Mini-Israeli Festival Mini- Israeli Festival

Israeli Festival is
May 16th, 17th, 20th
in honor of
Israel's 61st Anniversary!

Films Include "Shiva",
"Avodah Aravit (Arab Labor)"

and "It's Now or Never"

The Israel Film Festival
is co-sponsored by:

Palo Alto JCC Israeli House

Shiva Shiva

Shiva

Israel, 2008, 103 Minutes, Color,
Hebrew/ French/ Moroccan, English subtitles

In this emotional rollercoaster, acclaimed Israeli actress Ronit Elkabetz (The Band’s Visit) teams up with her  brother, Shlomi Elkabetz, to direct a fascinating portrait of a Moroccan family as they gather to mourn the sudden death of their brother. It is 1991 in the midst of the first Gulf War and Israel is under daily missile attacks. The family gathers for the traditional seven days of mourning (shiva) in which they are not allowed to leave the house. The intensity of this situation is a catalyst for more than just emotional support and communal grief. This film Boasts an impressive cast of some of Israel's best actors including Elkabetz herself, Keren Mor, Yael Abecassis, Hana Azoulay-Safrari, Hanna Laszlo, Moshe Ivgy and Alon Abutbul.

Avodah Aravit (Arab Labor) Avodah Aravit

Arab Labor

Israel, 2008,
4 episodes (120 minutes total),
Color, Hebrew with English subtitles

A satiric sitcom written by Israeli-Arab Author Sayed Kashua, broadcast on prime time Israel television. The show is about a young Arab couple, Amjad and Bushra, and their young daughter, who live in an Arab village on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Amjad is a journalist working for a Hebrew newspaper who desperately seeks to assimilate into the prevailing Israeli Jewish cultural milieu with mixed and hilarious results.

It's Now or Never It's Now or never

It's Now or Never

Israel, 2007, 82 minutes, Color,
Hebrew with English subtitles

The resolution on the partition of Palestine was adopted by the UN on November 29th, 1947. While all Israelis were dancing and celebrating, David Ben Gurion, the leader of the new Jewish entity remained ambivalent - after 2000 years in the Diaspora the statehood is in reach, yet the threat of Arab armies invading the Jewish lands in Palestine was very real. This dramatic re-enactment starring Yossi Kantz as David Ben Gurion depicts, step by step, the crucial and dramatic six months before the state of Israel was inaugurated.

Several important historical figures including Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Moshe Sertok, General Geoger Marshall and King Abdullah of Jordan are feature characters in this riveting historical film.

Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival * www.svjff.org