July 11
Thursday, July 11 | 11am | JCC Hart Theater
THE MAMBONIKS
Director: Lex Gillespie | USA | 2019 | 89 min. | English | Documentary
During the 1950s, free-spirited dancers from New York City (most of them Jewish) fell head over heels for the mambo, a hot dance from Havana, Cuba. Their love for Latin rhythms earned them the nickname, the mamboniks. Now retired, they’re still twirling around dance floors in Florida. In The Mamboniks, they reminisce and share their often-humorous and joyous stories. Archival footage of them performing in their younger years and an infectious soundtrack that includes the Afro-Cuban sounds of Tito Puente and Celia Cruz make the film a pleasure to watch.
Thursday, July 11 | 1:30pm | JCC Hart Theater
SHOELACES
Director: Jacob Goldwasser | Israel | 2018 | 90 min. | Hebrew (w/ subtitles) | Narrative
Nominated for eight Ophir Awards (the Israeli Oscar) including Best Film, this engaging, tender dramedy explores the knotty relationship between an irascible mechanic and his exuberant special-needs son. When his ex-wife dies, Reuven must take over caring for Gadi, his now-adult son. The bond between them gradually grows but then is tested by events that raise profound moral and legal questions. A rare, honest depiction of special-needs characters, told with gentle humor and sensitivity, Shoelaces is the highly personal project of director Jacob Goldwasser, himself a parent of a special-needs child.
Thursday, July 11 | 6pm | Dryden Theatre
IT MUST SCHWING!: THE BLUE NOTE STORY
Director: Eric Friedler | Germany | 2018 | 113 min. | English, German (w/ subtitles) | Documentary
In 1939 Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, two Jews from Berlin who’d been lucky enough to get out while they still could, founded Blue Note, the most important record company in jazz history. Their label launched the careers of geniuses like Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and others. Understanding the parallels between the anti-Semitism they knew and the racism their beloved musicians faced, they honored them as artists and treated them as family. It Must Schwing combines breathtaking animation, interviews with jazz giants and irresistible music.
Thursday, July 11 | 8:45pm | Dryden Theatre
TEL AVIV ON FIRE
Director: Sameh Zoabi | Luxembourg, Belgium, Israel, France | 2018 | 100 min. | Arabic, Hebrew (w/ subtitles) | Narrative
Winner of top prizes at the Haifa and Venice film festivals, Tel Aviv on Fire takes a deeply satirical view of the Arab-Israeli conflict, making fun of everyone. Salaam, a Palestinian living in Jerusalem, writes for a soap opera popular among both Arabs and Jews. Things get complicated when the Israeli commander of the checkpoint that Salaam drives through each day starts suggesting plot twists to please his wife, while the show’s backers demand twists in the opposite direction. Tel Aviv on Fire is one of the most irreverent cinematic spins on the Arab-Israeli conflict. “A witty and warm-hearted look at a divided land.” Hollywood Reporter
