17th ANNUAL MSU ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL
March 19 and March 21
Sunday March 19
RCAH Theater, C20 Snyder-Phillips Hall, 362 Bogue St.
Please use the main front entrance of the Snyder building facing Bogue Street
1:00 pm Intro to One More Story, with special guest Omer Barak, author of novel upon which film was based
1:30 pm Screening of One More Story
3:00 pm Discussion, Omer Barak
3:30 pm Intro to Queen Shoshana
3:45 pm Screening of Queen Shoshana
5:45 pm a discussion with Dr. Yael Katzir
6:00-7:00 pm Dinner
A complimentary dinner provided by Woody’s will be served in the seminar rooms located on the first floor
7:00-8:30 pm Live Performance by the Yemen Blues Quartet
Tuesday, March 21
STEM Building Room 1202, 642 Red Cedar Rd.
10:00 am Welcome and Intro to Give it Back!
10:15 am Screening of Give it Back!
10:30 am a discussion with director Ruchama Ehrenhalt
Wells Hall Room B117, 619 Red Cedar Rd.
12:40 pm Intro to Science is a Beacon led by the award winning director, Yael Kazir
12:50 pm Screening of Science is a Beacon
1:30 pm a discussion with director Yael Katzir
Followed by a broadcasted discussion with director
Please email us at jewishst@msu.edu with any questions.
One More Story (2021)
Followed by a discussion with writer Omer Barak Sunday, March 19, 1:00 pm , RCAH Theater
Romance/Comedy
Director: Guri Alfi
Israel. Language: Hebrew (English subtitles)
An ambitious young journalist, Yarden, is put to the test when her boss (who also happens to be her lover) assigns her to do a story about blind dating in hopes of chasing ratings. Even cynical young millennials believe in true love, right? Yarden’s not so sure, but proceeds on her boss’s promise to publish her first novel if she writes the piece. One More Story is the directorial debut from Israel’s beloved comedian and TV personality, Guri Alfi, and was based on Omer Barak’s bestseller, Wedding Pressure, which received the highest price ever paid for movie rights in Israel. With a great score, the film is a fun-filled ride as we share the journey of Yarden’s complicated dating history while waiting to discover if true love is to be found. Romantic comedy, Israeli style!
Omer Barak is an Israeli writer, scriptwriter and journalist. He has written for Israeli magazines such as Globes, 7 days, and Blazer. His debut book, Wedding Pressure, was a number one bestseller in 2017, broke Israeli selling records and located Barak among the top bestselling writers in Israel. In 2021, along with Alfi Guri, Barak adapted Wedding Pressure into the film One More Story. The film follows Yarden Gat, who is a young journalist on a mission: to find true love for her best friend, and for herself. She convinces him to go out on a daily date for a month, each evening with a different woman, until he finds the right one. Barak’s second book, Everybody Smile, just came out in December 2022 and hit the number one bestselling list within six hours!
Queen Shoshana (2021)
Sunday, March 19, 3:30 pm , RCAH Theater
Followed by a discussion
Documentary
Directors: Morris Ben-Mayor and Kobi Farag
Israel. Language: Hebrew (English subtitles)
Throughout her life, Shoshana Damari was surrounded by fans. The first Israeli diva, cloaked in spectacular embroidered gowns, donning an abundance of jewels, she graced local and international stages and stirred millions with her husky and beguiling voice. She was the most successful export of Israel to the outside world. In the years she lived in the United States, she was a friend of Danny Kaye, Nat King Cole, Nina Simon and Harry Belafonte who also recorded one of her songs.
Yet behind the “Bigger than life” image there was a woman about whom we know little. She didn’t like to be interviewed and never volunteered details about her private life, her opinions or her thoughts.
In this film we will attempt to depict the other Shoshana. Letters and diaries, rare archive material from her estate and interviews with her most inner circle, will shed light on the fascinating story of the undisputed “Queen of Hebrew Music”, a queen who in her twilight years was forgotten and left without a kingdom.
Dinner (complementary Woody’s dinner served outside if the weather permits and inside if does not)
Sunday, March 19, 6:00-7:00 pm, RCAH Theater
Yemen Blues concert
Sunday, March 19, 7:00-8:30 pm, RCAH Theater
The Yemen Blues Quartet has been the focus of group leader Ravid Kahalani’s passion for the last year. The band includes founding members Rony Iwryn and Shanir Blumenkranz, and includes the internationally acclaimed drummer Dan Mayo. The band just finished a very successful November EU tour, with full houses of dancing fans. This quartet blends the spirit of Arabic, Hebrew & French with a heavy sound and grooves that invite a joyful, transcendent experience.
Give It Back! (2019)
Tuesday, March 21, 10:00 am, STEM Building Room 1202, 642 Red Cedar Rd.
Followed by a broadcasted discussion with director Ruchama Ehrenhalt
Short Film, Drama
Israel. Language: Hebrew (English subtitles)
Olivia is a 12 year old immigrant from New York. She is trying to find her place in the new world she just landed in, Israeli society. Instantly she connects with Alem, an Ethiopian boy who sits next to her in class. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that their friendship is social suicide. This is a story about alienation, friendship and home.
Ruchama Ehrenhalt is a graduate of Ma’aleh School of Film and Television in Jerusalem. She also has a B. Ed. from Herzog College of Education. She served in the IDF as a Foreign Liaison to the Jordanian Military. Originally from Long Island, Ruchama moved to Israel when she was 4 years old. She currently lives in Jerusalem and is working at JDC ELKA as the Resource Development Manager. In August 2022 Ruchama received her MA in Human Rights Practice from the University of Arizona.
Science is a Beacon (2022) Followed by a broadcasted discussion with award winning director and professor Yael Katzir
Tuesday, March 21, 12:40 pm, Wells Hall Room B117, 619 Red Cedar Rd.
Documentary
Israel. Language: Hebrew (English subtitles)
The story of the late Aharon Katzir. Aharon Katzir was a pioneer in the study of the electrochemistry of biopolymers. He received the Israel Prize in 1961 and was president of the Israel Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1962-1968.
He was killed by a Japanese terrorist at Lod (Ben-Gurion) airport in 1972.
Dr. Yael Katzir, Serling Visiting Israeli Scholar in 2012, 2017, and 2021, taught a cross-listed class for English, James Madison College, and the Film Studies Program: “From Collective Identity to Personal Diversity: Israeli Documentary Filmmaking”.
Dr. Katzir is an accomplished and award-winning Israeli documentary filmmaker, former head of the History Department and lecturer at the Film Department in the Art School of Beit Berl Academic College. Her films include Company Jasmine, Praying In Her Own Voice, Violins in Wartime, Shores of Light, The Albanian Code, Shiva for My Mother and My Grandma Had a Gun.