SCREEN

Adam Resurrected - This film is based on a novel by renowned Israeli author Yoram Kaniuk. It is the early 1960s in an Israeli mental hospital where all the patients are emotionally scarred Holocaust survivors, Jeff Goldblum, in a tour de force, plays a brilliant but deeply tormented camp survivor, once a famous German nightclub performer, whose soul died as a result of the degradation that he experienced during the war. The film is searing and dark, always powerful, and at times, both inspiring and uplifting. Derek Jacobi and Willem Dafoe shine as supporting players. Audience Note: This is a strong film with scenes that may be difficult for some.

Circumcise Me! - It’s non-stop laughter when standup comedian Yisrael Campbell—born Chris Campbell—tells of his conversion to Judaism from Catholicism. You can’t help but laugh as he relates how he had three circumcisions (it’s true!). His story is a side-splitting true tale of his conversion to Reform, then Conservative then Orthodox Judaism. Yisrael, who after a stint with illegal substances, says he was born “Catholic enough to know I was going to hell,” now has the pais to prove his Orthodox commitment. And, by the way, he lives in Jerusalem. Laughs galore are promised as Yisrael delivers standup comedy in this unusual story. Following the film, the afternoon of comedy continues as well-known South Bay comedian Jeff Applebaum keeps the laughs flowing.

Lost Islands - This is a film about growing up, relationships, and the special difficulties of Israeli life, circa 1980. In the Levy family, there are twin brothers, the outgoing of whom is favored by his mother, and the shyer one, who is largely ignored by her. As time passes, the brothers fall for the same girl, and their destinies are transformed forever when one brother is forced to stay at home to care for his father while the other is called to war. It’s a unique portrait of Israeli life with all the laughs and tears of an engaging family drama.