Nova’s EDM [Electronic Dance Music] festival in the south of Israel drew young people from all over the world for a celebration of friendship, love, peace and freedom. But as the sun rose on Oct. 7, everything changed.
The dancing stopped as rockets cut through the sky and confusion morphed into fear as gunfire erupted amidst chaos. Violence in its rawest form brought terror to the unsuspecting festival-goers. The film “We Will Dance Again” offers a stark portrayal of the experiences of those who survived, and those who didn’t. The documentary meticulously reconstructs the events, capturing the raw emotions and heroism that emerged.
“We Will Dance Again” is one of six films to be screened at the 16th annual Israeli and Jewish Film Festival, which starts this week (Jan. 7) and runs the entire month at various venues. The festival originally began with Weinstein JCC showing only Israeli films. The goal was to create awareness and offer support to the young, fledgling Israeli film industry.
However, over the past 16 years, the Israeli film industry has grown and matured, with many movies having been considered for Academy Awards. “In recent years, since the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve chosen to expand our film festival to include not only Israeli films, but Jewish films as well,” says Leslie McGuigan, senior director of programs at the Weinstein JCC. “Together, the films make up a robust lineup we’re hoping will educate and entertain.”
Through a broad selection of both Israeli and international Jewish films, the festival isn’t just seeking to encourage Jewish and Israeli artistic expression, it wants to foster dialogue, debate and education—cornerstones of understanding. Primarily, it strives to provide a grasp of Israel’s history and an exploration of its social and cultural diversity.
Sponsored by the Weinstein JCC, the festival represents the work of a community of volunteers, some of whom serve on the film selection committee. The committee makes recommendations of which films to show based on criteria such as technical quality and storyline.
“They strive to create a lineup that has wide appeal to the Richmond audience with a diversity of film genres such as comedy, drama and documentary,” McGuigan says. “They also take into account such things as film length and whether films have been nominated or have won Israel’s version of the Oscars, the Ophir Awards [named after Israeli actor Shaike Ophir].”
“All About the Levkoviches” uses delightfully mordant humor and genuine warmth for an appealing domestic story, from Hungarian filmmaker Adam Breier. The film follows a Jewish father and son on the winding path toward reconciliation after the death of the family matriarch. Beautifully acted, the story perfectly balances comedy and compassion.
Screenings are held at various locations, including the Byrd Theatre, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, the University of Richmond and the Weinstein JCC. “By showing our films at different venues throughout the city, we can engage different, more diverse audiences,” says McGuigan. “Our hope is that people who may not be familiar with Jewish or Israeli culture, or even the Weinstein JCC, will attend one of our film screenings and learn something they didn’t know before.”
A moving place to start is with the documentary “999: The Forgotten Girls,” which relates the fate of nearly 1,000 young Slovak Jewish women, mostly teenagers. After being told by their government that they were embarking on a volunteer work assignment, the young women were instead illegally deported to Auschwitz on what was the first Jewish transport to the Nazi death camp.
The artistry of filmmaker Heather Dune Macadam is in the deep research and vivid detail she brings forth. Instead of just focusing on the suffering and death experienced by most of the girls, she tells stories of a small group who survived against all odds under unimaginable conditions that lasted more than three grueling years.
In true film festival fashion, and because many of the films touch upon important social, cultural and political issues that are relevant throughout the world today—not just to Israel and Jews—screenings are followed by discussions led by directors and moderators with ties to the subject. “Post-film discussions allow the audience to dig deeper into the meaning of the film and oftentimes hear directly from the filmmaker,” McGuigan says. “Engaging the audience through discussion enhances the film-goer experience overall.”
The annual Israeli and Jewish Film festival attracts approximately 1,500 people each year. It has received financial support from the University of Virginia through a Virginia Humanities Grant, which supports work that “explores the stories of Virginians, as well as issues and questions impacting the lives of Virginians today,” according to a press release from the festival. The first film, “We Will Dance Again,” screens this week on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at the Byrd Theatre (see a complete list of the month’s films after the story).
The festival’s stated goal of fostering dialogue seems to have increased potential since the breakout of the Israeli-Hamas War on Oct. 7, 2023, which as of early December had resulted in the deaths of over 45,000 Palestinians, 1,706 Israeli, over 220 humanitarian aid workers, and nearly 160 journalists and media workers, according to various news reports and the United Nations.
McGuigan says that there has been a lot of misinformation about Israel and the Jews.
“There’s also been a marked increase in antisemitism and hate aimed towards the Jews,” she says. “It’s more important than ever to educate people about Israel and Jewish culture. We have shown hundreds of films over the past 16 years about Israel—its history, politics and culture—and continue to strive to create awareness and understanding through our festival.”
The 16th Annual Israeli and Jewish Film Festival runs Jan. 7-26 at various locations around Richmond. Nonsubscribers can purchase tickets for $12 (Weinstein JCC members) or $15 (nonmembers). All-films passes can be purchased for $65 (JCC members) or $84 (nonmembers). Below is a list of the films being screened. For more information about Arts + Ideas programs and to purchase subscriptions or individual tickets, visit www.weinsteinjcc.org or go here for Tickets
Film Festival Schedule
The 16th Annual Israeli and Jewish Film Festival
“We Will Dance Again”
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Location: The Byrd Theatre, 2908 W. Cary St.
Organizer’s notes: “Co-presented by Jewish Community Federation of Richmond; a 90-minute documentary in English and Hebrew with English subtitles; recommended for ages 16+ due to some images and content that may be disturbing; pre-registration is required and must present government-issued ID at check-in; free for students; parking at the deck directly behind the theatre off Colonial Avenue is recommended (cost is $1 for 12 hours).”
“Running On Sand”
Date: Sunday, Jan. 12 at 1 p.m.
Location: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.
Notes: Co presented by the VMFA; a 108-minute drama in Hebrew with English subtitles
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“Moses Ezekiel: Portrait of a Lost Artist”
Date: Sunday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m.
Location: Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.
Notes: Co-presented by the VMHC; a 56-minute documentary; post-screen discussion with film director Steven Pressman will share additional insights
“All About the Levkoviches”
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.
Location: Weinstein JCC, 5403 Monument Ave.
Notes: An 85-minute drama in Hungarian and Hebrew with English subtitles
“Israel Swings for Gold”
Date: Sunday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m.
Location: Jepson Alumni Center, University of Richmond, 442 Westhampton Way
Notes: Presented in partnership with University of Richmond Hillel; a 77-minute documentary in English; post-screening discussion with Nate Mulberg (coach for U of R and Team Israel); pre-registration is required; free for U of R students
“999: The Forgotten Girls”
Date: Sunday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.
Location: Weinstein JCC, 5403 Monument Ave.
Notes: In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day; co-presented by the Virginia Holocaust Museum; an 86-minute documentary; post-screening discussion with Heather Dune Macadam – director, author, and historian whose acclaimed book 999 was adapted into this powerful documentary
