All screenings at the King Cat Theater, except where noted. For more information, call 622-6315.
March 13—Opening-night gala. Be the first to see Joseph Vilsmaier’s The Harmonists (1998), which won’t open in Seattle until the following week. Set in 1927 Berlin, where the world of theater, film, and vaudeville provides escape from economic depression, The Harmonists is the true story of the rise and fall of the legendary musical ensemble “The Comedian Harmonists.” At 7:30. Actor Heino Ferch to attend. Dessert reception to follow.
March 14—The Island on Bird Street (1997), directed by Soren Kragh-Jacobson, depicts war through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Uri Orlev. At 1. Later, a special three-hour screening of six original episodes of the Israeli TV series Florentene (1997), which follows a group of close-knit Gen X-ers living in Tel Aviv. At 3, with 15-minute intermission. The Last Days (1998) at 7:30. Reviewed this issue.
March 15—A free screening of Nothing to Be Written Here (1996). Director Wendy Oberlander explores her Canadian Jewish father’s past as he was interned as a “dangerous enemy alien” in Ottawa during WWII. 7:30 at the University of Washington’s Meany Hall. Director to attend.
March 16—In Our Own Hands: The Hidden Story of the Jewish Brigade in WWII (1998), directed by Chuck Olin. Said to be a cross between Schindler’s List and The Dirty Dozen, In Our Own Hands tells the true story of the only all-Jewish fighting unit in WWII. At 7. Later, the French box-office hit Man Is a Woman (1998), a sort of Jewish twist on Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet, about a gay man pressured by his family to get married and raise a family. At 9:30.
March 17—Joseph Green’s A Letter to Mother (1938), a classic favorite about a woman struggling to keep her family out of of poverty. This was one of the last Yiddish talkies made in Poland before the Nazi invasion. At 2. Free for seniors. Later, two short films about Israeli children searching for their Ethiopian Jewish roots: Dalia Mevorach’s Mother Stayed There (1997) and Beverly Shaffer’s Gesho (1996). At 7. Then it’s Out for Love . . . Be Back Shortly (1997), directed by Dan Katzir, about a former paratrooper searching for amour. At 9.
March 18—Making a Killing (1998), a documentary about Nazi-confiscated art. Fifty years after Freidrich and Louise Gutmann’s art collection was seized, their grandsons discover that the family’s Degas is owned by prominent Chicago collector Daniel Searle, who goes to court rather than relinquish it to the family. Shows with the animated short film Silence. At 7. Producer Anne Webber and art detective Willi Korte to attend. Later, a screening of Women (1996), a feature by Oscar-winning director Moshe Mizrahi (Madame Rosa). A story about love and a frustrated marriage set in a 19th-century Sephardic Jewish community. At 9.
March 19—No screenings due to Sabbath.
March 20—Encore presentation of Man Is a Woman (see 3/16). At 7. Later, For My Baby (1998), by Rudolf van den Berg, is a psychological drama about a stand-up “shock” comic who pushes the limits with his edgy Holocaust-inspired material. At 9:30.
March 21—Bagel & Film Brunch. A Jewish Wedding (1997), a quirky film about a man who converts to Judaism (circumcision and all) in order to marry his Jewish fianc饮 Plays with short films Two Weddings (1998) and Chicks in White Satin (1993), Elaine Holiman’s Oscar-nominated film about a lesbian wedding. At 10am. Autumn Sun (1996), a comedy set in Argentina about a 50-year-old woman who tries to hide her singlehood from her conservative American brother. At 1. Later, three short films: Fifth Commandment (1998), director Shimon Azulay focuses the camera on his Moroccan Jewish family; I Thee Wed (1995), about a 30-year marriage coming apart due to the husband’s returning to his haredi roots; and Ido (1998), about a punk rocker who becomes devoutly religious. At 3. Closing night: The South: Alice Never Lived Here (1998) by Sini Bar David explores the experiences of three generations of Sephardic women. Screens with the short film Adio (1998). At 7:30.
