With Eyes Open: Cinematic Visions of Israel and Palestine

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WITH EYES OPEN:  CINEMATIC VISIONS OF ISRAEL & PALESTINE
A Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives &  BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange

Curated by Lynne Sachs

Film Weekend
Information:  www.kolotchayeinu.org   718.390.7493  info@kolotchayeinu.org

Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of our Lives, a progressive Jewish congregation in Brooklyn, and the BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange present two days of film screenings with the hope of creating an engaged dialogue around the conflicts and the attempts for peace in Israel and Palestine. Focusing on art and politics in our own society and beyond, this mini film festival brings together directors and audience members in a dynamic series of viewings and discussions.  Tackling complicated issues of the day with surprising candor and compassion, these highly acclaimed, visually dynamic movies hail from festivals such as Berlin, Jerusalem and TriBeca.  It certainly will be exciting to see them here in Park Slope!

Saturday, May 20
Kolot Chayeinu Synagogue
1012 Eighth Avenue (btwn 10th and 11th  St.) Brooklyn
6:30 PM Potluck Dinner, followed by Havdallah
Screening #1    8:00 to 9:30 PM   with discussion afterwards
“Zero Degrees of Separation” by Elle Flanders (filmmaker will be present)

ZERO DEGREES OF SEPARATION, a feature documentary, takes viewers on a unique journey through the lives of Israeli and Palestinian gays and lesbians in inter-ethnic relationships. Though living on the margins of society, these couples defy the odds, existing in the midst of conflict with a gentle humanity and mutual respect. Interwoven into these stories is the director’s own rich narrative of growing up with Zionist grandparents intimately involved in the founding of the state of Israel.

Sunday, May 21
All screenings at BAX/ Brooklyn Arts Exchange
421 5th Ave. (btwn 7th & 8th St.)
www.bax.org    718.832.0018           info@bax.org

Screening #2
3:30 to 5:00 PM  with discussion afterwards
“States of UnBelonging” by Lynne Sachs (filmmaker will be present)
with “Encounter Point” (excerpts) by Ronit Avni and Julia Bacha

“Humanist reverie and implicit cautionary tale,”  (Village Voice) STATES OF UNBELONGING is a cine-essay on the violence of the Middle East as seen through a portrait of Revital Ohayon, an Israeli filmmaker and mother killed on a kibbutz near the West Bank. ENCOUNTER POINT is a true story about everyday Israelis and Palestinians who refuse to sit back as the conflict around them escalates.

Screening #3
6:00 to 7:30 PM with discussion afterwards
“Still Life” by Cynthia Madansky (filmmaker will be present)
“3 CM Less” by Azza El-Hassan (excerpt)
“Olive Press” by Yoram Sabo (excerpt)

In shimmering super 8 film, STILL LIFE hauntingly depicts the landscapes of the Palestinian territories reduced to rubble. Part video diary, part quest for reconciliation,  3 CM LESS portrays two very different Palestinian women attempting to heal the rifts in their families while probing their desire for love and security.  In OLIVE PRESS, Palestinians and Jews partake in the timeless ritual of the olive harvest, recognizing this fruit as a symbol of peace and a tool in the ongoing tensions over land.