It’s no secret that Concord is a pretty movie-friendly community. Between the two actual movie theaters and places like NHTI and Concord Public Library that often host movie nights, there’s never a shortage of options to see a film around here.
And now, thanks to the New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival, there’s a whole new slate of flicks coming this way in the week ahead.
Now in its 10th year, the festival features a collection of films made by people from all over the world in which there’s some level of Jewish life and/or culture depicted in the films. The festival began March 15 and runs through this Sunday, with screenings held in five different cities across the state, including our own.
“Our films have some Jewish content in them, which can be very varied,” said festival Chairwoman Patricia Kalik. “Sometimes it’s about Jewish characters, sometimes it’s an Israeli film.”
This means the movies included in this festival have a very wide range. And the filmmakers do not have to be Jewish themselves to be included in the festival, so all submissions are welcome.
This festival is different from many in that it doesn’t all take place at one venue. Films will be shown in Concord, Keene, Portsmouth, Merrimack and Hanover, covering most of the lower half of the state. Some films will be shown in multiple locations, while others will be one-offs.
Apart from the actual screenings of the films, there will be several events mixed in throughout the festival as well, such as a festival wrap party at Red River and a Sociable Saturday Night event complete with a post-film dessert reception.
“On Sunday at Red River, for Monkey Business, we’re going to have some speakers at that film,” Kalik said. “They were children who lived in Waterville Valley when the authors (of Curious George) lived there. They’re going to come and do a question-and-answer after the film to share their experiences with the Reys.”
The main idea, though, is for folks to get together and enjoy some movies.
“It brings the community together – not just the Jewish community,” Kalik said. “Films bring the community together, and we start discussing them, which makes it a little different than going to a regular movie.”
The schedule for Red River is as follows:
Thursday, 7 p.m.: Between Worlds, directed by Miya Hatav, 84 minutes. Hebrew, Arabic (with English subtitles). $10.
Saturday, 8 p.m.: Sociable Saturday Night Event – Bye Bye Germany, directed by Sam Garbarski, 101 minutes. German (with English subtitles). $12.50. Dessert reception to follow film.
Sunday, 1 p.m.: Shelter, directed by Eran Riklis, 93 minutes. English, Hebrew and Arabic (with subtitles). $10.
Sunday, 3 p.m.: An Act of Defiance, directed by Jean van de Velde, 123 minutes. English, Afrikaans. $10.
Sunday, 5:30 p.m.: Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George’s Creators, directed by Ema Ryan Yamazaki, 81 minutes. English. $15. Festival wrap party and post-film discussion will follow the film. Guest speakers were still being finalized as of press time.
For detailed descriptions of each film, as well as a full schedule for the rest of the events throughout the state and tickets to any of the events, go to nhjewishfilmfestival.org. Additional tickets may be available at the door prior to the show. In the event of a sellout, a rush line will be formed 30 minutes before show time. All ticket sales are final.
And just so you know, by attending any of the events, in doing so you consent to being photographed, video recorded or recorded in any other fashion, and the film festival organizers are free to use these recordings “for any purpose whatsoever,” so be on your best behavior and dress to impress!
For more info, call 627-7679 or email info@jewishnh.org
