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Spring Jewish Experience Series
FLICKERS:Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) is proud to present its Spring edition of the annual Roving
Eye International Film Festival™. The popular and acclaimed festival celebrating global cinema and artists, announces its 2015 sidebar program on the RWU Jewish Experience Series through short films, documentary, media and a guest speaker.
The event takes place April 14 & 19th, 2015. Through film and scholarship, the series tells the stories of the Jewish experience globally—stories of joy and sorrow, faith, diasporas, rich culture, fear and hope—stories that must be told again and again. The series is hosted by the Rev. Nancy Hamlin Soukup, University Multifaith Chaplain, RWU.
All programming is free of charge and open to the public and screened on the campus of Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI.
The RWU Spring Jewish Experience Series is a sidebar of the Roving Eye International Film Festival, presented in partnership with the Edwin S. Soforenko Foundation, FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival, the RWU Department of Communication the RWU Feinstein College of Arts and Sciences, Dean Robert Eisinger, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Roberta Adams, the RWU Film Production Collaborative, the RWU Screenwriter’s Guild, RWU Hillel, and the Spiritual Life Office.
TUESDAY, April 14th:
5:00 p.m.
Location: Global Heritage Hall, Room 01
Hosted by Rev. Nancy Hamlin Soukup, University Multifaith Chaplain, RWU
Homeless brothers Majid (15) and Adel (11) try to survive their daily lives in a war-torn country. They attend school and work in their spare time, but life gets harder day by day.
DAILY BREAD
Directed by: Betsy Tsai | 9 min. | 2015, USA
In the middle of night, Omer and Yoni, two Israeli Jewish brothers, encounter Khalid, a Palestinian boy from the West Bank. A fight ensues, resulting in a broken leg. The boys are uncertain of what to do. There are glimpses of the influential family members in the boys' lives, from a recent IDF veteran, an ex-prisoner brother, and parents who are often at odds about how to raise their children in a conflict zone. The varied histories, sentiments, divisions, and desperation of both families surface through the boys' memories, and ultimately in their discordant approaches to the situation at hand.
ECHAD MISHLOSHA (One Out of Three)
Directed by: Sivan Ben Ari | 55 min. | 2014, Israel
Ricki divorced her husband three years ago. Together with her daughter Noor, she moved in with her elder brother Yakir and his partner Ran. That temporary living arrangement became an especially alternative family when Ricki, her brother and his partner decide to have a child together and become a parenting trio. They face many challenges along the way and are forced to create their own family rules. Documented over the course of three years, this unique relationship raises fascinating questions about the conventional family. At the same time it depicts a very unusual relationship between a sister and her brother, torn between their mutually dependent relationship and their desire to live autonomous, independent lives.
About our Guest Speaker, Israeli filmmaker, Yonty Freisem:
Yonathan Friesem is an award-winning producer and media educator from Israel. He is the manager of the Media Education Lab at the Harrington School of communication and Media, the University of Rhode Island. As part of his doctoral research Yonathan studies the psychological and sociological effects of youth media. His goal to bridge cultures around the world is being realized in the Harrington School community media outreach with youth video production initiatives - starting fifteen years ago working with Arab and Jews adolescents till his recent workshop with First Star URI Academy with RI foster kids.
SUNDAY, April 19th:
1:00 p.m.
Location: Mary Tefft White Cultural Center, RWU Library
Hosted by the Rev. Nancy Hamlin Soukup, RWU Multifaith Chaplain
PASTRAMI
Directed by: Richard Böhringer | 7 min. | 2014, Germany, Israel
Hearing the rocket sirens, an Israeli family stops their car at the site of the road and ducks for cover. The father realizes, that he has to find an explaining for this unusual event to his scared son.
WHAT CHEER?
Directed by: Michael Slavens | 17 min. | 2014, USA
After the sudden passing of his wife, Stan (Richard Kind) finds himself in a state of shock. He tries to ignore his pain but finds himself followed by inescapable grief, or rather, followed by the inescapable What Cheer? Brigade, a 20-piece brass and percussion band drowning out his world with boisterous, ear-numbing song.
FLORY'S FLAME
Directed by: Curt Fissel | 58 min. | 2014, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Spain, USA
Flory's Flame weaves the life story of 90 year old US National Heritage Fellow musician Flory Jagoda with her September 2013 Celebration Concert at the US Library of Congress. The combined personal and musical overviews initially transport the viewer to the roots of Spanish Jewish life before the Inquisition, often considered the golden age for this community. The documentary's path continues in the former Yugoslavia, where the traditions were preserved by Flory's musical family for centuries after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. The story culminates in the US, Flory's home since the end of World War II, where she has brought her heritage to international audiences through her highly acclaimed musical compositions and performances.
3:00 p.m.
Location: Mary Tefft White Cultural Center, RWU Library
Hosted by the Rev. Nancy Hamlin Soukup, RWU Multifaith Chaplain
On August 9th 2006 a platoon of Israeli paratroopers operating in Dabel Miri, a Lebanese village, was hit by a Cornet missile fired by Hezbollah. Nine soldiers were killed. Ben Sela was one of them. He planned to devour the world but managed only a small taste. One of the formative journeys in his short life was to Mongolia, a year before the war in Lebanon. Ben and Avsha, riding horses, crossed the challenging Mongolian wilderness. Six years after his death his parents, joined by Avsha, are planning to follow his journey. They will go to the end of the world to get closer, as much as possible, to their beautiful child that is no longer with them.
DRAW BACK THE CURTAIN
Directed by: Shir Bodner | 56 min. | 2014, USA
Twenty-five years have passed since the fall of the Iron Curtain and the arrival of former Soviet Union refugees to Richmond, Virginia. After decades of closed door policies under communism, liberalization in the 1980's allowed for Jewish emigration. With over a million emigres, mass resettlement efforts ensued in the United States. Draw Back the Curtain captures the experiences of resettlement and the Richmond community volunteers who welcomed them. The documentary explores dimensions of immigration, acculturation, and identity while weaving through the stories of thirty individuals. Whether they came as children or later in life, they share challenges and nostalgia for what they left behind, yet proudly identify themselves as American
5:30 p.m.
Location: Global Heritage Hall, 01
Hosted by the Rev. Nancy Hamlin Soukup, RWU Multifaith Chaplain
MUSIC AND ART AS CATALYSTS FOR CHANGE
Director Michele Noble will be in attendance and participate in a Q&A with Guest Host, Andrew Lund.
JOURNEY 4 ARTISTS
Directed by Michele Noble | 99 min. | 2014, USA
Journey 4 Artists is a unique documentary feature that demonstrates how the power of music has the ability to elevate both the performer and audience beyond divergent religious, political, and ideological boundaries.
In this documentary, world music serves as a catalyst for four artists from Jewish and Muslim cultures who come together and share their extraordinary passion and purpose which is to make music that transcends the discordance of our complex world. We experience their journey through the eyes of a child as he witnesses their masterful performances of over twenty world music folk songs sung in English, Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Russian, Bosnian, and French.
Their incredible performances of their beloved world music was recorded live as if in an intimate European artists' salon. Each of the 4 detail their own persona; journey as they give their in depth, heartfelt perspective about art, music, culture and their lifelong commitment to furthering humanity and peace.
The Journey 4 Artists are: Theodore Bikel - Austrian born Jewish folksinger/activist/Oscar nominated actor Tamara Brooks - Gypsy born Jewish pianist/conductor Shura Lipovsky - Dutch born Jewish activist/dancer/singer Merima Kljuco - Bosnian born concert accordionist/composer.
Journey 4 Artists is an authentic, poignant and sometimes difficult exploration of the human spirit through an artful blend of music, personal narrative and visual history, all of which demonstrates how far we all have come while encouraging us to continue our movement forward.
About our Guest Speakers:
Michele Noble graduated from the USC film school and is a screenwriter, film director and producer. Over the years, she has worked with both independent producers and studio producers/executives at Universal, Warner Bros., and Paramount.
Ms. Noble has also directed stage plays produced in Los Angeles, Westport and London. In addition, Noble served as the associate producer/director on Emmy award winning documentaries for network television which dealt with topics such as teenage alcoholism, poverty and aging. She has also worked as an assistant director and film editor on independent feature films guiding many first time directors through the nuts and bolts of filmmaking.
Ms. Noble won honors at the Deauville Film Festival in France for the independent feature film, Runaway Dreams, written by award winning British screenwriter, John Hopkins (Smiley’s People, Thunderball, Hiroshima). In 2003, she formed Noble Alberghetti Films with her producing partner, Paul Alberghetti. Since then they have developed several film and television projects such as the feature screenplays, Fallen Eagle with Peabody award winner producer/writer, Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), and No Good Deed with Emmy Award winning actor/producer Noah Wyle (ER). Most recently, Noble and Alberghetti produced together the documentary, Journey 4 Artists and the experimental film, New York Summer Project.
New York Summer Project, a fifty minute experimental film which Noble wrote, produced and directed attracted a remarkable cast of well known talented actors: Kathryn Erbe (Law and Order: Criminal Intent), Adam Rothenberg (Mad Money, Ripper Street), James Roday (Psych), Gale Harold (Queer as Folk), Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie), Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) and Curtiss Cook (The Interpreter). New York Summer Project is based on Michele Noble’s feature length screenplay, the Revolution, which she intends to direct and produce with Alberghetti next year.
Andrew Lund, a filmmaker and entertainment lawyer, Andrew is an Associate Professor and Director of the Integrated Media Arts MFA Program in the Film & Media Department at Hunter College of the City University of New York and a Faculty Associate at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute; he is also a faculty member of the Film Studies Department at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and has taught in the Graduate Film Division of Columbia University, where he received J.D., M.F.A. and B.A. degrees. Brief Reunion, a feature film that Andrew produced and co-edited, won the top prize for narrative filmmaking at the 2011 UFVA conference and the Audience Award for Best Film at New York’s 2011 Gotham International Film Festival. My Last Day Without You, on which Andrew served as executive producer, recently won the top producing honors at the 2011 Brooklyn International Film Festival and will be released theatrically in Europe this fall. Andrew is the Executive Producer of nine feature films, including The Hungry Ghosts, written and directed by Michael Imperioli; Vanaja, named by Roger Ebert as one of the top five foreign films of 2007, and Arranged, an international hit that Variety called “a pure pleasure to watch” Andrew has also written and directed five award winning short films. In addition to worldwide festival screenings and television broadcasts, his shorts are included in film textbooks, DVD compilations, and distributed theatrically and non-theatrically. Andrew founded and curates CinemaTalks, the independent film screening and discussion series, and he created the Short Film Repository, which houses educational extras that support short filmmaking. Andrew’s writing on film includes an essay, “What’s a Short Film, Really?” in “Swimming Upstream: A Lifesaving Guide to Short Film Distribution” by Sharon Badal, numerous book reviews for the journal, Film International, and two books on independent filmmaking in the works for Peter Lang Publishers.
7:30 p.m.
Location: Global Heritage Hall, Atrium
CLOSING NIGHT RECEPTION
Join as we conclude our celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Roving Eye International Film Festival, a unique collaboration between Roger Williams University and Flickers: Rhode Island International Film Festival. All programming for the Festival has been produced by students in the Curation and Film Production Class that includes: Bernadette Benman, Laura Burchett, Eli DeFaria, Hannah Marie DuPont, Clayton Durant, Hayley Durno, Olivia Fritz, Ryan Harper, Jeremy Marsh, Madison May, Gabriela Medeiros, Christian Moran, Stephanie Nisbet, Timmy Sclafani, Nicole Siino, Christopher Wade, Ian Waldron with support from Andrew Burgess, Alex Campbell, Francis Ferdinand and Ronald Scofield.
For more information, contact the Spiritual Life Program at Roger Williams University, email nsoukup@rwu.edu. Directions to Roger Williams University can be found at www.rwu.edu
ABOUT ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY:
Roger Williams University, located on the coast of Bristol, R.I., is a forward-thinking private university with 45 undergraduate majors spanning the liberal arts and the professions, where students become community-minded citizens through project-based, experiential learning. With small classes, direct access to faculty and boundless opportunity for real-world projects, RWU students develop the ability to think critically while simultaneously building the practical skills that today’s employers demand. In the two years since launching its signature Affordable Excellence initiative, the University has established itself as a leader in American higher education by confronting the most pressing issues facing students and families – increasing costs that limit access to college, rising debt and the job readiness of graduates. In addition to its 4,000 undergraduates, RWU is home to more than a dozen graduate programs, a thriving School of Continuing Studies based in Providence as well as Rhode Island’s only law school. For more information, go to: www.rwu.edu
ABOUT FLICKERS: RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:
The FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) has secured its place in the global community as the portal for the best in international independent cinema, earning the respect of domestic and foreign filmmakers, filmgoers and trend watchers. This confluence of art and commerce brought together world-class celebrities, award-winning filmmakers, new talent and audience members in record numbers last year. Ranked as one of the top-10 festivals in the United States, RIIFF is one of 19 festivals worldwide that is a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards® in both short film and documentary short film through its partnership with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences®.
For more information about the FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival, running Aug. 4-9, 2015 at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) and The Vets (formerly Veterans Memorial Auditorium), please visit call 401.861.4445.
RWU PARKING INFORMATION:From Providence: Take Routes 136 South or 114 S passing campus on the left. Take a left at the traffic light just before the Mount Hope Bridge, onto Old Ferry Road. Take the first right into the parking lot.
From Newport: Take 114N over the Mount Hope Bridge and take the first right off the bridge onto Old Ferry Road. Take the first right into the parking lot.
Guests should enter through the main entrance at the fountain. they will be able to obtain a guest parking pass. Lot 24a will be blocked off for guests of the festival. Proceed through the main entrance through to the lot 24a on left. This event will take place in the Mary Tefft White Cultural Center and the Global Heritage Hall.
The 2015 Roving Eye International Film Festival is sponsored by The RI Film & the Television Office; Flickers; Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, Edge Media Network, the Edwin S. Soforenko Foundation; the Helene and Bertram Bernhardt Foundation; Roger Williams University Office of the Provost; the RWU Department of Communication, the RWU Department of Political Science, the RWU Feinstein College of Arts and Sciences, Dean Robert Eisinger, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Roberta Adams, the RWU Film Production Collaborative, the RWU Screenwriter’s Guild, RWU Hillel, and the Spiritual Life Office.
WHAT CHEER?
JOURNEY 4 ARTISTS 
