Under the auspices of Congregation Beth Shalom, this summer marks the third consecutive year of the Bozeman Jewish Film Festival bringing outstanding films of Jewish interest to Southwest Montana. From comedy to drama to documentary film, the presentations will run the gamut. Films will be screened at the comfortable Procrastinator Theater in the Student Union Building (SUB) on the MSU campus on various Wednesdays between May and August at 7pm each evening.
All award winners in various categories, here’s a peek at this season’s film schedule. The Women’s Balcony will kick off the series on May 24th. A hit in both Israel and the United States, this movie is set in Jerusalem and tells the story of what happens when the balcony of a (modern) orthodox synagogue collapses. It’s a light-hearted look at the reactions of moderate people being faced with extremism. Tense, fast-paced drama AKA Nadia will follow on May 31st. The film is about what can take place when your past catches up with you. Maya, the wife of an official at the Israeli Ministry of Justice and a successful choreographer in her own right, was not always Maya. Several years earlier, she had been Nadia, an Arab woman in love with a PLO activist… Check out A Grain of Truth on June 7th.
The film delves into the ways modern Polish society handles — and avoids — the historical memory of anti-Semitism during and immediately after World War II. It’s a crime drama as seen through the eyes of a state prosecutor whose own life has fallen apart. Fast forward to July 5th and enjoy Welcome. The timely release describes the arduous journey of an Iraqi immigrant who makes his way from Mosul to, finally, France as he endeavors to reach his Kurdish girlfriend in London. The film presents two stories: one, Bilal’s love for his girlfriend and his effort to overcome the final obstacle in his way (the English Channel); and the second, his relationship with Simon, the Frenchman he meets. Set for July 26th, Denial is the gripping drama of the pursuit, through the United Kingdom court system, of a historian by a Holocaust denier. This is taken from what actually happened in 1996 and, given the current conversations about alternative truths, is as up-to-date as today.
Closing out the film festival on August 2nd is Keep Quiet. The riveting documentary follows a young Hungarian neo-Nazi politician whose life is upended when he learns of his Jewish roots. Truth is often inconvenient. There is no fee for admission to any of the films, although any donations at the door are gratefully accepted. For further information, or to be placed on the film festival’s email list, please contact administrator@bethshalombozeman.org or call Congregation Beth Shalom at (406) 556-0528. Learn more about the community of Beth Shalom at www.bethshalombozeman.org. •