Anti-Semitism. Nazis. The Holocaust. The very mention of "Jewish film" tends to make these visions of pain resonate heavily in the mind - procuring the grayest, most depressing memories of Life is Beautiful, Schindler's List, The Pianist...
If not the Holocaust, however, one thinks of pop culture's portrayals of Judaism, the comedy of Seinfeld and SNL's Hanukkah Harry.
But, Judaism and film encompasses so much more.
This Saturday through Monday, the Carolina Theatre presents the fifth Annual Jewish Film Festival right here in Durham. Wanting this festival to shatter all stereotypes, Jim Carl, the Carolina's director of programming, speaks to the festival's spirit: "To be honest, I don't like themes. When planning this festival, our goal was to show a bunch of good films that had roots in Jewish culture - films that appeal to a lot of different people."
The selection of films premieres modern masterpieces like Constantin Costa-Gavras' Amen and John Cusack's Max (a provocative "what if" about the early days of Hitler), as well as foreign flicks, documentaries and low-budgeters that explore homosexuality, communism, Hollywood...
...and even Southern culture.
"Southern Jews?" you ask.
Oh yeah, this isn't transplanted Jewish families relocating to the Triangle or retiring in Dade County; it's about generations of Jewish culture that even predates the Civil War.
Shalom Y'all - a documentary tracing the history of Southern Jews - is one of the centerpieces of the festival, garnering its "best emerging film" prize. The film begins with director Brian Bain speaking to his 99-year-old grandfather and coming to the realization that he has never really thought about being either Southern or Jewish. Left shellshocked, Bain then embarks on a journey to retrace that cultural heritage.
But what makes this film work within the greater scope of the festival lies in its broad appeal.
"We definitely wanted this to resonate as much as an American story as a Southern and Jewish one," producer Susan Levitas said. "Over the generations, you come to grips with this sense of being American, and coming from this strong cultural background; it's sort of how you balance the two and who you are in relation to it.... We've crossed over into a lot of mainstream film festivals, and that's when we realized our message was getting through."
Shalom Y'all just scratches the surface. No matter your culture or background, you will be able to find something at the festival that will resonate within you.
You might just learn something about yourself.
- Tom Roller
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