by Jill Cogan, Katz JCC Judaic Coordinator
Calling all film lovers! Our 2018 Cherry Hill Volvo Cars Jewish Film Festival of the Katz JCC is just around the corner. The weeklong film festival takes place Sunday, March 18 through Sunday, March 25, featuring 19 award-winning and fan favorite films along with several guest speakers, including writers, directors, producers, film stars and local Rabbis.
The Festival kicks off on Sunday, March 18 with the feature film Across the Waters, an international drama based on true events. Unsure of whom they can trust, a Jewish musician and his family make a frantic escape from Nazi-occupied Denmark in this gripping story of survival.
Enjoying the nightlife of 1943 Copenhagen, jazz guitarist Arne Itkin (David Dencik) is seemingly immune to the hardships of warand he is initially skeptical when his terrified wife Miriam (Danica Curcic) hears rumors of the round-up and deportation of Danish Jews. An overnight raid however, forces the couple to flee their home with five-year-old son Jakob (Anton Dalgård Guleryüz). Aided by a church pastor and underground resistance, they set out on a journey for the fishing village of Gilleleje, where refugees await passage to Sweden by boat. Amidst lurking danger from the Gestapo and their collaborators, the family puts its fate in the hands of strangers whose allegiance and motives are not always clear.
Across the Waters – Trailer from Det Danske Filminstitut on Vimeo.
This year’s festival is proud to partner with the greater South Jersey Jewish community to bring you unforgettable films. We are excited to host Better Together “Names, Not Numbers©” by the 7th and 8th-grade students at the Kellman Brown Academy. A powerful new documentary making its world premiere on Monday, March 19 at 7 pm, features the stories of four local Holocaust survivors, capturing these inspiring oral histories.
We are taking the film festival on the road to Temple Beth Sholom on Tuesday, March 20 at 7 pm for a screening of On the Map. This documentary tells the against-all-odds story of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s 1977 European Championship. Through the lens of sports, this film presents a much broader story of how one basketball team captured the heart of a nation amid domestic turmoil and the global machinations of the cold war.
These are just a few of the many, highly acclaimed films that will make you laugh, cry and bring you back wanting more. Patron and Series ticket holder receive tremendous perks such as exclusive receptions and early seating access. Tickets for individual screenings can be purchased starting at $10. Group discounts, available for groups of 10 or more, must be purchased in person or by phone by Thursday, March 15.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit katzjcc.org/film or call Suzanne Post at 856-424-4444 x1226 or Michele Susson at x1119.
*Source: https://www.ajff.org/film/across-waters
