Your Mitzvah Is to See These Movies

If your knowledge of Jewish filmmaking only extends as far as nebbishy fellows whose names rhyme with "Schmoody Schmallen," it's time to look again. The 15th Annual Jewish Film Festival of Dallas, which runs this year from Saturday through September 25, is a perfect way to start. The nine offerings,...

By Anna Merlan

September 8, 2011

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If your knowledge of Jewish filmmaking only extends as far as nebbishy fellows whose names rhyme with "Schmoody Schmallen," it's time to look again. The 15th Annual Jewish Film Festival of Dallas, which runs this year from Saturday through September 25, is a perfect way to start. The nine offerings, presented by the Jewish Community Center of Dallas, are all premiering here for the first time; they include Naomi, a twisting drama about desire and betrayal between a married couple, The Matchmaker, a dramedy about a teenage boy in 1960s Haifa working for a mysterious matchmaker who finds love for people with special needs, and This is Sodom, a weird, often hilarious retelling of the story of Sodom. The first season of the award-winning television series Arab Labor will also run. The popular Israeli comedy series follows an Arab-Israeli journalist, his social worker wife and their daughter as they confront the challenges of trying to assimilate into Israeli society while staying true to their own traditions. There's also a documentary offering, Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray, which deals with the often-overlooked Jewish involvement on both sides of the Civil War. The screenings are scattered throughout Dallas and Plano; for more information and tickets ($10 to $15), call 214-739-2737 or visit jccdallas.org.
Sept. 10-25, 2011

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