2009 Films

The 11th Annual London Jewish Film Festival will take place November 21st-22nd  2009, at the Wolf Performance Hall - London Public Library Central Branch and Rainbow Cinemas - Citi Plaza (formerly Galleria).

Saturday November 21    Wolf Performance Hall
6:45 pm: Gala Opening Reception for all.  Meet our guest Igaal Niddam, director of ‘Brothers’
8:00 pm: ‘BROTHERS’

Brothers

Brothers Dan and Aaron, separated as children, meet again as adults. One is a secular Kibbutznik living in Israel, the other a religious American lawyer and Torah scholar, sent to Israel to fight a court case. Their individual differences mirror the divisions between secular and religious in Israeli society.

Sunday November 22    Rainbow Cinemas
2:00 pm: ‘ZRUBAVEL’

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This is the first film to come out of Israel’s Ethiopian community. (Its director walked across the Sudanese desert when he was eight years old in order to enter Israel.) The story describes the love and conflict within three generations of one immigrant family, and the dilemmas faced by newcomers trying both to preserve their heritage and integrate into their new home.

Sunday November 22    Rainbow Cinemas
8:00 pm: ‘A MATTER OF SIZE‘

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A funny and tender account of Herzl (340 lbs) and three of his similarly overweight friends, who turn to Sumo wresting as a means of gaining dignity and appreciation. Herzl is mocked by his brutal weight loss trainer and his irritating mother, but finds self acceptance and accomplishment in the world of Sumo wrestling, where fat men are ‘rock stars’.

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Festival Series: $25
Single tickets: Wolf Performance Hall $15, Rainbow $7.50/filmTickets will be available October 25, at Chapters (Masonville), London Jewish Community Centre, Temple Israel office, Kiss the Cook, Rainbow Cinemas.

What is SWOOP?

SWOOP is the South Western Ontario Outreach Program of the London Jewish Film Festival.  It is an educational outreach initiative that strives to open the minds and hearts of students through films that deal creatively with issues of difference, connection, and tolerance.  Guest speakers associated with the films enable students to ask questions and achieve deeper understanding of complex issues depicted in the films.

The educational outreach program began in 2005 with the screening of Paper Clips for 300 local students.  A three year Trillium grant (2006-2008) allowed the LJFF to launch SWOOP – the South Western Ontario Outreach Program – showing Paper Clips to students in rural and urban areas of Southwestern Ontario.  We are proud partners of the Thames Valley District School Board, the London District Catholic School Board, and Avon Maitland School Board.

With every year, the numbers of students exposed to the outreach has grown, reaching over 2000 students in 2008.

Paper Clips

Paper Clips

LJFF Recommended Films

Recommended Films are not presented by the London Jewish Film Festival, but we think they would be of interest to our audience.

Yoo-Hoo Mrs. Goldberg is a warm-hearted documentary celebrating the life and career of Gertrude Berg.

Berg was the creator, principal writer and star of “The Goldbergs,” a popular radio series about a middle-class Jewish family that became one of TV’s first sitcoms in 1949.

Yoo-Hoo Mrs. Goldberg is a documentary, which promotes family over possessions, and offers insights into the early history of broadcasting while shedding light on the widespread of anti-Semitism against which Berg struggled.

Film opens February 5th, 2010

Rainbow Cinemas (355 Wellington Street)

For show times and ticket information visit

www.rainbowcinemas.ca or call (519) 434-2200

December 2009 Newsletter

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Newsletter December 2009

www.theljff.com

Thanks for making 2009 our best festival ever!

With three Israeli feature films on offer, this year’s London Jewish Film Festival truly achieved its goal of celebrating the diversity of life in Israel. Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the movies - many people told us that it was our best line-up yet!

Thelma Rosner, Igaal Niddam

Thelma Rosner, Igaal Niddam

A special thank you goes out to director Igaal Niddam for joining us on the opening-night screening of his award-winning film, Brothers.

SWOOP Soars to New Heights

Close to 3,000 students in London, Woodstock, Tillsonburg and St. Thomas participated in this year’s South Western Ontario Outreach Project – a record number. After watching the documentary Paper Clips, the students truly appreciated the opportunity to interact with our special guests Dagmar and Peter Schroeder, who participated in the film.

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This year’s SWOOP attracted interest from The London Free Press, The Tillsonburg News and St. Thomas Times Journal.

A first time for Art

Thank you to Strand Fine Art Services and ArtVenture Art Studio for hosting the LJFF’s first visual art exhibitions, Thelma Rosner’s Bookworks and Erica Reshef’s Inherited Faces.


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The LJFF wishes you a Chag Sameach !!

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Israeli Films Win Awards

The Israeli film ‘ Lebanon ’ won top prize at the Venice Film Festival.

The Israeli film ‘Ajami’ has won top prize at the 2009 Jerusalem Film Festival, and received a great response in Toronto at TIFF.

Paper Clips

The South Western Ontario Outreach Program (SWOOP) will show the feature documentary film Paper Clips to students during the week of November 2-6, 2009.  We are proud to announce an expanded program in the following locations:  London, Woodstock, St. Thomas, Tillsonburg, and Strathroy.

Peter and Dagmar Schroeder, authors of Six Million Paper Clips and active journalists,  join us once more this year. They will answer questions and speak with students about their extraordinary participation in the project that has changed so many lives.

For information on dates and class-bookings email: info@theljff.com

Dagmar and Peter Schroeder signing Six Million Paper Clips

Dagmar and Peter Schroeder signing Six Million Paper Clips