Page 4 - Jewish News_January-2021

4A January 2021 FEDERATION NEWS

Annual Jewish Film Festival is just around the corner

By Jeremy Lisitza, Director of Innovation and Volunteer Engagement

We lost a dear member of our community, Mort Skirboll, last April. Many of you know how through the memory of a painful past After Munich - The world watched
devoted he and his wife Bunny have been to The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee that is hard to forget, such as the mem- live on television as the Palestinian ter-
and our Jewish Film Festival. Bunny says, “It was his personal favorite and the highlight of ory of the raid on the Jewish ghetto of rorist group Black September stormed
the cultural activities of the Federation.” Rome. the Israeli athletes’ quarters at the 1972
Mort generously left a legacy gift to our Federation, and in his memory, Bunny has Our Closing Event will feature Munich Olympics, taking 11 hostages
directed that going forward the Jewish Film Festival will be called the “Mort (z”l) & Bunny Breaking Bread. In this film, exotic they would later kill. Four women – an
Skirboll Jewish Film Festival.” It is Bunny’s hope that “Mort’s legacy gift will ensure that our
festival will continue to educate, inspire and entertain our community for years to come!” cuisine and a side of politics are on athlete, a widow and two undercov-
the menu. Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel, er agents – bore sight to the tragedy,
the first Muslim Arab to win Israel’s changing their lives forever.
mort & bunny skirboll MasterChef television competition, An Irrepressible Woman - The year
z”l
is on a quest to make social change is 1940, and French-Jewish socialist
through food. In an effort to effect politician and three-time Prime Minis-
change, she founded ter Leon Blum has been imprisoned at
the A-sham Arabic Buchenwald. This touching historical
Food Festival in Haifa, drama follows Jeanne Reichenbach,
Israel, where pairs of who has been in love with Blum since
OF SARASOTA-MANATEE Arab and Jewish chefs they were teenagers but has always
collaborate on local only admired him from afar. Now she
dishes. A film about is married with a son, but she is driven
ave the date! The Jewish Fed- al summer camp to spend time with hope, synergy and mouthwatering by the urge to link her fate with Blum’s
eration of Sarasota-Manatee’s radical street chef Chico, his mentor’s fare, Breaking Bread illustrates what once and for all. As the Nazis invade
Spremier event, the 12 annual fusion cuisine inspires him to unite his happens when people focus on the per- France, she abandons her comfortable
th
Jewish Film Festival, will take place family through food. Abe decides to son, rather than religion; on the public, life and risks everything to reunite with
March 1-25, 2021. The festival, now cook a meal that will bring everyone rather than the politicians. and marry him in prison.
called “The Mort (z”l) & Bunny Skir- to the table, but he’s about to learn that Rounding out our festival are the Bukra Fil Mish-Mish - Shortly
boll Jewish Film Festival,” will feature the kitchen can’t heal some age-old di- following amazing films: after the death of his special uncles,
20 new films from around the world. vides. 30KM - After reading a note that Didier Frenkel descends into the base-
It will be chaired by Our Centerpiece he wrote 10 years prior, 29-year-old ment of their shared home and finds
Cheryl Shapiro and Event will feature Tzafrir realizes that he didn’t fulfill a treasure: an ancient archive of ani-
Bunny Skirboll. A Starry Sky Above any of the dreams he had for himself mated films from Egypt starring Mish-
Our Opening the Roman Ghetto. when he was young. Just before his 30 Mish Effendi, the Arab equivalent of
th
Event kicks off with The past interlaces birthday, he decides to fulfill his child- Mickey Mouse. His uncles kept this
Abe. Twelve-year- with the present hood dream and drive through Israel in surprising chapter of their lives under
old Abe is an as- when the discovery an electric toy car. With the hope of un- cover. Didier begins restoring the films
piring chef, but his of a mysterious yel- derstanding what he wants to do with and unveils the story of the rise and fall
family – half-Israeli, lowed photograph his life, he goes on the journey across of these pioneers of Arab animation.
half-Palestinian – has depicting a little girl will lead Chris- the country and meets people who give Four Mothers - This film tells the
never had a meal together without a tian and Jewish students to search for their perspective on what it means to story about the first time a female civil
fight. When Abe ditches his tradition- the truth. They undertake a journey grow up. continued on next page

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