UK Jewish Film Festival opens with Shtisel star

After presenting mostly digital editions for the past two years the UK Jewish Film Festival is returning to cinemas in London and across the nation, from 10 – 20 November 2022.  A selection of films will also be available online.

Shitsel’s Sasson Gabay (above, right). who played Nuchum is the star of the opening night gala movie, Karaoke. Directed by Moshe Rosenthal, the razor-sharp, funny and heartfelt film  follows long-term married couple Meir (Gabay) and Tova (Rita Shukrun), who are stuck in a rut until a chance encounter with a hedonistic new neighbour (Lior Ashkenazi) leads them to a night of karaoke in his penthouse apartment. With Meir now coming out of his shell and Tova rediscovering her passion for life, the pair find their relationship, and the way they see themselves, drastically changing as they become increasingly enamoured by the life and opportunities offered by their new friend.

Lior Ashkenazi will introduce the film and on November 20,  Call My Agent! director Stéphane Freiss will introduce his film, Where Life Begins at the Closing Night Gala.

Set on a bucolic farm in southern Italy, owner Elio (Riccardo Scamarcio, ) hosts an ultra-Orthodox family as they perform their sacred, annual task of harvesting etrogim (ritual lemons). Striking up a friendship with the family’s daughter Esther, who is unhappily engaged to be married, the film  is a tender, thought-provoking exploration of tradition, family and self-realisation.

A further highlight at this year’s festival is a Special Event UK premiere sof the mesmerising and poignant documentary, Three Minutes: A Lengthening. Composed entirely of a three-minute fragment of film from 1938, uncovered and tirelessly restored, this remarkable essay film captures the excitement of the people of a small Polish town prior to the war which would wipe most of them out.  The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s narrator Helena Bonham Carter.

The full UK Jewish Film Festival 2022 programme details will be announced shortly, including screenings, introductions, Q&As and more. For further information and announcements: ukjewishfilm.org/festival/uk-jewish-film- festival-2022/