Biz X Was There – Windsor Jewish Film Festival Returns To Theatres April 24 To 27, 2023
It is a celebration of artistic excellence and the magnificence of the Jewish story — the 20th anniversary of the annual Ruth and Bernard Friedman Windsor Jewish Film Festival.
From Monday, April 24 until Thursday, April 27, 10 brilliant films are showcased for the 2023 season, including Farewell Mister Haffman; Where Life Begins; Hitler’s Aunt; Barren; Tango Shalom; Image of Victory; The Replacement; Those Who Remained; Time to Say Goodbye; and Four Winters.
Written, directed and produced by some of the world’s most impressive and illustrious Jewish storytellers, these films serve the Film Festival’s goal of exposing the Jewish and non-Jewish community to the diversity of Jewish culture, permitting for the breaking of barriers through a thrilling screening environment.
“The lineup of films this year pays homage to our heritage, and does so beautifully,” said Helen Arbour, Co-Chair for the Windsor Jewish Film Festival). “Our volunteer jury carefully and thoughtfully vetted each film, acknowledging that each motion picture is an uplifting nod to who we are as a people and our place in the community.”
Tickets, priced at $14, can be purchased at windsorjewishfestival.ca, or at Cineplex Odeon Devonshire Mall prior to each screening. The full film schedule is as follows . . .
FAREWELL MISTER HAFFMAN
PARIS 1941. François Mercier is an ordinary man whose only goal is to start a family with Blanche, the woman he loves. François works for Mr. Haffmann, a talented Jewish jeweler. Under the German occupation, the employer and employee are forced to strike a deal which, over the following months, will upend the fate of all concerned.
8 pm Monday April, 24. Cineplex Odeon, Devonshire Mall
WHERE LIFE BEGINS
An ultra-orthodox Jewish family from Aix-les-Bains comes to a farm in Calabria for a brief stay every year to carry out a sacred mission: harvesting citrons. Here Elio, the farm owner, meets Esther, the rabbi’s daughter, who is tired of the constraints imposed by her religion. Through this relationship, Esther will understand the importance of freedom and find her path, and, in the same way, Elio will find the peace he had lost for a long time.
2 pm Tuesday April, 25. Cineplex Odeon, Devonshire Mall
HITLER’S AUNT
1940s. Leon works with his sons as a sandblaster on the Vistula. One day, the men catch the small river and its little daughter with the river. It turns out that they are Jewish, they escaped, as proposed they do not support themselves made public yet. Leonie’s heroic fight for their survival.
5 pm Tuesday April, 25. Cineplex Odeon, Devonshire Mall
BARREN
Naomi, a married ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman is expected to fulfill her life’s purpose and become a mother. She is young, immature, and has already raised children as older sister in a large Orthodox family. But no matter what, she is obliged by the social norm. Do the personal wishes of a young woman stand a chance against a rigidly conservative social structure? Will Naomi’s
marriage survive the test?
8 pm Tuesday April, 25. Cineplex Odeon, Devonshire Mall
TANGO SHALOM
A tango dancer asks a rabbi to enter a dance competition, but there’s one big problem — he’s not allowed to touch her due to his Orthodox beliefs. However, since the prize money will save his school from bankruptcy, they work together to develop a plan to enter the competition without sacrificing his faith.
2 pm Wednesday, April 26. Cineplex Odeon, Devonshire Mall
IMAGE OF VICTORY
In 1948, Hassanin joins a platoon going to Palestine to liberate farmers. While documenting their mission, Hassanin’s values are tested and both sides re-evaluate what they understand about war.
5 pm Wednesday, April 26. Cineplex Odeon, Devonshire Mall
THE REPLACEMENT
Hardened by his work in the worst neighborhoods of Madrid, a young police officer accepts a post in a small village by the sea hoping to heal his sick daughter and gain some inner peace. Once there, he becomes involved in the investigation of the strange murder of the inspector he replaced.
8 pm Wednesday Cineplex Odeon
April 26 Devonshire Mall
THOSE WHO REMAINED
A lyrical story of the healing power of love in the midst of national conflict, loss and trauma, Those Who Remained reveals the healing process of Holocaust survivors through the eyes of a young girl in post-World War II Hungary.
2 pm Thursday, April 27. Cineplex Odeon, Devonshire Mall
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE
A lovesick German boy faces the aftermath of his parent’s split and a slice of his manhood in the laugh-out-loud coming-of-age comedy TIME TO SAY GOODBYE.
5 pm Thursday, April 27. Cineplex Odeon, Devonshire Mall
FOUR WINTERS
Shattering the myth of Jewish passivity in WW2, these last surviving Partisans tell their stories of resistance against the Nazis and their collaborators in FOUR WINTERS.
Tasn 8 pm Thursday, April 27. Cineplex Odeon, Devonshire Mall
At conception, the Windsor Jewish Film Festival was a satellite site of the Detroit Jewish Film Festival, screening three films over a period of three days. Today, the Windsor Jewish Film Festival presents 10 motion pictures from across the globe, including documentaries, comedy and drama. The Windsor Jewish Film Festival is an initiative of the Windsor Jewish Federation and Community Centre.
An Opening Night Party was held Monday, April 24 at the Artisan Grill, Devonshire Mall before the screening of the first film. Biz X was proud to sponsor this festival and photographers Julianna Bonnett and Daniel Rafi were on site. Check out the photo gallery here of guests also attending night one of the festival.
