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Maine Jewish Film Festival
March 18, 2017 – March 19, 2017
$8 – $10The Maine Jewish Film Festival is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide a forum for the presentation of films to enrich, educate and entertain a diverse community about the global Jewish experience. Now in its twentieth year, this year's festival will screen films in Portland, Waterville, Brunswick, and Lewiston, March 15-25, 2017. The Waterville screenings, which all take place at Railroad Square on March 18-19, are listed below:
Saturday, March 18
7:30 p.m.: The Last Laugh
Is it ever acceptable to make jokes about the Holocaust? When is it “too soon” after a tragedy? This lively film delves deep into pop-culture to find out where or even whether to draw those lines. With Mel Brooks, Sarah Silverman, Louis CK, Chris Rock, Rob Reiner and others. (Unrated, 93 min.)
Listen to a radio interview with the director of THE LAST LAUGH and comic Gilbert Gottfried
Sunday, March 19
12:00 p.m.: White Night/A Demonstration in The White City, followed by discussion with filmmaker Tal Haim Yoffe
White Night: Every night, Arab domestic laborers living in the Occupied Territories risk their lives sneaking through the security barrier to clean houses in Jerusalem. These extraordinary, determined, strong, fearless women maneuver their lives between men who forbid them to work and Israeli soldiers who pursue them.
White City: 10,000 asylum seekers from Eritrea and the Sudan and Israeli supporters gather for a demonstration. This documentary jewel captures the streets of Tel Aviv while providing invaluable insight into Israel’s political and cultural history.
(Unrated, in Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles, 95 min.)
2:45 p.m.: The Women’s Balcony
The Collapse of a women’s balcony in a synagogue in Jerusalem sets off a war between the sexes when an ultra Orthodox Rabbi decides to replace it with a small room behind bars. A funny and endearing film that recognizes complex relationships and challenges perceptions of women’s and men’s roles. (Unrated, in Hebrew with English subtitles, 93 min.)
Read the L.A. Times review of THE WOMEN’S BALCONY
7:30 p.m. A Quiet Heart
Starring Ania Bukstein (Game of Thrones). A professional pianist seeks refuge from the pressures of the concert stage in an ultra-orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood. Rejecting pressure to conform to the religious lifestyle, she receives escalating anonymous threats. This film conveys an air of creeping unease that leads to a surprising resolution. (Unrated, in Italian and Hebrew with English subtitles, 92 min.)
Special Ticket Prices Per Showing: $10/$8 Seniors and Students