Presented by the Greensboro Jewish Federation, the Triad Jewish Film Festival celebrates its fifth season with movies that highlight themes of diversity. The 2007 film festival promises to bring critically acclaimed, diverse selections interwoven with Jewish flavor to this year’s offering. The Festival begins on February 15 and runs Thursday and Saturday evenings through February 24 with all four films shown at the Grande Theatre at Friendly Shopping Center. Thanks to the generosity of local corporate sponsors ticket prices remain at last season’s low price of $9.00 per show and $8.00 per film when purchased as a Reel Deal four film pass. If available, day of show tickets will be sold at the door for $10.00. Past years have had sold out houses, so advance purchase is highly recommended. For ticket information call the Greensboro Jewish Federation at 852-5433. Films this week are:
The Aryan Couple
Thursday, February 15 at 7:00 p.m.
Director: John Daly 2004
English language film, 119 min
A handsomely filmed WWII thriller inspired by historical people and events, THE ARYAN COUPLE explores the lengths to which people went to escape Hitler’s tyranny. Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau plays a wealthy Jewish industrialist who finds himself bartering with the Nazis in order to ensure his family’s safe passage out of German-occupied Hungary. In a scheme dubbed the "Europa Plan", the Third Reich is reported to have offered rich Jewish families the chance to avoid deportation and extermination in exchange for all possessions. The film follows the fate of Joseph and Rachel Krauzenberg (Landau and Judy Parfitt) as they reluctantly host Nazi leaders at a dinner party to close a ransom deal. But complications arise when the secret identity of the Krauzenberg’s loyal servants – a seemingly "perfect Aryan couple" – are exposed. THE ARYAN COUPLE is distinguished by an emotional finale, gripping performances, and lush cinematography filmed on location in Poland.
Live and Become
Saturday, February 17 at 7 pm
Director/Writer: Radu Mihaileanu 2005
Hebrew, French, Amharic languages, 140 min
This film is a magnificent, epic story of an Ethiopian boy who is airlifted from a Sudanese refugee camp to Israel in 1984 during Operation Moses. Shlomo is plagued by two big secrets: He is neither a Jew nor an orphan, just an African boy who survived and wants, somehow, to fulfill his Ethiopian mother’s parting request that he "go, live, and become." Buoyed by a profound and unfaltering motherly love – both in his memory and in the arms of his adoptive mother – he ultimately finds an identity and a happiness all his own.
