Program of the 10th MJFF
From historical dramas to a noir rap opera: program announcement.
From December 7th to 14th, Moscow will celebrate the first anniversary of the Moscow Jewish Film Festival (MJFF). The 10th anniversary festival will feature the most extensive program in its history. Over 50 films and series across various genres from 14 countries worldwide. Screenings at five city venues (the October Cinema Center, Zotov Center, Domjour, the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, MECC) will introduce audience to the full spectrum of contemporary Jewish cinema. The program includes premieres, social dramas, comedies, musicals, and documentary investigations by filmmakers from Israel, the USA, France, Brazil, Italy, Uganda, and other countries.
Seven projects will compete for the title of best feature film. Among them are the musical odyssey «Brother Verses Brother» by Ari Gold, the comedy about battling panic attacks «Fantasy Life» (dir. Matthew Shear), the drama about a Romanian village at the end of the 19th century « Holy Week» by Andrei Cohn, and the family comedy-drama about one day of apartment hunting in Haifa «Real Estate« by Anat Malz.
The non-competitive program also deserves special attention. The festival will open with the Russian premiere screening of the first episodes of the series «Zwieflers» about a family gastronomy empire. Additionally, out of competition, audiences will see the noir rap-opera «The City» by Amit Ulman and the inspiring comedy «Neuilly-Poissy» by Gregory Boutboul.
Sergey Sdobnov, program director:
A significant part of the program is dedicated to documentary film, curated by film critic Yegor Sennikov. In the feature-length competition, there is the biopic about marathon runner Beatie Deutsch, «Marathon Mom»; an exploration of the Yiddish language's revival, «Welcome to the Yiddishland»; and a personal surfer's diary, «Going Pro». Outside the competition will be shown the portrait of an Italian senator and Auschwitz survivor, «Liliana».
The festival will also feature its traditional educational events: masterclasses, discussions, and meetings with filmmakers.
