Mary Lou

Mary Lou

Wednesday, October 17th at 7pm
Harris Theater

150 Minutes (with additional 15 minute intermission)
Director: Eytan Fox

First aired as a four-part series on Israeli television, this 2009 film has often been compared favorably to the hit American TV show "Glee". The engaging story centers on a young gay man named Meir, who is searching for his mother who disappeared on his tenth birthday. To deal with the traumatic loss, he lies to everyone (including himself) that she has taken the stage name Mary Lou and is the back-up singer to real-life Israeli pop star Svika Pick. As an adult, he decides to finally reunite with his mom and sets off for Tel Aviv where his life takes some very surprising turns.

The film is screened in Hebrew with English subtitles.

Click here for more info

This film is sponsored by:

 Presented with the support of:

Presented in cooperation with JFilm:

Mendelsohn's Incessant Visions

JFilm and the Design Center present:

Tuesday, October 16
Mendelsohn’s Incessant Visions
SouthSide Works Cinema – 7 p.m.


“Mendelsohn’s Incessant Visions” is an award-winning documentary from Israeli director Duki Dror that illuminates the life of German Jewish Expressionist architect Erich Mendelsohn. A contemporary of Walter Gropius and Miese van der Rohe, Mendelsohn’s career followed the jagged trajectory of many German Jewish émigrés fleeing Nazism. Throughout his life he would continue to start over in a foreign land—working first in England, then Israel, and finally, America. The Einstein Tower, an early work, is one of the most important expressions of modern architecture. The film deftly juxtaposes Mendelsohn’s original designs and love letters written to his wife Luise with contemporary images, weaving together reflections from architects and locals who use these unique buildings today. “Mendelsohn’s Incessant Visions” is a testament to the integrity and timelessness of one architect’s visionary design.

In German and Hebrew with subtitles. (70 minutes)

Q&A with Kai Gutschow, Associate Professor, Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture, and a vegetarian reception follow the film.

Buy tickets online

$10 general admission; $5 students

For more information: info@JFilmPgh.org or 412.992.5203

Tickets can be purchased with cash only at the door

2013 Robinson International Short Film Competition call for entries

JFilm: The Pittsburgh Jewish Film Forum
announces
The 2013 Robinson International Short Film Competition

Purpose
To honor the legacy of Sanford N. Robinson, Sr., this short film competition helps to further the careers of the winning filmmakers by awarding significant monetary prizes and offering exposure for their films.

Criteria
The competition is an international competition open to any and all independent filmmakers, including college and graduate level film students, as well as professionals in the field.

• Must be a Pittsburgh premiere (no prior public Pittsburgh screenings or TV broadcasts)

• Films completed in 2010 or later

• Screening formats: Blu-ray (Region 1 or Region Free), DCP, HDCAM (1080 59.94i), or Digibeta (NTSC)

• Foreign language films must have English subtitles

• Must be forty (40) minutes or less 

Acceptable genres include narrative, documentary, or animated films. Submissions must contain an essence of Jewishness as represented by theme, history or culture.

Call For Entries
Deadline: Entries are due January 7, 2013.  

Submission fees are as follows:

Entry Fee:
By September 28 - $10

By December 14 - $20

After December 14 - $40

Payments from outside of the U.S. must be in the form of a U.S. bank check, money order or credit card. Personal checks are not accepted from outside the U.S.
Checks and Money Orders should be made payable to: JFilm: The Pittsburgh Jewish Film Forum. Please do not send cash. Entry fees are non-refundable.

Return of submission: Submissions will not be returned unless a self-addressed stamped return envelope is included with submission.

Entry Format: Submissions must be on DVD – NTSC format only. DVDs in PAL format will not be accepted. International films must be formatted for Region Code 1 (North America) or Region Code 0 (Universal). Semi-finalists' disks will be copied for jurors or uploaded to a private online viewing site. If your DVD can not be copied it may be disqualified from the competition.

Entry Form: All applicants must complete an online entry form. A printed copy of the completed entry form must also be included with the DVD submission. Entry forms can be found here. The following information is needed to complete the entry form: film synopsis (50 word maximum), country of origin, type of film, length of film, screening and broadcast history, honors and awards, filmmaker's contact information, biography, and personal statement (100 word maximum).

Submissions should be mailed to:

JFilm: The Pittsburgh Jewish Film Forum
Attn: Robinson Competition
234 McKee Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Entrants may submit more than one film. Each entry requires a separate DVD, entry form and entrance fee.

Awards and Presentation

Up to ten films will be selected for presentation by JFilm: The Pittsburgh Jewish Film Forum at an Awards Evening in May 2013. The award winners will be announced immediately following the screening.

Zahav (Gold) Award: $10,000

Kesef (Silver) Awards: 2 winners at $3,000 each

Finalists will be notified in March 2013 of their selection. All finalists are invited to attend.  All finalist films will be shown. The three award winners will be flown to Pittsburgh for the Awards Presentation.

Additional Terms and Conditions
JFilm is not responsible for late, lost, damaged or ineligible entries. Entrants will retain all ownership rights to their submitted films. By entering this competition, the entrant certifies that they have the legal right to submit and exhibit the film. The applicant is responsible and liable for any breach of rights or the law in the submission and exhibition process. Award winners will be required to sign an affidavit confirming that their short film is original and that he/she holds all rights. Affidavits of winners under 18 years of age at time of award must be countersigned by parent or legal guardian. All federal, state, and local taxes, and customs fees, when applicable, are the sole responsibility of the winners. By entering the competition, the entrant grants the right to publish or transmit portions of the film for the purpose of press or promotion, unless otherwise noted. Additionally, entry constitutes permission to use winners' name, likeness, and voice for advertising and publicity purposes without additional compensation. Void where prohibited.

Ahead of Time

JFilm and Hillel JUC proudly present "Ahead of Time" with a special appearance by Ruth Gruber! At 20, Ruth Gruber became the youngest Ph.D. in the world. But that was just the beginning: The Brooklyn-born journalist experienced some of the biggest stories of the 20th century, including the rise of Hitler and the opening of the Soviet Arctic. Ruth was asked by the Interior Department to escort 1000 Holocaust refugees to Oswego, NY, and she covered the Exodus in 1947 as the ship attempted to enter Palestine. Rarely seen archival footage and interviews tell the story of this remarkable woman. Ruth Gruber is an inspiration to all. Following the screening, Ruth Gruber and the film's Executive Producer Patti Kenner will speak. Sunday, May 20, 2012, 2:00pm Southside Works Cinema 425 Cinema Drive, 15203 Adults: $10 Students and Seniors: $5
Click Here to Reserve Your Tickets Now Questions? Please contact Beverly Brinn at 412-621-8875 ext:101 This event is presented in collaboration with Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Hadassah, Jewish Women’s Foundation, NA'AMAT, NCJW, and the Holocaust Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Robinson Gala Awards Evening

Enjoy the Pittsburgh premiere of six short films as the culmination of the first-ever Robinson International Short Film Competition. Significant cash prizes will be awarded to the top three films.  Over two dozen films from around the world were submitted to the competition organized to honor the memory of Sanford (Shad) N. Robinson, Sr.

The evening will feature the film and award presentations followed by a reception. Tickets are $10. Full-time students with valid ID are $5. Presented by JFilm: The Pittsburgh Jewish Film Forum, a project of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
For more information, call (412) 992-5203.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at 7:30pm
SouthSide Works Cinema, Pittsburgh

General Admission: $10
Full-time Students: $5 with valid ID
Click here to purchase tickets.

	Delicious Peace Grows in a Ugandan Coffee Bean Director: Curt Fissel, 2010, USA, 39:54 minutes Jewish, Christian and Muslim Ugandan coffee farmers formed a cooperative to build economic prosperity and peace in the lingering wake of Idi Amin’s regime of terror and intolerance. The cooperative partnered with a Fair Trade US buyer, producing early monetary success and reinforcement of a global message that “peace works.”
	Grandpa Looked Like William Powell Director: David B. Levy, 2010, USA, 4:20 minutes Sometimes a memento only reminds you how little you know someone. Such a thing happened to me when I came to possess my Grandpa Herman's high school autograph book from 1924.
	in bed at 10 p.m. Director: Asaph Polonsky, 2010, Israel, 15 minutes Rachel and Motti, both in their 70s, are lovers. When Rachel learns the new rule – when his wife calls twice he must come home -- she finally realizes that she will always be a lower priority.
	Seltzer Works Director: Jessica Edwards, 2010, USA, 7 minutes In the early 1900s, thousands of seltzer deliverymen criss-crossed the nation, schlepping heavy glass bottles full of fizzy water to millions of thirsty customers. Today, with only a handful of deliverymen left in the country, the siphon machines at Gomberg Seltzer Works don't turn like they used to. But there are still bubbles being made by third generation seltzer filler Kenny Gomberg. In the short documentary SELTZER WORKS, the last bottler in Brooklyn fends off the supermarket seltzer take-over and honors this simple drink's place in history.
	Woody/before/Allen Director: Masha Vasyukova, 2011, Russia/USA/France, 13:17 minutes An adventurous meditation on past and present, of two former Konigsbergs - a man and a city that no longer use the same name: one, a city which was renamed Kaliningrad, another, a renowned film director who changed his name to Woody Allen. To commemorate the bizarre connection between these two former Konigsbergs, filmmaker Masha Vasyukova makes it her mission to put a statue in Kaliningrad in honor of Woody Allen.

The Robinson International Short Film Competition Gala Awards Evening

The Pittsburgh premiere of six short films and announcement of filmmakers winning unprecedented cash awards will highlight the evening, when JFilm: the Pittsburgh Jewish Film Forum holds an event culminating the first-ever Robinson International Short Film Competition, on Tuesday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Southside Works Cinema.

The competition was organized to honor the memory of Sanford (Shad) N. Robinson, Sr., a noted member of the Pittsburgh Jewish community, by the Robinson family.

“My husband was a great film devotee,” explains Judy Robinson.  “He actually made a wonderful Pittsburgh comedy in the 1970s called ‘The Devil and Sam.’ Many people from the local film community worked on the film and will be attending the event.

“It was a wonderful little independent movie, and had he not gotten sick, he would have gone on to make more films,” she continues. “I think it’s a particularly nice way to honor his memory.”

Judy and her children, Heather and David, were instrumental in developing the competition and screening the entries, along with a panel of judges. The evening will feature the Pittsburgh premieres of six short films. Several of the directors will attend the gala event.

The purpose of the competition is to help further the careers of the winning filmmakers by awarding significant monetary prizes and offering exposure for their films. The prize winners will be announced following the screenings. First prize is $10,000 and two honorable mentions will be given at $3,000 each.

The competition was opened to independent filmmakers and had a wide range of submissions from different ages -- ranging from high school students to professionals in the field -- different countries including Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, the US and Vienna, and different subjects. Narrative films were submitted alongside documentaries, and the topics ranged from Jewish, Christian and Muslim Ugandans starting a coffee cooperative to a young Russian woman's journey to bring Woody Allen to her hometown.  Many films were comedic in nature, and there were animated movies alongside experimental art films.  

“I’m thrilled to be doing this,” said Judy Robinson. “I was very impressed by the quality of the entries.”

The criteria included that submissions had to contain an essence of Jewishness as represented by theme, history or culture. There were 28 entries, ranging in length from as short as under five minutes to almost 40 minutes long. 

The evening, hosted by the Robinson family, will feature the film and award presentations followed by a reception. Cost to attend the evening is $10. Full-time students with valid ID are $5. For information or tickets, contact JFilm at www.JFilmPgh.org or 412-992-5203. 

JFilm: the Pittsburgh Jewish Film Forum is a program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

The JFilm Festival is 1 week away!

The 2012 JFilm Festival opens next Thursday night, March 15.

25 screenings of 20 films from 8 countries at 6 venues in and around the Pittsburgh area. Many of the presented films are award-winning and all but one are Pittsburgh premieres.

Check out the the lineup and click on each film title for more details: 

Prima Primavera

March 15 
Opening Night: Prima Primavera
A reception will follow the film with live music featuring Dennis Kurzawski, clarinet, 
and Douglas Levine, keyboard.
Dietary laws observed.

Connected

March 17
Connected
Mabul

I Shall Remember

March 18
Beyond the Boundaries
Deaf Jam
Mabul
I Shall Remember

March 19 
Srugim 

March 20
Nicky's Family 

March 21
2 Night


March 22
Little Rose
Remembrance

Restoration

March 24
Restoration
Little Rose

March 25
Sholem Aleichem
Restoration
Standing Silent


March 26
Nicky's Family


March 27

Circus Kids

Rabies


March 28
Kaddish for a Friend

March 29
A Suitcase Full of Chocolate
Five Brothers

March 31
Kaddish for a Friend
Dusk

April 1
Circus Kids