeral, but the rabbi explains that between Passover, Shabbat, and other factors, Nora's burial may be delayed five days. Yet, Nora missed something: a mysterious photograph which prompts José to reconsider their life together.

Winner of 7 Mexican Academy Awards!

Includes: Mexican lunch and post-film discussion led by Sahar Oz, Festival Director

When a female foreign worker at a Jerusalem bakery dies in a terrorist attack, the bakery's owner sends her HR manager with the body to Romania for a dignified funeral. This heartwarming, witty drama follows the manager's shadowy journey with a ragtag convoy, as he learns about the woman's life, bureaucracy, and his own "human resources."

Based on the memoirs of Cherry Hill resident and best-selling novelist Jack Engelhard (Indecent Proposal), My Father, Joe takes a heartfelt look at a family that escapes the Nazis in Paris and arrives penniless in Montreal. As Noah struggles to provide for his family, 10-year-old Jacov has the shock of his life when he discovers his father is not the superhero he thought him to be.

Documentary  •  New Jersey Premiere

John Milius (Apocalypse Now, The Hunt for Red October) narrates the first full-length chronicle of the 10,000 Jewish Americans who served on both sides in the Civil War. Photographs, letters, rare artifacts, and interviews with descendants reveal the sacrifices that Jews made for their beliefs.

Guest Speaker: Harold Waitsman, Commander - Jewish War Veterans Post 126

Feature Drama  •  Ages 13+

From 1943 to 1945, German farmers in Münsterland hid Marga Spiegel and her family, saving them from Nazi extermination. Westphalian humor peppers this story of righteous gentiles who risked their own families' lives to save Jews, guided by instinct and ethics.

Presented in conjunction with the Jewish Community Relations Council's Goodwin Holocaust Museum and Education Center

Jews and Baseball is about immigration, assimilation, bigotry, heroism, traditions... and sports! Dustin Hoffman narrates vivid stories intercut with rare film clips and recent interviews with passionate fans, executives, and players, including Al Rosen, Shawn Green, Yogi Berra, Kevin Youkilis, and Sandy Koufax.

Teen participants of the Katz JCC's ACHaD Video Production Workshop conceived the story of a giant Tootsie Roll on the loose at the JCC, poisoning candies so kids will stop eating his friends. Darth Vader, sentenced with community service for his troubled past, must defeat Tootsie Roll before it's too late!