Other Israel Film Festival: Review Series
I was able to see a majority of the films. More than a few gave me sleepless nights. There were threads connecting the different movies. In this series, they will be grouped within that context.
Category: Culture
“Mayor” – A View from Ramallah
Ramallah, a historically Christian city, serves as the seat of the Palestinian government. It is at the epicenter of Palestinian commerce and culture. It is also ringed by Israeli settlements.
“Hope Gap” — A Marriage Crumbles
The narrative is “inspired” by writer and director William Nicholson’s experience with the end of his parents’ marriage.
The Mindfulness Movement: Promoting Social Change
Jon Kabat-Zinn qualifies mindfulness as: “The actuality of things as they are; not as I would want them to be.”
Carrie Fisher’s Turbulent Journey
It is true that Carrie navigated her ordeals within the confines of extreme privilege and Hollywood glamour, unlike the average person. Yet, the essence of her evolution and aspects of her struggles will be easily recognized to other women — especially of her generation.
Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence – A New Exhibit Tells the True Story
As we move toward 2020 and a presidential election, what better time to look back at the fight it took for women to gain the right to vote — and how sectors of the...
“This Changes Everything” Doc Spotlights Women in Hollywood
An important new documentary focuses on gender discrimination on screen and behind the scenes.
“Imprisoned”: Film Combines Social Justice with Love Story
The Prison-Industrial Complex as an entity is finally beginning to seep into the consciousness of Americans. How and why the United States incarcerates it citizens, the role that race plays, and the approaches pitting punishment and containment against rehabilitation, are becoming more mainstream topics.
“At War” (En Guerre): A French Look at Labor Relations
In “At War” (“En Guerre”), the French film directed by Stéphane Brizé and starring Vincent Lindon, we watch
a conflict between workers in an auto parts factory in the city of Agen in the southwest of France — and the suits who measure everything by shareholder satisfaction.
“Nelly” — New Film Looks at Life and Work of Canadian Writer
Arcan was both appreciated and reviled. She was a finalist for the revered French literary awards, the Prix Médicis and the Prix Fémina. Perhaps the public couldn’t forgive her for living the life that she wrote about.
