Jewish Story Partners (Jsp), a Los Angeles-based nonprofit film funding organization, has announced its new slate of grants to 19 documentary film projects.
The org, which was launched in April 2021 with support from Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation, will distribute $490,000 among these independent films, all of which explore the vast and vibrant terrain of the Jewish storytelling space. The announcement coincides with Jewish American Heritage Month and a commitment from President Joe Biden’s White House administration to develop a national strategy to counter antisemitism and “address increasing awareness and understanding of both antisemitism and Jewish American heritage.”
Since its inception, Jsp has disbursed $2 million in funding to 72 documentaries telling diverse Jewish stories.
On the heels of previous Jsp-funded films that have premiered at Sundance — including Paula Eiselt’s “Under G-d,” Luke Lorentzen’s “A Still Small Voice” and Ondi Timoner’s Oscar-shortlisted and Emmy contender “Last Flight Home...
The org, which was launched in April 2021 with support from Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation, will distribute $490,000 among these independent films, all of which explore the vast and vibrant terrain of the Jewish storytelling space. The announcement coincides with Jewish American Heritage Month and a commitment from President Joe Biden’s White House administration to develop a national strategy to counter antisemitism and “address increasing awareness and understanding of both antisemitism and Jewish American heritage.”
Since its inception, Jsp has disbursed $2 million in funding to 72 documentaries telling diverse Jewish stories.
On the heels of previous Jsp-funded films that have premiered at Sundance — including Paula Eiselt’s “Under G-d,” Luke Lorentzen’s “A Still Small Voice” and Ondi Timoner’s Oscar-shortlisted and Emmy contender “Last Flight Home...
- 5/23/2023
- by Malina Saval
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – Award winning documentary filmmaker Aviva Kempner is making an appearance in Chicago on behalf of her latest film – co-directed with Ben West – on the continuing controversy regarding sports teams named after Native American tribes and images. “Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting” will screen at the Gene Siskel Film Center, with Aviva Kempner and Ben West in attendance on Friday, April 21st, 2023. Click Imagining for tickets and more information.
The film is an illuminating examination of the movement to end the misappropriation of Native culture. Documenting the origins of the words, images, and gestures that many Native people and their allies find harmful, Aviva Kempner and Ben West (Cheyenne) powerfully chronicle the impact that marginalization of history has had on those peoples, and the social movements to force sports teams at all levels – including locally the Chicago Blackhawks – to change their offensive names.
Directed by Aviva...
The film is an illuminating examination of the movement to end the misappropriation of Native culture. Documenting the origins of the words, images, and gestures that many Native people and their allies find harmful, Aviva Kempner and Ben West (Cheyenne) powerfully chronicle the impact that marginalization of history has had on those peoples, and the social movements to force sports teams at all levels – including locally the Chicago Blackhawks – to change their offensive names.
Directed by Aviva...
- 4/21/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
As the new crop of 2023 festival favorites roll out, Focus Features presents A Thousand And One in over 900 carefully curated theaters, testing the appetite for specialty fare at a challenging moment.
Short film and video director A.V. Rockwell’s feature-length debut stars Teyana Taylor as free-spirited Inez, who kidnaps her six-year-old son Terry from the foster care system. Holding onto their secret and each other, mother and son set out to reclaim their sense of home, identity, and stability in a rapidly changing New York City. Reviews are stellar, see Deadline’s. The winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize is at 97% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, 82% with auds. The fest called it “an elegant ode to the terribly beautiful power of family as an anchor in an ever-changing world, making us into who we are in ways we can only haltingly understand.”
This film, like Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight in...
Short film and video director A.V. Rockwell’s feature-length debut stars Teyana Taylor as free-spirited Inez, who kidnaps her six-year-old son Terry from the foster care system. Holding onto their secret and each other, mother and son set out to reclaim their sense of home, identity, and stability in a rapidly changing New York City. Reviews are stellar, see Deadline’s. The winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize is at 97% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, 82% with auds. The fest called it “an elegant ode to the terribly beautiful power of family as an anchor in an ever-changing world, making us into who we are in ways we can only haltingly understand.”
This film, like Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight in...
- 3/31/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
That Aviva Kempner and Ben West feel the need to preface their documentary with a short history of the violence committed against indigenous Americans by European settlers and their descendants speaks volumes about the climate in which this film is being released. Whilst the Black Lives Matter movement makes international news and that aspect of the country’s fraught racial history is taught in every federally funded school, indigenous issues are often ignored altogether, or addressed in crude and misleading terms. One contributor here remembers putting her hand up in class and explaining that she was Native only to have her teacher claim that she was wrong and that her people were all extinct. In the face of such ignorance, it’s difficult to know where to begin.
For the average US citizen, images of Native people come from two places: westerns, which are gradually improving but spent decades misrepresenting them and casting.
For the average US citizen, images of Native people come from two places: westerns, which are gradually improving but spent decades misrepresenting them and casting.
- 3/29/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The latest trailer for “Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting” has arrived, days before the Kansas City Chiefs face off at the Super Bowl Lvii.
Premiering exclusively in theaters, the documentary chronicles the movement to end the racist practice of words, images and gestures exploiting Native Americans in the sports world and beyond. It tackles changes that still need to be made in the wake of Washington’s recently-renamed NFL team (Commanders), and Cleveland’s MLB team (Guardians).
Unfinished business remains with the racist names of Kansas City’s NFL team, Chicago’s NHL team, and Atlanta’s MLB team, including “traditions” like the Tomahawk chop and Arrowhead chop. The documentary will also address the nearly 2,000 secondary schools across the country that still employ Native-themed mascots.
Also Read:
14 Great Bipoc and Aapi-Led Shows From 2022 You Should Watch If You Haven’t Already
“Changing the names for the...
Premiering exclusively in theaters, the documentary chronicles the movement to end the racist practice of words, images and gestures exploiting Native Americans in the sports world and beyond. It tackles changes that still need to be made in the wake of Washington’s recently-renamed NFL team (Commanders), and Cleveland’s MLB team (Guardians).
Unfinished business remains with the racist names of Kansas City’s NFL team, Chicago’s NHL team, and Atlanta’s MLB team, including “traditions” like the Tomahawk chop and Arrowhead chop. The documentary will also address the nearly 2,000 secondary schools across the country that still employ Native-themed mascots.
Also Read:
14 Great Bipoc and Aapi-Led Shows From 2022 You Should Watch If You Haven’t Already
“Changing the names for the...
- 2/3/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Six finalists were announced today for the richest prize in documentary film—the 4th Annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film.
A grant of 200,000 will go to the winning film to support final production, distribution and marketing of the documentary. In addition, a runner-up will receive 50,000, and up to four finalists will earn a 25,000 grant. The Better Angels Society, the Library of Congress, and the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation established the award in 2019 to recognize “one late-stage documentary that uses original research and compelling narrative to tell stories that bring American history to life using archival materials.”
Among the finalists are Bella, a film about the late New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug; Philly on Fire, a film about the infamous Move bombing in 1985, in which Philadelphia police dropped two explosive devices onto a row of buildings occupied by a controversial African American group, killing 11 people including six children,...
A grant of 200,000 will go to the winning film to support final production, distribution and marketing of the documentary. In addition, a runner-up will receive 50,000, and up to four finalists will earn a 25,000 grant. The Better Angels Society, the Library of Congress, and the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation established the award in 2019 to recognize “one late-stage documentary that uses original research and compelling narrative to tell stories that bring American history to life using archival materials.”
Among the finalists are Bella, a film about the late New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug; Philly on Fire, a film about the infamous Move bombing in 1985, in which Philadelphia police dropped two explosive devices onto a row of buildings occupied by a controversial African American group, killing 11 people including six children,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
How lucky it was to be Ed Asner’s friend. I left every conversation always feeling politically fired up while nursing a sore belly from laughing so hard at his running commentary.
I first encountered Ed while we both were working against Central American dictators. For that solidarity work and his grand union organizing, Ed was honored at an L.A. dinner sponsored by a Latin organization that he invited me to attend. Ed came up with absolutely the funniest line ever said at a podium. He retorted, “Thanks for tonight’s award at the biggest gathering between Latins and Jews since the Spanish Inquisition” to great laughter.
From his earliest years, Ed had to walk a careful line growing up Jewish in the Midwest town of Kansas City. In his interview for my film about TV sitcom pioneer Gertrude Berg, creator of “The Goldbergs,” he admitted his ambivalence towards...
I first encountered Ed while we both were working against Central American dictators. For that solidarity work and his grand union organizing, Ed was honored at an L.A. dinner sponsored by a Latin organization that he invited me to attend. Ed came up with absolutely the funniest line ever said at a podium. He retorted, “Thanks for tonight’s award at the biggest gathering between Latins and Jews since the Spanish Inquisition” to great laughter.
From his earliest years, Ed had to walk a careful line growing up Jewish in the Midwest town of Kansas City. In his interview for my film about TV sitcom pioneer Gertrude Berg, creator of “The Goldbergs,” he admitted his ambivalence towards...
- 8/30/2021
- by Aviva Kempner
- The Wrap
Washington’s NFL team announced it was dropping Redskins as its team name earlier this week, but has yet to announce a replacement. If the team wants to get the new name right, the filmmakers behind the new documentary “Imagine the Indian” say the replacement should avoid any Native American references or callbacks to the racist slur. Directors Aviva Kempner and Ben West, whose film focuses on the fight to change the team name, told TheWrap that team owner Dan Snyder’s decision retire the name is a huge step in the right direction, but they hope the team will start from scratch in picking a new name and logo and avoid anything equally offensive. “I hope that it’s done responsibly. I think some of the names being kicked around right now are problematic, and anything including ‘Red’ in it, we need to start with a clean slate here,...
- 7/15/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
If the 2020 NFL season kicks off on schedule, the Washington Redskins and the league will be met with some added pressure from a new documentary called “Imagining the Indian” that aims to change the team name that’s long been considered a “racial, derogatory, disparaging slur.”
“Imagining the Indian” is currently in production from director Aviva Kempner and The Ciesla Foundation, which has worked to erase the history of Native American names, logos and mascots from sports teams and beyond, though as it’s named in the first trailer for the film, the “R-word” has still persisted.
“When you think of a brave or a warrior, do you think of somebody who is the director of a museum? Do you think of somebody who runs a tribe, who runs multi-million dollar industries? Of course you don’t,” a subject in the documentary says in the trailer. “It dehumanizes human beings.
“Imagining the Indian” is currently in production from director Aviva Kempner and The Ciesla Foundation, which has worked to erase the history of Native American names, logos and mascots from sports teams and beyond, though as it’s named in the first trailer for the film, the “R-word” has still persisted.
“When you think of a brave or a warrior, do you think of somebody who is the director of a museum? Do you think of somebody who runs a tribe, who runs multi-million dollar industries? Of course you don’t,” a subject in the documentary says in the trailer. “It dehumanizes human beings.
- 6/9/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Here’s a quick trivia question for you. Who won the first Best Actress Emmy?
If you were thinking Loretta Young, Lucille Ball or even Imogene Coca, you’d be far off the mark.
It was none other than Gertrude Berg. The actress/writer/producer/creator was named best actress for her beloved sitcom “The Goldbergs” at the 1951 Emmy Awards. In fact, she had played the role of the warm matriarch of the Jewish immigrant family for nearly two decades when she picked up the statuette. The year before, the series was nominated for best kinescope show but lost to “Texaco Star Theater” hosted by Uncle Miltie.
Of course, these days Berg is nearly a forgotten figure. And audiences only know of the popular ABC series “The Goldbergs” about a Jewish family in the 1980s. Aviva Kempner, the director of the well-received 2009 documentary “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg” told me for a L.
If you were thinking Loretta Young, Lucille Ball or even Imogene Coca, you’d be far off the mark.
It was none other than Gertrude Berg. The actress/writer/producer/creator was named best actress for her beloved sitcom “The Goldbergs” at the 1951 Emmy Awards. In fact, she had played the role of the warm matriarch of the Jewish immigrant family for nearly two decades when she picked up the statuette. The year before, the series was nominated for best kinescope show but lost to “Texaco Star Theater” hosted by Uncle Miltie.
Of course, these days Berg is nearly a forgotten figure. And audiences only know of the popular ABC series “The Goldbergs” about a Jewish family in the 1980s. Aviva Kempner, the director of the well-received 2009 documentary “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg” told me for a L.
- 5/7/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Most fans of film (especially comedies) may recall this quick three or four-second gag from that iconic 1980 comic smash Airplane. The stewardess is walking up the center aisle, clutching a load of magazines. Spotting a white-haired grandmotherly-type she asks, “Would you care for something to read?” “Do you have anything light?” “How about ‘Famous Jewish Sports Legends’?”. Then Julie Haggerty hands the elderly passenger a very thin (maybe a folded page) leaflet. Got a pretty good chuckle back then. Well, the subject of this new documentary feature is worthy of a thick book (and he has). It’s a life full of drama and danger, about a man of such varied interests, he could be the hero of a thriller. And he was, in last year’s The Catcher Was A Spy, played by Ant-Man himself, Paul Rudd, no less. So many historical figures and celebrities crossed path with this man,...
- 6/28/2019
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
There aren’t a lot of sports stars who could claim to be as interesting as Moe Berg, a Major League baseball player who spoke nearly a dozen languages, blew audiences away on quiz shows, and worked as a spy for the United States government during World War II. Berg nearly assassinated German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg. Take that, Dwayne Johnson.
Berg, who got his own biopic last year is now the subject of a major documentary. “The Spy Behind Home Plate.” Written and directed by Aviva Kempner (“The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg”), the film assembles pundits, contemporaries and family members, combining new and archived interview footage to reveal the many incredible facets of Berg’s life.
Nimble and efficient, “The Spy Behind Home Plate” races through that life at a steady clip, unloading one fascinating biographical tidbit after another. The action may be staid — it’s a talking-heads documentary,...
Berg, who got his own biopic last year is now the subject of a major documentary. “The Spy Behind Home Plate.” Written and directed by Aviva Kempner (“The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg”), the film assembles pundits, contemporaries and family members, combining new and archived interview footage to reveal the many incredible facets of Berg’s life.
Nimble and efficient, “The Spy Behind Home Plate” races through that life at a steady clip, unloading one fascinating biographical tidbit after another. The action may be staid — it’s a talking-heads documentary,...
- 6/14/2019
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Andrew Slater’s music documentary Echo In The Canyon opened with a bang in two Los Angeles theaters over the Memorial holiday weekend, crooning out the second-highest opening weekend per theater average of 2019, solidifying further non-fiction as the star genre among the specialties so far this year.
The Greenwich Entertainment release grossed a three-day estimate of $103,716 from its showings at the ArcLight Hollywood and The Landmark in West L.A., giving the title a $51,858 PTA. The year’s top debut average remains with Avengers: Endgame at $76,601 in over forty-six hundred theaters. It is also the best PTA for a doc this year.
Echo In The Canyon debuted at last year’s final Los Angeles Film Festival where Greenwich first viewed the feature. The film celebrates the explosion of popular music that came out of La’s Laurel Canyon in the mid-’60s as folk went electric and The Byrds, The Beach Boys,...
The Greenwich Entertainment release grossed a three-day estimate of $103,716 from its showings at the ArcLight Hollywood and The Landmark in West L.A., giving the title a $51,858 PTA. The year’s top debut average remains with Avengers: Endgame at $76,601 in over forty-six hundred theaters. It is also the best PTA for a doc this year.
Echo In The Canyon debuted at last year’s final Los Angeles Film Festival where Greenwich first viewed the feature. The film celebrates the explosion of popular music that came out of La’s Laurel Canyon in the mid-’60s as folk went electric and The Byrds, The Beach Boys,...
- 5/26/2019
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline Film + TV
Tom Fleischman working on Aviva Kempner's captivating Moe Berg documentary The Spy Behind Home Plate Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
After I watched the rough cut of Aviva Kempner's The Spy Behind Home Plate, the director invited me to meet her at Soundtracks F/T, where re-recording mixer Tom Fleischman, Oscar-winner for Martin Scorsese's Hugo (with John Midgley) and nominee for The Aviator, Gangs of New York, Jonathan Demme's The Silence Of The Lambs, and Warren Beatty's Reds, was working on her documentary on the elusive Moe Berg. Ira Spiegel, Aviva's sound editor, was also on hand inside Stage B, where Tom was working on the film.
Aviva Kempner on William Donovan's Oss recruitments, including John Ford: "Really bright people, Ivy League, Moe fit in that. A lot of women, Julia Child, Marlene Dietrich - who is my heroine of heroines." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In 1934, Moe...
After I watched the rough cut of Aviva Kempner's The Spy Behind Home Plate, the director invited me to meet her at Soundtracks F/T, where re-recording mixer Tom Fleischman, Oscar-winner for Martin Scorsese's Hugo (with John Midgley) and nominee for The Aviator, Gangs of New York, Jonathan Demme's The Silence Of The Lambs, and Warren Beatty's Reds, was working on her documentary on the elusive Moe Berg. Ira Spiegel, Aviva's sound editor, was also on hand inside Stage B, where Tom was working on the film.
Aviva Kempner on William Donovan's Oss recruitments, including John Ford: "Really bright people, Ivy League, Moe fit in that. A lot of women, Julia Child, Marlene Dietrich - who is my heroine of heroines." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In 1934, Moe...
- 5/21/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Ira Spiegel on Brian DePalma's Carlito's Way: "A wonderful effects film with a grand shootout in Grand Central Terminal. Sound editors love violence and noise." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
When I met with Aviva Kempner, the director of The Spy Behind Home Plate, at Soundtracks F/T, where she and Martin Scorsese mainstay re-recording mixer Tom Fleischman were putting in the final touches on her documentary, I had the chance to borrow her sound editor Ira Spiegel (Ken Burns's longtime collaborator) for a short while to clue me in on his work in creating the velvety flow of the picture.
Ira Spiegel with Aviva Kempner while re-recording mixer Tom Fleischman works on The Spy Behind Home Plate. Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan and Carroll Ballard's The Black Stallion, executive produced...
When I met with Aviva Kempner, the director of The Spy Behind Home Plate, at Soundtracks F/T, where she and Martin Scorsese mainstay re-recording mixer Tom Fleischman were putting in the final touches on her documentary, I had the chance to borrow her sound editor Ira Spiegel (Ken Burns's longtime collaborator) for a short while to clue me in on his work in creating the velvety flow of the picture.
Ira Spiegel with Aviva Kempner while re-recording mixer Tom Fleischman works on The Spy Behind Home Plate. Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan and Carroll Ballard's The Black Stallion, executive produced...
- 5/3/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The trailer has been released for “The Spy Behind Home Plate,” Aviva Kempner’s documentary about ballplayer-turned-spy Moe Berg. Paul Rudd starred as Berg in last year’s “The Catcher Was a Spy,” meaning that World War II and/or baseball obsessives can plan their own fact-and-fiction double header. Watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis: “In this first ever feature-length documentary about the enigmatic Berg, Kempner again focuses her camera on a little-known Jewish hero. From the streets of Newark to five major league teams during baseball’s Golden Age to his secret life spying for the Oss during WWII…Berg’s improbable story is told with rare historical footage and revealing interviews with family and an All-Star roster from the worlds of history, sports and spy craft.”
That the trailer is being unveiled on Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is no coincidence, as Berg was a...
Here’s the synopsis: “In this first ever feature-length documentary about the enigmatic Berg, Kempner again focuses her camera on a little-known Jewish hero. From the streets of Newark to five major league teams during baseball’s Golden Age to his secret life spying for the Oss during WWII…Berg’s improbable story is told with rare historical footage and revealing interviews with family and an All-Star roster from the worlds of history, sports and spy craft.”
That the trailer is being unveiled on Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is no coincidence, as Berg was a...
- 3/29/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
With the 2019 Major League Baseball season officially underway today, check out the trailer for “The Spy Behind Home Plate,” the first feature-length documentary about Moe Berg, the enigmatic and brilliant baseball player who turned spy for the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (Oss) during World War II.
“The Spy Behind Home Plate” is set for a gradual release beginning on May 24, playing film festivals and theaters across the U.S. and internationally.
Berg not only played for the last Washington Senators team to play in a World Series (1933), but he also trained with the Oss not far from the D.C. team’s home, Griffith Stadium. “The Spy Behind Home Plate” features rare historical footage as well as revealing interviews with an all-star roster of celebrities and other individuals from the worlds of sports, spycraft and history.
Also Read: New York Yankees Pitcher Cc Sabathia Joins ESPN as Contributor
“Moe...
“The Spy Behind Home Plate” is set for a gradual release beginning on May 24, playing film festivals and theaters across the U.S. and internationally.
Berg not only played for the last Washington Senators team to play in a World Series (1933), but he also trained with the Oss not far from the D.C. team’s home, Griffith Stadium. “The Spy Behind Home Plate” features rare historical footage as well as revealing interviews with an all-star roster of celebrities and other individuals from the worlds of sports, spycraft and history.
Also Read: New York Yankees Pitcher Cc Sabathia Joins ESPN as Contributor
“Moe...
- 3/28/2019
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
In today’s film news roundup, the “Men In Black” spinoff rounds out its cast, “93Queen” gets distribution and a Moe Berg documentary is in the works.
Castings
Les Twins, Kumail Nanjiani, and Rafe Spall have join the ensemble cast alongside Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Liam Neeson of Sony Pictures’ “Men in Black” spinoff.
The movie has started shooting in London. F. Gary Gray is directing the movie from a screenplay by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing; Steven Spielberg is executive producing, David Beaubaire is overseeing for Sony.
The film is slated for release on June 14, 2019. Les Twins are Laurent Nicolas Bourgeois and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois, a self-taught duo who became well known when their street dancing videos where uploaded to YouTube. They went on to become the star dancers on the Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour by Cirque du Soleil.
Castings
Les Twins, Kumail Nanjiani, and Rafe Spall have join the ensemble cast alongside Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Liam Neeson of Sony Pictures’ “Men in Black” spinoff.
The movie has started shooting in London. F. Gary Gray is directing the movie from a screenplay by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing; Steven Spielberg is executive producing, David Beaubaire is overseeing for Sony.
The film is slated for release on June 14, 2019. Les Twins are Laurent Nicolas Bourgeois and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois, a self-taught duo who became well known when their street dancing videos where uploaded to YouTube. They went on to become the star dancers on the Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour by Cirque du Soleil.
- 6/30/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Frances McDormand, a week has passed since the Oscars, and I’m still fired up by your speech. The highlight of attending this year’s ceremony was when you symbolically lowered your much-deserved masculine statue down on the stage, and called on all the nominated women to stand. Your recitation of “inclusion rider” validated a legal concept that needs to be shouted throughout the land. I was moved to tears and stood up cheering your inspiring gestures from my nosebleed seat at the Dolby Theatre. Also Read: The Timely Accessory I'm Wearing to This Year's Oscars (Guest Blog) Photo Courtesy of Aviva Kempner The only thing...
- 3/12/2018
- by Aviva Kempner
- The Wrap
By Cate Marquis
Julius Rosenwald is not likely to be a name you recognize but this head of Sears, Roebuck was once a man of enormous influence, not just in commerce but in philanthropy. But the most surprising part is the direction Rosenwald’s philanthropy took – funding schools and cultural endeavors for African Americans.
In the documentary Rosenwald, director Aviva Kempner reveals how this wealthy Jewish American merchant partnered with African Americans to fund good works for African Americans, including help for the Tuskegee Institute, building a chain of rural schools for black children across the South, and providing support for artists such as Marian Anderson, W.E.B. DuBois and Maya Angelou.
As the son of German Jewish immigrants, Rosenwald knew well what it was like to come from a persecuted minority. In the early 20th century, Rosenwald saw the parallels between how Jews were treated in Europe and...
Julius Rosenwald is not likely to be a name you recognize but this head of Sears, Roebuck was once a man of enormous influence, not just in commerce but in philanthropy. But the most surprising part is the direction Rosenwald’s philanthropy took – funding schools and cultural endeavors for African Americans.
In the documentary Rosenwald, director Aviva Kempner reveals how this wealthy Jewish American merchant partnered with African Americans to fund good works for African Americans, including help for the Tuskegee Institute, building a chain of rural schools for black children across the South, and providing support for artists such as Marian Anderson, W.E.B. DuBois and Maya Angelou.
As the son of German Jewish immigrants, Rosenwald knew well what it was like to come from a persecuted minority. In the early 20th century, Rosenwald saw the parallels between how Jews were treated in Europe and...
- 10/25/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Washington Jewish Film Festival (Wjff) celebrates its 25th year with 11 days of dynamic film programming – accompanied by cultural and educational events – exploring the best of international cinema through a distinctly Jewish lens. February 19 through March 1, audiences will be treated to more than 100 screenings and related events across the Washington area. Hosted by the Washington Dcjcc, this year’s milestone festival features world, East Coast and mid-Atlantic premieres, an exciting roster of filmmaker and cast appearances, and an exquisitely curated line-up of screenings, festivities and other programs including 12 Wjff retrospective film screenings curated by former festival directors in honor of the 25th year.
“For 25 years, this festival has celebrated international cinema in building the single largest Jewish cultural event in Washington,” said Ilya Tovbis, Washington Jewish Film Festival director. “With our most ambitious festival to date, the 25th Wjff will honor a quarter-century of exhibiting the full diversity of the Jewish experience.”
A full festival schedule can be found at www.wjff.org. Highlights are included below.
Among the programs scheduled to take the festival beyond the screen are the 5th Annual Community Education Day on Arab Citizens of Israel, a day of in-depth exploration of the daily lives and challenges of Israel’s Arab population through a keynote address by the president of Al-Qasemi College of Engineering and Science, a panel discussion among Middle East experts, and the D.C. premiere of the film, Dancing Arabs, with its filmmaker Eran Riklis (Sunday, February 22, from 1:30-5 p.m. at the Dcjcc); a state of the cinema address on Israeli documentary film (Tuesday, February 24, at 7 p.m. at the Dcjcc); a pre-festival workshop led by leading Washington and New York film critics for a small group of Washington students; a short film student competition; and the third iteration of Two Jews Walk into a Bar, a cinematic bar event (Sunday, February 8, at 5 p.m.)
Opening Night Film: "Magic Men"
Opening Night will feature "Magic Men," in which a 78-year-old Greek-born atheist (Makram Khouri, Ophir-winner for Best Actor) and his estranged Hasidic rapper son travel from Israel to Greece searching for the magician who saved the father’s life during World War II. Their Adriatic road trip erupts into constant bickering but also has moments of affection, humor, and good will, as father and son reconnect during their adventure. The film is the latest feature from the directors of "Mabul," "A Matter of Size," and "Strangers." Opening Night will be held Thursday, February 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, and The Opening Night Party with Director Guy Nattiv will be held at the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza immediately following the screening.
Centerpiece Evening: "Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem"
Wjff’s Centerpiece Evening will take place at the AFI Silver Theatre on Saturday, February 21, at 7 p.m. and feature an extended Q&A session with Theodore Bikel, the unstoppable performer whose career spans more than 150 screen roles (including an Oscar-nominated turn in The Defiant Ones) and countless stage and musical productions. In "Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem," portraits of two beloved icons—Sholom Aleichem and Theodore Bikel—are woven together in an enchanting new documentary. The two men have much in common: wit, wisdom and talent, filled with deep humanity and Yiddishkeit. Theodore Bikel, now 90, Bikel has played Tevye the Milkman on stage more than 2,000 times, and has animated Aleichem's work through his two celebrated musical plays about the great Russian author. An additional screening will take place Monday, February 23, at 8:45 p.m. at the Washington Dcjcc.
Wjff Visionary Award: "Hester Street"
The Annual Wjff Visionary Award recognizes creativity and insight in presenting the full diversity of the Jewish experience through the moving image. The 2015 honorees are Carol Kane and Joan Micklin Silver. Carol Kane will be present at a screening of her Oscar-nominated performance in Silver’s humorous and poignant movie, "Hester Street," about a traditional Jewish woman (Carol Kane) who arrives with her son to America in the 1890s, only to discover that her cheating husband has assimilated and resents his wife’s old-fashioned ways. The Wjff Visionary Award will be presented Tuesday, February 24, at 7:15 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre.
Spotlight Evening: "East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem"
Israeli-Palestinian singer Mira Awad and songwriter Steve Earle will join legendary singer-songwriter David Broza for a 45-minute musical set and Q&A following a screening of "East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem" on Thursday, February 26, at 7 p.m. at Sidney Harman Hall of the Shakespeare Theater Company. In the film, Broza journeys to East Jerusalem to record his latest album with Israeli, Palestinian and American musicians.
Closing Night: "Mr. Kaplan"
The 25th Wjff will come to a close at the Dcjcc on March 1, at 7:30 p.m. with a screening of Uruguay’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, "Mr. Kaplan." In Uruguayan director Alvaro Brechner’s 2014 feature film, 76-year-old Jacob Kaplan, fed up with his community and his family’s lack of interest in its own heritage, becomes convinced that his German neighbor is a runaway Nazi and secretly takes on the role of a spy, but he is no match for the forces of age. This heartwarming comedy tells the truth of life that transcends time and ideology. The Closing Night Reception and Audience Award announcements follow the screening.
Additional Films of Note
Nominated for this year’s Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, the 2014 Israeli film "Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem," will be screened Wednesday, February 25, at 8:45 p.m. at the Avalon Theatre. Director Ronit Elkabetz tells the story of Amsalem, who is seeking a Jewish divorce from her estranged husband, who repeatedly refuses over the course of several years, leaving Amsalem locked in a seemingly unending battle created by the rules of Orthodox marriage in Israel. The film is Israel’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award and was the Israeli Film Academy’s 2014 Best Film.
The Hebrew language "The Farewell Party" is a dark comedy about a group of friends at a Jerusalem retirement home who build a machine for self-euthanasia to help a terminally ill friend – and then requests start coming in from more and more fellow retirement home residents interested in such a service. To be screened Saturday, February 28 at 7 p.m. at AFI Silver Theatre, and then again on Sunday, March 1, at 5:15 p.m. at the Dcjcc, the film won 2015 Ophir Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Actor.
"Next to Her," also in Hebrew with English subtitles, tells the arresting story of Chelli and her mentally disabled sister, whom she is raising by herself until required by a social worker to place her in a day-care center, only to then meet a man who leads to a relationship triangle between the three. The film was a critically acclaimed selection for the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. It will be screened Monday, February 23 at 7:15 p.m. at AFI Silver Theatre; Thursday, February 26 at 8:30 p.m. at the Katzen Arts Center at American University; and Saturday, February 28 at 6:45 p.m. at the Jcc of Greater Washington in Rockville.
Silent Films with Live Original Music: "Breaking Home Ties" and "The Golem"
On Monday, February 23, Wjff will screen the first of two silent films with live original music accompaniment. At 6:30 p.m. at the Dcjcc, pianist Donald Sosin and violinist Joseph Morag will accompany the 1922 silent film, "Breaking Home Ties." Then on Thursday, February 26 at 7:15 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre, Grammy-nominated Gary Lucas will present a reprisal of one of his most beloved original scores, the 1920 German silent horror-fantasy-expressionist film "The Golem," the tale of a 16th-century rabbi who made a man out of clay to save the Jewish community of Prague from annihilation.
Films with Local Ties/Themes
"The Rosenwald Schools"
On Wednesday, February 25, at 6:30 p.m., local filmmaker and former Washington Film Festival Director Aviva Kempner will be present for the world premiere of her new documentary at the Avalon Theater. The film tells the incredible story of how businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald joined with African-American communities in the South to build schools for the black community during the early part of the 20th century.
"My Favorite Neoconservative"
Raised in the Washington suburbs, the film’s director, Yael Luttwak watched inside the Beltway bigwigs walk the halls of her childhood home; her father, Edward Luttwak, is a prominent conservative military strategist who was the architect of the air campaign of the first Iraq war. The documentary reveals the personalities behind the headlines and tells a father-daughter story with a sardonic political twist. The film will be screened Sunday, March 1, at 3:15 p.m. at the Dcjcc.
Ticket Information
Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets online. In addition to $12 single tickets, Wjff will be offering full festival passes for $125 and All Access VIP Passes for $225. More information is available at www.wjff.org and by calling 1-888-718-4253.
About the Washington Jewish Film Festival
The Washington Jewish Film Festival (Wjff) is the centerpiece of the Washington Dcjcc’s comprehensive year-round film program. One of the largest and most respected Jewish film festivals in North America, Wjff is an international exhibition of cinema that celebrates the diversity of Jewish history, culture and experience through the moving image.
The Wjff serves over 15,000 people annually through 80+ screenings, nearly all of which are world, U.S. or regional premieres.
Follow the Washington Jewish Film Festival on Twitter ( @wjff ) for updates with the latest information about the festival and filmmakers who will participate in the Wjff Lounge. Join the conversation using #wjff2015 on social media.
About the Washington Dcjcc
The Washington Dcjcc works to preserve and strengthen Jewish identity, heritage, tradition and values through a wide variety of social, cultural, recreational and educational programs and services. The Dcjcc is committed to welcoming everyone in the community; membership and all activities are open to all. The Dcjcc is a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and a designated agency of the United Way. Follow on Twitter ( @16thstreetj ), like on Facebook , and find more information online at www.washingtondcjcc.org .
The Morris Cafritz Center for the Arts at the Dcjcc, of which the Wjff and the year-round film series are a part, presents fresh, pertinent and provocative Jewish voices that address issues both contemporary and universal. The Center is supported by a grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
“For 25 years, this festival has celebrated international cinema in building the single largest Jewish cultural event in Washington,” said Ilya Tovbis, Washington Jewish Film Festival director. “With our most ambitious festival to date, the 25th Wjff will honor a quarter-century of exhibiting the full diversity of the Jewish experience.”
A full festival schedule can be found at www.wjff.org. Highlights are included below.
Among the programs scheduled to take the festival beyond the screen are the 5th Annual Community Education Day on Arab Citizens of Israel, a day of in-depth exploration of the daily lives and challenges of Israel’s Arab population through a keynote address by the president of Al-Qasemi College of Engineering and Science, a panel discussion among Middle East experts, and the D.C. premiere of the film, Dancing Arabs, with its filmmaker Eran Riklis (Sunday, February 22, from 1:30-5 p.m. at the Dcjcc); a state of the cinema address on Israeli documentary film (Tuesday, February 24, at 7 p.m. at the Dcjcc); a pre-festival workshop led by leading Washington and New York film critics for a small group of Washington students; a short film student competition; and the third iteration of Two Jews Walk into a Bar, a cinematic bar event (Sunday, February 8, at 5 p.m.)
Opening Night Film: "Magic Men"
Opening Night will feature "Magic Men," in which a 78-year-old Greek-born atheist (Makram Khouri, Ophir-winner for Best Actor) and his estranged Hasidic rapper son travel from Israel to Greece searching for the magician who saved the father’s life during World War II. Their Adriatic road trip erupts into constant bickering but also has moments of affection, humor, and good will, as father and son reconnect during their adventure. The film is the latest feature from the directors of "Mabul," "A Matter of Size," and "Strangers." Opening Night will be held Thursday, February 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, and The Opening Night Party with Director Guy Nattiv will be held at the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza immediately following the screening.
Centerpiece Evening: "Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem"
Wjff’s Centerpiece Evening will take place at the AFI Silver Theatre on Saturday, February 21, at 7 p.m. and feature an extended Q&A session with Theodore Bikel, the unstoppable performer whose career spans more than 150 screen roles (including an Oscar-nominated turn in The Defiant Ones) and countless stage and musical productions. In "Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem," portraits of two beloved icons—Sholom Aleichem and Theodore Bikel—are woven together in an enchanting new documentary. The two men have much in common: wit, wisdom and talent, filled with deep humanity and Yiddishkeit. Theodore Bikel, now 90, Bikel has played Tevye the Milkman on stage more than 2,000 times, and has animated Aleichem's work through his two celebrated musical plays about the great Russian author. An additional screening will take place Monday, February 23, at 8:45 p.m. at the Washington Dcjcc.
Wjff Visionary Award: "Hester Street"
The Annual Wjff Visionary Award recognizes creativity and insight in presenting the full diversity of the Jewish experience through the moving image. The 2015 honorees are Carol Kane and Joan Micklin Silver. Carol Kane will be present at a screening of her Oscar-nominated performance in Silver’s humorous and poignant movie, "Hester Street," about a traditional Jewish woman (Carol Kane) who arrives with her son to America in the 1890s, only to discover that her cheating husband has assimilated and resents his wife’s old-fashioned ways. The Wjff Visionary Award will be presented Tuesday, February 24, at 7:15 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre.
Spotlight Evening: "East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem"
Israeli-Palestinian singer Mira Awad and songwriter Steve Earle will join legendary singer-songwriter David Broza for a 45-minute musical set and Q&A following a screening of "East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem" on Thursday, February 26, at 7 p.m. at Sidney Harman Hall of the Shakespeare Theater Company. In the film, Broza journeys to East Jerusalem to record his latest album with Israeli, Palestinian and American musicians.
Closing Night: "Mr. Kaplan"
The 25th Wjff will come to a close at the Dcjcc on March 1, at 7:30 p.m. with a screening of Uruguay’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, "Mr. Kaplan." In Uruguayan director Alvaro Brechner’s 2014 feature film, 76-year-old Jacob Kaplan, fed up with his community and his family’s lack of interest in its own heritage, becomes convinced that his German neighbor is a runaway Nazi and secretly takes on the role of a spy, but he is no match for the forces of age. This heartwarming comedy tells the truth of life that transcends time and ideology. The Closing Night Reception and Audience Award announcements follow the screening.
Additional Films of Note
Nominated for this year’s Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, the 2014 Israeli film "Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem," will be screened Wednesday, February 25, at 8:45 p.m. at the Avalon Theatre. Director Ronit Elkabetz tells the story of Amsalem, who is seeking a Jewish divorce from her estranged husband, who repeatedly refuses over the course of several years, leaving Amsalem locked in a seemingly unending battle created by the rules of Orthodox marriage in Israel. The film is Israel’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award and was the Israeli Film Academy’s 2014 Best Film.
The Hebrew language "The Farewell Party" is a dark comedy about a group of friends at a Jerusalem retirement home who build a machine for self-euthanasia to help a terminally ill friend – and then requests start coming in from more and more fellow retirement home residents interested in such a service. To be screened Saturday, February 28 at 7 p.m. at AFI Silver Theatre, and then again on Sunday, March 1, at 5:15 p.m. at the Dcjcc, the film won 2015 Ophir Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Actor.
"Next to Her," also in Hebrew with English subtitles, tells the arresting story of Chelli and her mentally disabled sister, whom she is raising by herself until required by a social worker to place her in a day-care center, only to then meet a man who leads to a relationship triangle between the three. The film was a critically acclaimed selection for the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. It will be screened Monday, February 23 at 7:15 p.m. at AFI Silver Theatre; Thursday, February 26 at 8:30 p.m. at the Katzen Arts Center at American University; and Saturday, February 28 at 6:45 p.m. at the Jcc of Greater Washington in Rockville.
Silent Films with Live Original Music: "Breaking Home Ties" and "The Golem"
On Monday, February 23, Wjff will screen the first of two silent films with live original music accompaniment. At 6:30 p.m. at the Dcjcc, pianist Donald Sosin and violinist Joseph Morag will accompany the 1922 silent film, "Breaking Home Ties." Then on Thursday, February 26 at 7:15 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre, Grammy-nominated Gary Lucas will present a reprisal of one of his most beloved original scores, the 1920 German silent horror-fantasy-expressionist film "The Golem," the tale of a 16th-century rabbi who made a man out of clay to save the Jewish community of Prague from annihilation.
Films with Local Ties/Themes
"The Rosenwald Schools"
On Wednesday, February 25, at 6:30 p.m., local filmmaker and former Washington Film Festival Director Aviva Kempner will be present for the world premiere of her new documentary at the Avalon Theater. The film tells the incredible story of how businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald joined with African-American communities in the South to build schools for the black community during the early part of the 20th century.
"My Favorite Neoconservative"
Raised in the Washington suburbs, the film’s director, Yael Luttwak watched inside the Beltway bigwigs walk the halls of her childhood home; her father, Edward Luttwak, is a prominent conservative military strategist who was the architect of the air campaign of the first Iraq war. The documentary reveals the personalities behind the headlines and tells a father-daughter story with a sardonic political twist. The film will be screened Sunday, March 1, at 3:15 p.m. at the Dcjcc.
Ticket Information
Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets online. In addition to $12 single tickets, Wjff will be offering full festival passes for $125 and All Access VIP Passes for $225. More information is available at www.wjff.org and by calling 1-888-718-4253.
About the Washington Jewish Film Festival
The Washington Jewish Film Festival (Wjff) is the centerpiece of the Washington Dcjcc’s comprehensive year-round film program. One of the largest and most respected Jewish film festivals in North America, Wjff is an international exhibition of cinema that celebrates the diversity of Jewish history, culture and experience through the moving image.
The Wjff serves over 15,000 people annually through 80+ screenings, nearly all of which are world, U.S. or regional premieres.
Follow the Washington Jewish Film Festival on Twitter ( @wjff ) for updates with the latest information about the festival and filmmakers who will participate in the Wjff Lounge. Join the conversation using #wjff2015 on social media.
About the Washington Dcjcc
The Washington Dcjcc works to preserve and strengthen Jewish identity, heritage, tradition and values through a wide variety of social, cultural, recreational and educational programs and services. The Dcjcc is committed to welcoming everyone in the community; membership and all activities are open to all. The Dcjcc is a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and a designated agency of the United Way. Follow on Twitter ( @16thstreetj ), like on Facebook , and find more information online at www.washingtondcjcc.org .
The Morris Cafritz Center for the Arts at the Dcjcc, of which the Wjff and the year-round film series are a part, presents fresh, pertinent and provocative Jewish voices that address issues both contemporary and universal. The Center is supported by a grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
- 1/24/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
With a week of Doc NYC kicking off tonight, Indiewire's latest curated selections for Hulu's Documentaries page spotlights past films with indelible New York characters. Watch these and other docs now for free!Aviva Kempner introduced a new generation to Gertrude Berg in "Yoo Hoo, Mrs Goldberg," whose popular programs made a mark in early radio and TV programming, and brought a positive representation of Jewish family life to broad audiences. For a look at another acclaimed, multi-talented Jewish celebrity, check out Dori Berinstein's "Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did for Love" at Doc NYC. Though unassuming, the subject of Richard Press' "Bill Cunningham New York," has been documenting street fashion for The New York Times for decades. There are several photographer focused films at Doc NYC, including John Maloof and Charlie Siskel's "Finding Vivian Maier" and Tomas Leach's Saul Leiter portrait, "In No Great Hurry.""Herb and Dorothy" by Megumi Sasaki famously.
- 11/14/2013
- by Basil Tsiokos
- Indiewire
DVD Release Date: April 24, 2013
Price: DVD $30.00
Studio: Ciesla Foundation
The dynamite 1998 documentary film The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg directed by Aviva Kempner (Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg) looks at the Detroit Tigers’ hard-hitting Hall of Fame first baseman whose accomplishments extended beyond the field as American’s first Jewish baseball star.
The movie depicts how during the Golden Age of Baseball, Hank Greenberg’s achievements rivaled those of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Additionally, it shows how Greenberg helped break down the barriers of discrimination in American sports and society and how he was a beacon of hope to American Jews who faced bigotry during the Depression and World War II.
Included in the film are some 47 interviews with Hank Greenberg and his family members; sports figures Ira Berkow, Ernie Harwell, Joe Falls and Dick Schaap; fellow payers Bob Feller, Charlie Gehringer and Ralph Kiner; fans Alan Dershowitz, Congressman Sander Levin...
Price: DVD $30.00
Studio: Ciesla Foundation
The dynamite 1998 documentary film The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg directed by Aviva Kempner (Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg) looks at the Detroit Tigers’ hard-hitting Hall of Fame first baseman whose accomplishments extended beyond the field as American’s first Jewish baseball star.
The movie depicts how during the Golden Age of Baseball, Hank Greenberg’s achievements rivaled those of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Additionally, it shows how Greenberg helped break down the barriers of discrimination in American sports and society and how he was a beacon of hope to American Jews who faced bigotry during the Depression and World War II.
Included in the film are some 47 interviews with Hank Greenberg and his family members; sports figures Ira Berkow, Ernie Harwell, Joe Falls and Dick Schaap; fellow payers Bob Feller, Charlie Gehringer and Ralph Kiner; fans Alan Dershowitz, Congressman Sander Levin...
- 5/1/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
With Major League Baseball officially starting up this week, Indiewire's latest curation of Hulu's Documentaries page turns to films about the national pastime. Watch these films now for free! One of the most acclaimed baseball documentaries of recent years, Aviva Kempner's "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg" offers a love letter to the Detroit Tigers' first baseman and to a different era. Appealing not only to fans of the sport, the film depicts American life in the 1930s and '40s, a country's love for the game, and how a Jewish American player who defied prejudice to become a beloved Hall of Famer. Greenberg also figures in Peter Miller's "Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story." The film, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, debunks the commonly-held misperception that Jews are non-athletic by examining the rich history of Jewish ballplayers. Looking at the careers of such star players as Greenberg and Sandy Koufax,...
- 4/2/2013
- by Basil Tsiokos
- Indiewire
SnagFilms has acquired domestic distribution rights to Eugene Jarecki’s documentary about the war on drugs “The House I Live In” and Jay Bulger’s Ginger Baker documentary “Beware of Mr. Baker.” Jarecki’s film won the grand jury prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and Bulger’s took the grand jury prize at SXSW in March. Abramorama is handling the theatrical release of both films, with "House I Live In" scheduled for an October opening. Read More: SnagFilms Acquires All U.S. Rights to Gotham Chopra's 'Decoding Deepak' In addition, SnagFilms has acquired six other documentaries: Barbara Kopple’s Oscar-winning films “Harlan County U.S.A.” (1976) and “American Dream” (1990); William Gazecki’s “Waco: The Rules of Engagement” (1997); Aviva Kempner’s “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg” (1998) and “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg”...
- 8/21/2012
- by Indiewire Staff
- Indiewire
They say history is written by the winners, but that's not always accurate. Sometimes, the winner's circle gets a little too crowded, and a few good apples get pushed into obscurity. Gertrude Berg, born Tilly Edelstein, 'the most famous woman in America you've never heard of' unfortunately became one of those apples.
Her influence was and still is unmistakable. Year's before the second wave of the Women's Liberation Movement, Berg managed to build a successful broadcast and television career by playing according to her own rules. Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, an Aviva Kempner documentary, illustrates the magnitude of her accomplishments and the effect that it held on American society. Filled with commentary from various sources, as well as vintage clips and interviews, Berg is portrayed in various lights, mainly as the amicable Jewish persona but most importantly as the shrewd business woman with intense business savvy.
Kempner's documentary is as engaging as it is informative.
Her influence was and still is unmistakable. Year's before the second wave of the Women's Liberation Movement, Berg managed to build a successful broadcast and television career by playing according to her own rules. Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, an Aviva Kempner documentary, illustrates the magnitude of her accomplishments and the effect that it held on American society. Filled with commentary from various sources, as well as vintage clips and interviews, Berg is portrayed in various lights, mainly as the amicable Jewish persona but most importantly as the shrewd business woman with intense business savvy.
Kempner's documentary is as engaging as it is informative.
- 9/12/2010
- by Simone Grant
- JustPressPlay.net
This week's DVD/Blu-Ray/VOD release list includes a film nominated for the Foreign Language Oscar, George A. Romero's latest, a box set of three from Josef Von Sternberg, and a profile of radio/early TV star Gertrude Berg. Aviva Kempner, who directed the Berg flick, "Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg" (criticWIRE rating: B), took her film across the country to Jewish film fests and marketed the film to audiences that would have nostalgia for Berg ...
- 8/24/2010
- Indiewire
A look at what's new on DVD today:
"$5 a Day" (2008)
Directed by Nigel Cole
Released by Image Entertainment
A refugee of the bankrupt Capitol Films, this dramedy starring Christopher Walken as a raconteur who claims he's able to live a full life on the titular Lincoln bill is finally seeing the light of day after premiering at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival. Alessandro Nivola co-stars as his son who drives him to New Mexico when he falls ill. Sharon Stone and Amanda Peet are along for the ride.
"2:22" (2008)
Directed by Phillip Guzman
Released by Inception Media Group
A quartet of thieves scheme to rob a boutique hotel on New Year's Eve, but find out that what's waiting for them on the inside is even colder than the snow-caked streets outside. Just as he did for his 2006 crime thriller "Played," star/co-writer Rossi called upon famous pals Gabriel Byrne and Val Kilmer...
"$5 a Day" (2008)
Directed by Nigel Cole
Released by Image Entertainment
A refugee of the bankrupt Capitol Films, this dramedy starring Christopher Walken as a raconteur who claims he's able to live a full life on the titular Lincoln bill is finally seeing the light of day after premiering at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival. Alessandro Nivola co-stars as his son who drives him to New Mexico when he falls ill. Sharon Stone and Amanda Peet are along for the ride.
"2:22" (2008)
Directed by Phillip Guzman
Released by Inception Media Group
A quartet of thieves scheme to rob a boutique hotel on New Year's Eve, but find out that what's waiting for them on the inside is even colder than the snow-caked streets outside. Just as he did for his 2006 crime thriller "Played," star/co-writer Rossi called upon famous pals Gabriel Byrne and Val Kilmer...
- 8/24/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Plays Nearly 3 Months in NYC, Now Out in Cities Across U.S. No one was more surprised than I to see the documentary Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg enter its third month at the Quad Cinema in New York City while it played simultaneously at the Westhampton Theater in Richmond, Va, just a few miles from where I grew up. Being a classic film junkie, there's nothing I like more than a large helping of nostalgia. Obviously, there is something similar audiences currently feel as they embrace the character of Molly Goldberg in this fascinating documentary. The irresistible nostalgia of Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg as depicted in its theatrical poster. Aviva Kempner's film covers the life of the scriptwriter and actress Gertrude Berg. This skilled director imparts a deeply personal story, masterfully juxtaposes it with U.S. social history--crossing the...
- 9/19/2009
- by Penelope Andrew
- Huffington Post
Most of us adults now have some memory of watching family-oriented television sitcoms growing up. For every era, there was a popular family show on TV that many of us gathered around the tube to watch. For me, there was Wonder Years, The Cosby Show and Family Ties. For generations before me, there was Leave It To Beaver and Father Knows Best. But, where did it all begin?
Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg is a new documentary from Aviva Kempner (The Life And Times Of Hank Greenberg) that tells the story of Gertrude Berg. The tag-line of the film is “the most famous woman in America you’ve never heard of” and this couldn’t be more true. Gertrude Berg was a radio and television pioneer. She created a character by the name of Molly Goldberg and the radio program called The Goldbergs. This radio serial would be incredibly popular in the 20’s and 30’s,...
Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg is a new documentary from Aviva Kempner (The Life And Times Of Hank Greenberg) that tells the story of Gertrude Berg. The tag-line of the film is “the most famous woman in America you’ve never heard of” and this couldn’t be more true. Gertrude Berg was a radio and television pioneer. She created a character by the name of Molly Goldberg and the radio program called The Goldbergs. This radio serial would be incredibly popular in the 20’s and 30’s,...
- 8/28/2009
- by Travis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Earlier, when I asked Program Director Nancy Fishman which program out of this year’s edition of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (Sfjff) she was most anticipating, she didn’t miss a beat in highlighting the salute to Gertrude Berg; a program consisting of four archival episodes from The Goldbergs television series, followed by Aviva Kempner‘s documentary Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg (2009). In tandem with Sfjff’s presentation of the 2009 Freedom of Expression Award to Kempner, a Q&A session following The Goldbergs program, and a panel discussion following Yoo Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, the program was leant considerable charm by the participation of Dr. Glenn D. “Pete” Smith, Jr., author of Something On My Own: Gertrude Berg and American Broadcasting, 1929-1956 (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2007). Perhaps it was his Mississippian drawl, or his enthused (and contagious!) scholasticism, or the intriguing disconnect between his youthful interest in a subject...
- 8/12/2009
- by Michael Guillen
- Screen Anarchy
Quick — who was the first woman to appear in a network sitcom?
No, not Lucille Ball, but that would’ve been my guess.
Here’s a hint. She also won the first Emmy for Best Actress. I’ll even show you a picture.
Still no clue, I bet. Her name is Gertrude Berg. Wait, who?
Exactly. That’s why Aviva Kempner’s new documentary, Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, is so important.
Berg was sort of the Oprah of her era — and she paved the way for women in the entertainment industry. Her radio show, The Goldbergs, premiered the week after the 1929 stock market crash and every day for 17 years, Berg rose at 6 a.m., wrote that day’s script, then went to the studio to produce the show and perform her role, Molly Goldberg.
In 1949, Berg brought The Goldbergs to television, where it was the first character-driven domestic sitcom. (When the...
No, not Lucille Ball, but that would’ve been my guess.
Here’s a hint. She also won the first Emmy for Best Actress. I’ll even show you a picture.
Still no clue, I bet. Her name is Gertrude Berg. Wait, who?
Exactly. That’s why Aviva Kempner’s new documentary, Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, is so important.
Berg was sort of the Oprah of her era — and she paved the way for women in the entertainment industry. Her radio show, The Goldbergs, premiered the week after the 1929 stock market crash and every day for 17 years, Berg rose at 6 a.m., wrote that day’s script, then went to the studio to produce the show and perform her role, Molly Goldberg.
In 1949, Berg brought The Goldbergs to television, where it was the first character-driven domestic sitcom. (When the...
- 7/20/2009
- by thelinster
- AfterEllen.com
When I first heard about Gertrude Berg a couple of years ago when I was working on a documentary, after my initial shock dissipated, I got angry. How could it be that such a towering figure in radio and TV history could just... disappear? Well, the good news is that Berg is back, hopefully for good. Aviva Kempner has put together the documentary Yoo-Hoo Mrs. Goldberg (disclaimer: I am consulting on outreach for the film) that restores Gertrude Berg to her rightful prominence as one of the leading figures of early TV. Berg was the creator of the radio series The Goldbergs which morphed into the first family sitcom on TV The Goldbergs. The show introduced the country to a Jewish family in the years right after the Holocaust. This very Jewish family was welcomed into homes all across...
- 7/10/2009
- by Melissa Silverstein
- Huffington Post
As a wee lad growing up in an Italian- American family in Boonton, NJ, I always enjoyed watching "The Goldbergs," a sitcom about a Jewish-American family in The Bronx.
For some strange reason, one particular scene (involving Uncle David pouring three glasses of milk) has stuck in my mind all these years.
I imagine I'm not the only person who remembers that moment, because it's found in "Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg," Aviva Kempner's fawning and formulaic documentary about Gertrude Berg. The now-forgotten superstar wrote, produced and appeared in the enormously popular show,...
For some strange reason, one particular scene (involving Uncle David pouring three glasses of milk) has stuck in my mind all these years.
I imagine I'm not the only person who remembers that moment, because it's found in "Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg," Aviva Kempner's fawning and formulaic documentary about Gertrude Berg. The now-forgotten superstar wrote, produced and appeared in the enormously popular show,...
- 7/10/2009
- by By V,A. MUSETTO
- NYPost.com
Did you know that Lucille Ball was not the first woman of sitcom television land? In fact, there was another who not only came before the famous redhead, but who should also be counted as one of the pioneers behind the screen? No? I didn't either.
Enter Gertrude Berg, who is the focus of Aviva Kempner's new documentary Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, which is hitting theaters this week in New York City before heading to DC on the 17th and La on the 24th. This isn't your heart-tugging, dramatic art doc, but rather a straight-forward account of someone we should know because, frankly, her success was impressive. (That picture to the right -- that's Berg with her scripts.)
Turns out that before I Love Lucy, there was a show radio show that hit television called The Goldbergs. It was Berg's own creation -- a brainchild she shopped around herself, wrote,...
Enter Gertrude Berg, who is the focus of Aviva Kempner's new documentary Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, which is hitting theaters this week in New York City before heading to DC on the 17th and La on the 24th. This isn't your heart-tugging, dramatic art doc, but rather a straight-forward account of someone we should know because, frankly, her success was impressive. (That picture to the right -- that's Berg with her scripts.)
Turns out that before I Love Lucy, there was a show radio show that hit television called The Goldbergs. It was Berg's own creation -- a brainchild she shopped around herself, wrote,...
- 7/9/2009
- by Monika Bartyzel
- Cinematical
Aviva Kempner's Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg is an engrossing nostalgia bath -- if you're of a certain age. If you're younger, it's a window into a bygone world that seems so much simpler and rife with possibilities: the early days of TV, when the medium minted its first superstars, including Liberace, Bishop Fulton Sheen -- and Gertrude Berg. Berg's name rarely gets mentioned as a pioneer, yet as Kempner's film shows, she can lay claim to having invented the situation-comedy with her popular show, The Goldbergs. In her time, she was a force to be reckoned with, writing, producing and starring in her own TV series at the dawn of that breakthrough medium. She won the first Emmy given for best actress. Kempner traces Berg's life as the daughter of an immigrant, writing and performing skits at her father's Catskills resort, through her...
- 7/8/2009
- by Marshall Fine
- Huffington Post
Aviva Kempner investigates non-stereotypical images of Jews in history and focuses on the lesser known stories of Jewish heroes. She was the screenwriter, director and producer of "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg," a film about the Jewish slugger who fought anti-Semitism in the 1930s and '40s. It was awarded top honors by the National Society of Film Critics, the National Board of Review, the New York Film Critics Circle, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association. The film received a George Peabody Award and was nominated for an Emmy. Kempner will be the recipient of the 2009 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival's Freedom of Expression Award in July. She also produced and co-wrote 1989's "Partisans of Vilna," a documentary on Jewish resistance against the Nazis, which recently came out in DVD for its’ 20th anniversary.
- 6/15/2009
- by Michael Speier
- The Wrap
During the first half of the 20th Century, professional baseball was a thriving sport full of living legends beloved by fans. But as team loyalty died and gastronomical contracts steadily inflated, these heroes slowly faded away into memories of a time "when it was a game."
Director Aviva Kempner documents the story of one of these legends, the first Jewish professional sports superstar, in 'The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.' "Hammerin' Hank" is an Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Mvp who remains largely unheralded for his amazing accomplishments inside and out of the ballpark.
Watch 'The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg' FreeFiled under: Documentaries
Continue reading Free Documentary of the Week: 'The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg'
Permalink | Email this | Comments...
Director Aviva Kempner documents the story of one of these legends, the first Jewish professional sports superstar, in 'The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.' "Hammerin' Hank" is an Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Mvp who remains largely unheralded for his amazing accomplishments inside and out of the ballpark.
Watch 'The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg' FreeFiled under: Documentaries
Continue reading Free Documentary of the Week: 'The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg'
Permalink | Email this | Comments...
- 6/8/2009
- by Anthony Colarusso
- Moviefone
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.