***POSTPONED*** Sonoma County Israeli Film Festival 2020

Israel has a robust and prolific film industry, many films of which never grace our silver screens – the JCC is proud to present these gems to our Sonoma County communities.

The 5th Annual Sonoma County Israeli Film Festival seeks to nurture an appreciation of Israeli culture in Sonoma County, exploring the human stories and important issues facing Israeli society, and the larger world.

The 2020 films focus on issues of gender identity, love at old age, the pull between secular and orthodox, and the Palestinian and Israeli conflict, and include comedies, dramas, international award winners, and a Bay Area premiere.

All films are on Tuesdays and screen twice on the day, at 1 pm and 7 pm. PURCHASE TICKETS.

Tuesday, March 3, 1 pm and 7 pm

Eden is seventeen and has a deeply held secret. An outcast at her new high school, Eden discovers that her only two friends have been lured into a dangerous plot to sell their organs to pay for cosmetic surgery and prom dresses. Believing she has found the answer to her prayers, she joins them on an international adventure. When their trip does not go as planned, the friends must come to terms with their prejudices and redefine their identities. The film’s star, Stav Strashko, was the first transgender woman nominated for the Best Actress Ophir Academy Award.

Winner of 3 Ophir Academy Awards.

Coming of Age Drama, Israel, 97 minutes. Hebrew with English subtitles

Tuesday, March 17, 1 pm and 7 pm

His uncle hands young Palestinian Salam an assistant job on the soap opera “Tel Aviv on Fire.” When he is suddenly stopped on his daily commute to work at an Israeli military checkpoint, he pretends to be the screenwriter to get through. But the tough officer Assi - whose wife loves the show - has a few storyline ideas of his own. Salam is trapped in a hilarious and impossible situation. With a shared love of stories, soaps, and hummus, this delicious film walks the fine comedic line of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Winner of Best Film at the Venice Film Festival and Best Screenplay at the Ophir Academy Awards.

Comedy, 2019, Israel/Luxembourg/France, 96 min, Hebrew and Arabic with English Subtitles

Tuesday, March 24, 1 pm and 7 pm

Rebellious Anat flees the chaos of her secular upbringing for the discipline and comfort of Hassidic life. Engaged to marry her now-religious, formerly wild-and-crazy pop star boyfriend, her family is determined to stop the marriage and lure her away from orthodoxy. Sari wants to leave behind her oppressive religious upbringing for sexual and spiritual freedom. When Anat and Sari cross paths, it changes their lives in startling ways. This moving film artfully weaves captivating stories about the complex diversity of Israeli Jewish life.

Drama, 2018, Israel, 112 min, Hebrew with English Subtitles

Tuesday, March 31, 1 pm and 7 pm

When feisty and absent-minded widow Tami hits gruff widower Beno with her car, the last thing on her mind is romance. Warned by her attorney son, Tami tries to ensure Beno will not sue her by inviting him to her luxury apartment in a retirement community. They discover their shared heartache over losing their spouses, (Tami still has very real conversations with her dead husband’s ghost), and though their offspring and nosy neighbors try to interfere, opposites attract in this heartwarming comedy that celebrates the right to love and be loved at any age.

Romantic Comedy, Israel, 2019, 102 min, Hebrew with English subtitles