After 20 years in a mall, Windsor Jewish Film Festival moves downtown
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The Windsor Jewish Film Festival has found a new home in the city’s downtown core — after two decades of screenings at the Cineplex Odeon in Devonshire Mall.
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The 21st edition of the festival will grace the halls of the Capitol Theatre next month and feature 10 films from around the world over four days.
“We’re looking forward to a change of atmosphere,” said Joe Schnayer, head of programming and senior services at the Windsor Jewish Community Centre.
“We think bringing the festival downtown will bring a new aspect to the festival. People will be able to leave the Capitol Theatre and go to the restaurants and other attractions we have downtown.”
Schnayer is optimistic about the move downtown attracting a larger crowd. He said what started as a festival just for the Jewish community of Windsor, has expanded in the past few years.
“It’s become less about having a film festival for the Jewish community and more about showing the Jewish story to the non-Jewish community who aren’t familiar with our history,” said Schnayer.
“It’s a great way to learn more about the Jewish community, the different things that have happened to us in different countries over different periods, and not just about the Holocaust, of course.”
Films are selected by a volunteer committee that reviews 50 or more films before selecting the 10 best to be shown on the big screen. This year’s festival will highlight a mix of genres that depict Jewish stories from tragedy to comedy.
“We do try to get a variety of genres and countries that the films are filmed in,” said Schnayer. “We try to make sure not too many of the films are Holocaust-related because some people don’t like to see things about the Holocaust — it’s a little traumatic for them.”
The festival kicks off with The Catskills — a humorous and nostalgic tribute to what became affectionately known as the Borscht Belt. Stand-up comedians share their best shtick while former waiters, entertainers and dance instructors recount tales of family-run resorts and bungalows that inspired films like Dirty Dancing.
Closing out the festival is The Narrow Bridge — a searching journey into the souls of four people who, after searing pain, develop strengths they never had before. The film follows their paths from devastating trauma to courageous activism.
The 2024 Windsor Jewish Film Festival runs from June 17 to 20. Tickets are $14 per film or $39 for three films and can be purchased at windsorjewishfilmfestival.ca or the Capitol Theatre before each screening.
FILM SCHEDULE June 17-20
The Catskills — Monday (June 17) at 8 p.m.
A humorous and nostalgic tribute to what became affectionately known as the Borscht Belt. Stand-up comedians share their best shtick while former waiters, entertainers and dance instructors recount tales of family-run resorts and bungalows that inspired films like Dirty Dancing.
Sabotage — Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.
January 1945. Less than two weeks before the evacuation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, four forced labourers women — Estusia Wajcblum, Rosa Robota, Alla Gartner and Regina Safirstein were accused of sabotaging the Nazi war machine and hanged in public.
Listen — Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
Dara Nevo, a young and dedicated soldier in Israel’s elite military intelligence unit, races against the clock to find a captured Israeli soldier hidden in Gaza. When Israel is faced with a prisoner swap that includes the man who killed her dad, Dara will stop at nothing to keep her father’s killer from freedom.
Syndrome K — Tuesday at 8 p.m.
Narrated by Golden Globe-nominee Ray Liotta, this fascinating film tells for the first time the true, little-known story of Italian doctors who rescued Jews during the Holocaust by using the conceit of a horrific, highly contagious disease that wasn’t real.
Less Than Kosher — Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.
In this snappy, Toronto-set musical comedy, a wayward singer’s life takes a divinely uproarious turn when she lands a cantor gig in her family’s synagogue, sparking self-discovery, family mishigas and unholy chaos.
The Man in the Basement — Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
After a Jewish couple sells their basement to a former history teacher, they discover his secret life as an anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist. As the couple struggles to rescind the sale, the buyer befriends their naive teenage daughter.
Running on Sand — Wednesday at 8 p.m.
AUMARI, a young Eritrean refugee living in Israel, is about to be deported back to his home country. After a spontaneous escape attempt at the airport, he is mistaken for a Nigerian striker, who is supposed to arrive at the same time.
The Story of Annette Zelman — Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
What begins as a charming wartime romance between Jean, a sweet Catholic boy in Paris, and his feisty Jewish artist girlfriend Annette, turns into a gripping tale of star-crossed lovers in this handsomely realized drama based on actual events.
Home — Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
A young and recently married Orthodox man’s dream to open a computer store in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem turns into a violent nightmare when the entire neighborhood sees him as an existential threat.
The Narrow Bridge — Thursday at 8 p.m.
A searching journey into the souls of four people who, after searing pain, develop strengths they never had before. The film follows their paths from devastating trauma to courageous activism.
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