AJFF Launches Celebration of Israel’s 75th Anniversary

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival began a weeklong salute to Israel’s 75th anniversary with theatrical screenings of three of the Jewish state’s most notable films. The three films, which were scheduled to be shown at The Springs Cinema and Taphouse in Sandy Springs on Sunday, April 23 are “Sallah,” a comedy from 1964, “The Band’s Visit,” a genial comedy drama done in 2007 and “Waltz With Bashir,” an animated film drama about the 1982 Israel Lebanon War, which was released in 2008.

The three Sunday screenings then give way to 9 additional films that run continuously, on-line for the rest of the week. The program has been coordinated by the Israel’s Consulate office in Atlanta.

According to Kenny Blank, the Executive Director and Artistic Director of the festival, the ambitious series is another way of looking at Israel’s artistic legacy.

“Through this retrospective, audiences will embark on a journey through Israel’s dynamic and complex history, exploring the remarkable strides made by Israeli film artists over 75 years of cinematic storytelling,” Blank said. “We are thrilled to celebrate Israel’s 75th year of independence with a spectacular curation of films, bringing the community together once again for both theatrical and streaming exhibitions of world-class cinema.”

“Footnote” about a father-son rivalry in the world of Talmudic scholarship is being streamed by the AJFF.

Israel’s film makers have indeed come a long way the 1960’s, when Sallah, about Iraqi Jewish immigrants was a break-out hit for the film industry which was then in its infancy. Not only did it sell over a million tickets in Israel which at that at the time had only a little over 2 million persons, but it was big hit in the United States.

It won best foreign film at the Golden Globe Awards and for the first time a film from Israel was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It played for six months at New York’s Little Carnegie Theater and won best screenplay for the Hungarian born director Ephraim Kishon and best acting awards for its star, Chaim Topol at the San Francisco Film festival. For the next 20 years, it made helped to make Topol one of the few actors from Israel to achieve international recognition, particularly after his role of Tevye the milkman in Hollywood’s Fiddler On The Roof.

How the subject of war was represented in Israel film was altered by “Waltz With Bashir,” which was an animated production.

“Waltz With Bashir,” which won an arm load of awards from both the Israeli and the American and international film community is a film that represents that newfound sense of self confidence. It was a decidedly original take on how war was represented in Israel filmmaking. Its adroit use of film animation to explore the trauma of war on Israeli soldiers made it the first animated film in Academy Award history to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

Representing another breakthrough is the third film on the theatrical program, “The Band’s Visit,” about an Egyptian police band that becomes stranded in southern Israel, where it has come to play a concert. The gentle comedy drama not only was a critical and popular success, but it helped to establish Israel’s entertainment industry as source for innovative and imaginative productions.

The 2007 Israeli film “The Band’s Visit” was also made into a very successful Broadway musical.

A Broadway musical, which was based on the film was a smash hit when it opened in 2017 and won 10 of the 11 Tony Awards for which it was nominated, including Best Musical. The musical also won a Grammy in 2019 for Best Musical Theater Album.

Much of that artistic growth is also on display in many of the 9 films that have been chosen for virtual showings. All except one of them were produced in the last two decades as Israel’s film industry and particularly in its television industry has become a creative powerhouse. Israel is now said to be just behind Britain as a supplier or original programming for the America’s streaming services and broadcasters. Among the most successful is Keshet Studios, which is debuting a new mini-series May 1 about Anne Frank entitled “A Small Light.” It’s an Israeli co-production with National Geographic and ABC for Disney+ and Hulu.

Among the AJFF Israeli film programs that are being streamed is “Ajami,” a gritty urban crime drama set in an impoverished neighborhood in Jaffa.

“A Matter of Size,” won 13 Ophir’s, Israel’s top film award for this comedy about how a group of friends discover a new sense of community and self-worth when they take up the Japanese sport of Sumo wrestling.

“Aviva My Love,” another multiple award winner from writer director Sherri Zarhin, a humorous tale about a hotel cook who dreams of becoming a writer.

“Footnote,” about how a father and son cope with the professional rivalry they develop as Talmudic scholars. This 2011 production by the talented Israeli director, Joseph Cedar was an Academy Award nominee, a winner at the Cannes Film Festival and was voted best film and 8 other honors at Israel’s Ophir Awards.

There’s a special package price of $75 at the festival website, AJFF.org, for all the streamers or you can buy individual tickets for $18 each. The festival ends April 30.

The full lineup and special guests of this hybrid showcase will be announced on AJFF.org/Israel75.