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Each series, we select a theme and then screen films that fit the theme. Think of it as an extended conversation, with each film adding a new voice.  And you can’t beat the price. Admission is free!
 
2008 Spring Theme: Bridging the Gap: Iran & Israel
 
To a great extent, we live in a world where division rules the day. Binary opposites: us versus them, Good versus Evil, America versus the world is the dialectic du jour. Regardless of which side one is “on,” the simplistic message served out by leaders political and religious tries to teach us to fear that which is different. The other, the stranger, the foreigner is someone to label, to shun - someone upon whom to hang words like infidel or evil or terrorist. Differences are nameless faceless words, not real human beings with dreams and hopes no different than our own. The films in this series, six from from Israel and six from Iran, fly in the face of such divisions. The ordinary characters and stories in these films demonstrate how much more we are connected to each other than so many soldiers, politicians, and so-called holy men who try to keep us apart would have us believe. Put simply, good movies can bridge the gaps between us whatever our differences may be.

2008 Spring Film Series
 Bridging the Gap: Iran & Israel
  
 Movies begin at 7:00 PM    Admission is FREE!
  
Films are shown at:
  
Laikin Auditorium, JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. (map)
  
For more information, contact: Stephen Conway
 
The Films

Children of Heaven – Jan. 8
  
Laikin Auditorium, JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46260  (map)

 Ali loses his sister’s only pair of shoes. To stay out of trouble, the siblings decide to share their shoes in secret since their Father cannot afford new ones. First Iranian film to be nominated for an Oscar.

(1997) 89 min. Rated PG
Director: Majid Majidi

Bonjour, Monsieur Shlomi - Jan. 15
  
Laikin Auditorium, JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46260 (map)
 
Young Shlomi is a genius. Problem is, he’s too busy taking care of everyone in his family for anyone to notice. Enter Rona, the gardener next door. She helps him see life and himself for the first time.

(2003) 94 min. Rated R
Director: Shemi Zarhin

Color of Paradise - Feb. 5
 
 Laikin Auditorium, JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. (map)
 
Mohammed returns from blind school with his single father to their remote village. Despite the love given to Mohammed by his granny, his Father is ashamed unwilling to include Mohammed in his life.
 
(1999) 90 minutes Rated PG
Director: Majid Majidi
Broken Wings - Feb. 19
  
Laikin Auditorium, JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46260 (map)
 
Nine months after the death of her husband, overworked midwife Dafna struggles to keep her family of four children from unraveling. A sincere & compassionate story of a modern Israeli family in crisis.
  
(2002) 87 min. Rated R
Director: Nir Bergman
Ten - Mar. 4
 
Laikin Auditorium JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46260 (map)
 
10 conversations between a female driver in Tehran and the passengers in her car: her young son, a jilted bride, a prostitute & others. A glimpse into the lives of women whose voices are seldom heard.
 
(2002) 94 minutes Rated PG
Director: Abba Kiarostami

Syrian Bride – Mar. 18
 
Laikin Auditorium, JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46260 (map)
 
A Druze woman from Golan Heights, Israel is engaged to marry a Syrian television star whom she has never met. If she moves to Syria, however, she will never be able to return to her home.
 
(2004) 97 minutes Rated PG
Director: Rean Riklis
James' Journey to Jerusalem - Apr. 1
 
Laikin Auditorium JCC 6701 Hoover Rd.  (map)
 
James is sent by his village in Africa on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Though he is sold into indentured servitude, James transforms from a pious innocent to corrupted capitalist. An offbeat social satire.
 
(2003) 87 minutes Not Rated
Director: Ra’annan Alexandrowicz

Crimson Gold - Apr. 15
 
Laikin Auditorium JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46260 (map)
 
The story of Hussein, a pizza deliveryman, and his journey navigating the dark injustices of Teheran - from its dirty souks to wealthy enclaves. A slow-burning, riveting film about class differences.
 
(2003) 95 min  Not Rated
Director: Jafar Panahi
Offside - May 13
  
Laikin Auditorium JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46260 (map)

Because Iranian law prevents women from attending live sporting events, a group of soccer crazed women disguise themselves as men and try to sneak into a World Cup qualifying match in Tehran.
 
(2006) 93 min. Rated PG
Director: Jafar Panahi
Walk on Water - May 20
 
Laikin Auditorium JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46260 (map)
 
A Mossad agent, sent to track down and kill a very old ex-Nazi officer, pretends to be a tour guide and befriends the officer’s grandson. A story of guilt, revenge, conflict and human connectivity
 
(2004) 80 minutes Rated R
Director: Eytan Fox
Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine June 3
 
Laikin Auditorium JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46260 (map)

A blacklisted director, hired to make a film about funeral traditions in Iran, confronts death in his daily life and decides to stage his own funeral - a surreal and poetic experience that changes him forever.
 
(2000) 93 min Not Rated
Director: Bahman Farmanara
Cafe Tales – June 17
 
Laikin Auditorium JCC 6701 Hoover Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46260 (map)
 
The Braun Café was once a gathering place for leading Israeli artists and intellectuals. When bulldozers threaten, a struggling writer bands together its modern “regulars” to save it.
 
(2003) 83 minutes Not Rated
Director: Amit Lior