Experience award-winning, modern Jewish films about a Moroccan-Jewish wedding, the Jewish haven of the Catskills, the 1975 Savoy Hotel Israeli hostage crisis, and more --
with talk-backs and discussion in this recently renovated, community non-profit theater.

See below for the titles, descriptions, and screening times of each film.

All showings are $15, or purchase a festival pass and see all six films for $75!
Jewish for Good or a Chelsea Theater member? Receive discounted pricing of $12 per screening or $60 for a festival pass!

Each screening will take place at The Chelsea Theater (1129 Weaver Dairy Rd Suite AB, Chapel Hill, NC 27514)

The Catskills
directed by Lex Gillespie
2024, USA
86 minutes; English

SUNDAY september 15, 1:30pm +
tuesday september 17, 7pm

With a trove of archival footage and a cast of characters endowed with the gift of gab, The Catskills journeys into the storied getaway north of New York City. Stand-up comedians share their best shtick while former waiters, entertainers, and dance instructors recount tales of the family-run resorts and bungalows that inspired films like "Dirty Dancing." Featuring home movies, publicity photos, postcards, and menus, this time capsule provides an overview of Jewish immigration to New York going back to the early twentieth century. Director Lex Gillespie maps the development of the vacation destination, from a refuge for working-class Jews seeking a respite from poverty in overcrowded New York City tenements to a lavish summer playground for the affluent.

WATCH THE TRAILER!

Talk-back/Discussion Info:

Sunday September 15:
Peter Chester,
Borscht Belt Museum historian
(via Zoom)

Tuesday September 17:
Dr. Emily Katz,
UNC Department of American Studies

Seven Blessings
directed by Ayelet Menahemi
2023, Israel
108 minutes; Hebrew, Arabic, & French (with English subtitles)

sunday september 15, 7pm +
monday september 16, 1:30pm

Set in the early 90's in Jerusalem, a boisterous Moroccan-Jewish clan reunites for a wedding, filled with joy, laughter, and a vibrant mix of personalities. But as the Seven Blessings ritual unfolds- a week of festive meals honoring the newlyweds-  the façade begins to crack, revealing deep seated secrets and wounds. With a top cast and inspired by the filmmaker’s own multi-ethnic background, this tale delves into a complex web of relationships, culture, forgiveness, and clashing interpretations of shared memories. The film won 10 Ophir Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay

WATCH THE TRAILER!

Talk-back/Discussion Info:

Sunday September 15:
Jack Sasson,
Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at UNC and Vanderbilt

Monday September 16:
Tom Rizman,
Jewish for Good Shaliach

The Shadow of the Day
directed by Giuseppe Piccioni
2022, Italy
111 minutes; Italian (with English subtitles)

Monday September 16, 7pm +
Tuesday September 17, 1:30pm

This  gripping tale of love against odds, set in Italy of the late 1930s,  follows provincial restaurant owner Luciano, a decorated World War I veteran who has cut himself off from the world and his own emotions. After a penniless young woman, Anna, arrives at his doorstep looking for a job; her presence gradually opens him  to the possibility of human connection. At the same time, the dangerous antisemitism and political realities of Europe are creeping into their daily lives, leading to a reckoning that will force Luciano to question everything he thinks he knows about the world and his own heart. Filmed in the picturesque town of Ascoli Piceno in central Italy, Giuseppe Piccioni’s human drama demonstrates the possibility of redemption in the darkest times.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Talk-back/Discussion Info:

Monday September 16:
Ugo Goetzl, M.D., PhD.

Tuesday September 17:
Ugo Goetzl, M.D., PhD.

All About the Levkoviches
directed by Ádám Breier
2024, Hungary
85 minutes; Hungarian & Hebrew (with English subtitles)

Sunday september 22, 1:30pm +
tuesday september 24, 7pm

Told with delightfully mordant humor and a genuine warmth, this story follows Tamas, an aging boxing coach in present-day Budapest whose relationship with his son, Ivan, has frayed to the point of estrangement. After converting to Orthodox Judaism, Ivan moved to Israel, where he married and had a son whom Tamas has never met. Now, Ivan and his son have come back to Budapest for the funeral of Tamas’s wife, forcing father and son to face one another. Breier’s film is masterfully acted and directed, maintaining a perfectly balanced tone between comedy and pathos.

WATCH THE TRAILER!

Talk-back/Discussion Info:

Sunday September 22:
Andrea Ausztrics,
Producer of “All About the Levkovotches”
(via Zoom)

Tuesday September 24:
Rabbi Jonathan Gerard

SHTTL
directed by Ady Walter
2023, Ukraine & France
114 minutes; Yiddish & Ukrainian (with English subtitles)

sunday september 22, 7pm
monday september 23, 1:30pm

This visually compelling film tells the story of a Jewish village on the Soviet-Ukraine border 24 hours before Operation Barbarossa – the 1941 Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Shot in Ukraine, the film focuses on the vitality of the residents, many seen though through interactions with Mendele, a young aspiring filmmaker who has returned to the village to reunite with the love of his life.  Featuring a remarkable cast that includes Moshe Lobel (who appeared in Broadway’s Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof revival) and Yiddish-fluent actor Saul Rubinek, this is a meditative work that insightfully depicts a place brimming with vibrancy and the romance, politics, and intrigue of everyday life before it disappears.

WATCH THE TRAILER!

Talk-back/Discussion Info:

Sunday September 22:
Dr. Karen Auerbach
Associate Professor of History,
University of North Carolina

Monday September 23:
Speaker info coming!

Savoy
directed by Zohar Wagner
2023, Israel
78 minutes; Hebrew & Arabic (with English subtitles)

monday september 23, 7pm
tuesday september 24, 1:30pm

On the night of 4th March 1975, eight members of the PLO commandeered the Savoy Hotel in Tel Aviv, taking most of the guests and staff members hostage. One of the guests, 31-year-old Kohava Levi, of Yemeni descent, courageously tried to save lives by assisting with the negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israeli forces. Instead of being celebrated for her heroism, Levi, a married woman who checked in at the hotel with her lover, was mistaken for a prostitute and ridiculed by the media. Featuring both archival footage and reenactments, the film brings to light the story of the forgotten heroine.

WATCH THE TRAILER!

Talk-back/Discussion Info:

Monday September 23:
David Shanzer,
Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University

Tuesday September 24:
Sam Henselijn,
Israeli filmmaker