PITTSFIELD – The Berkshire Jewish Film Festival, one of the longest-running film festivals in the U.S. is has announced its 37th season. Showings will be at the Duffin Theater, Lenox Memorial Middle and High School, 197 East St., Lenox, Mass. Thirteen films will be shown on six consecutive Mondays, beginning July 10 and ending on Aug. 14. The ticket prices for all film showings is $15 and tickets may only only be purchased at the theater on the day of the film.
A still from the film “Our (Almost Completely True) Story,” set to open the Berkshire Jewish Film Festival on Monday, July 10. Mariette Hartley and Jerry Sroka are shown here.
The festival opens July 10 at 4 p.m. with a life-affirming dramedy that “sparkles with wit and depth as it celebrates love and romance while reflecting on the challenges of growing older, according to film presenters. It was written by written by Mariette Hartley and Jerry Sroka”
At 8 p.m. “Four Winters” tells the story of the over 25,000 Jewish partisans who fought back against the Nazis and their collaborators. One of the partisans, Michael Stoll, will greet the audience after the film.
At 4 p.m. on July 17, “The Muses of Isaac Bashevis Singer” highlights the army of female translators —more than 40 women —who helped the author. Nine of the women are still alive and are the only voices heard in the film, as they discuss Singer’s complex personality and personal life.
“Reckonings” will be shown at 8 p.m. This film is the first documentary feature to chronicle the harrowing process of negotiating German reparations for the Jewish people. A talkback will follow the film featuring Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, special negotiator of the Claims Conference, who was recently appointed by Secretary of State Blinken as his special adviser on Holocaust Issues and by President Biden as Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Ambassador Eizenstat worked in President Clinton’s administration as special representative of the president and secretary of state on Holocaust-Era issues.
“Shttl” on July 24 at 4 p.m., relates the story of the inhabitants of a Yiddish Ukrainian village at the border of Poland, 24 hours before the Nazi invasion, known as Operation Barbarossa. In one unflinching shot, this film presents a day in the life of a Jewish village before it disappears. At 8 p.m., in “Karaoke,” an older couple beset with unspoken regret get a much-needed spark with the arrival of a sexy, middle-aged hedonist (played by Lior Ashkenazi) who loves hosting karaoke parties in his posh penthouse.
Two documentaries will be featured on July 31. The 4 p.m., “Grossman,” is focused on David Grossman, one of Israel’s most notable authors, as he shares the connections between his life and his novels. It will be followed by “Castles in the Sky.” It centers on Malke, a Holocaust survivor and sex-ed teacher who has been leading a secret life for decades, performing slam poetry on the Lower East Side.
The 8 p.m. feature will be “Where Life Begins.” The movie tells the story of Esther, who travels with her French ultra-Orthodox family to a farm in Calabria to harvest etrogim for Sukkot.
“Queen of the Deuce” is slated for Aug. 7 at 4 p.m. The film relates the story of Chelly Wilson, who came from a religious Sephardic family in Greece. After emigrating to America at the start of WWII, she built a business that ultimately turned a dark yet lucrative corner when she entered the world of pornographic film theaters located alongside the X-rated shops on 8th Avenue, known as the Deuce. That evening at 8 p.m., “March ’68,” tells the story of two students in Warsaw in 1968, (Hania, who is Jewish, and Janek, whose father is a government official), during a time when the government’s persecution of Jews starts to gain strength. They join other university students protesting the government’s actions, changing their lives forever.
The final showings on Aug. 14 at 4 p.m. “The City Without Jews” and at 8 p.m. “Farewell Mr. Haffmann” H.K. Breslauer’s 1924 “The City Without Jews” silent masterpiece is the tragi-comic story of the fictional Austrian city of Utopia. The story follows the political and personal consequences of an anti-Semitic law forcing all Jews to leave the country. When the citizens of Utopia come to terms with the loss of the Jewish population and the resulting economic decline, they must decide whether to invite them back. The silent film will be accompanied by live original music composed by klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals and silent film music legend, pianist Donald Sosin. “Farewell Mr. Haffmann” slated for 8 p.m. is a wartime thriller. A French-Jewish jeweler is caught in a Faustian pact that will change the fate of all involved. Unpredictable twists mark this morality tale based on an award-winning play by Jean-Philippe Daguerre.
All proceeds from the festival will used to support children at the Knesset Israel Hebrew School, 16 Colt Rd., Pittsfield, Mass. Season passes are available for $136 and will be for sale through July 17. Additional donations are appreciated and may be made at www.knessetisrael.org/filmfestival or sent to Knesset Israel.
