ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL 2010 (26 AUG - 5 SEP 2010)
TICKETING INFORMATION
Ticketing opens Thursday 12 Aug. Tickets at $10 each.
> Information provided is correct at time of printing and subject to changes due to circumstances beyond the festival organisers’ control.
> Concession tickets at $9 are available for Singapore Film Society members only, upon presentation of valid membership card at The Picturehouse Box Office. Only one concession ticket is valid per membership, per screening.
FILM INFORMATION
Five Hours from Paris
Screening Details:
Friday 27 Aug - 7.15pm ** (Special Screening) The Picturehouse Explores
& Saturday 04 Sep - 9.30pm
synopsis
Is it ever too late for love? Pensive, French chanson-loving cabbie Yigal (Dror Keren) is a mild mannered divorcee who tries to overcome his fear of flying to fulfil the only dream he has left- to go to Paris . He meets and falls for Lena (Elena Yaralova), a former concert pianist and his son’s Russian music teacher who has been left behind by her husdand Grisha (Vladimir Friedman). Unfolding in a working-class suburb of Tel Aviv, this tenderly handled feature is a wistful marriage of comedy and romance. When two people who gave up their dreams meet, can they find a way to dream together?
** THE PICTUREHOUSE EXPLORES
The Picturehouse Explores: Five Hours From Paris with Director Leonid Prudovsky.
Official movie screening will be followed by a discussion with the Director, 9pm at
The Picturehouse Lounge,
Level 5, The Cathay.
To reserve your attendance email: thepicturehouse@cathay.com.sg
$9.99
Screening Details:
Sunday 29 Aug - 7.15pm & Thursday 02 Sep - 9.30pm
synopsis
"Have you ever wondered 'What is the meaning of life? Why do we exist?' The answer to this vexing question is now within your reach! You'll find it in a small yet amazing booklet, which will explain; in easy to follow; your reason for being! The booklet, printed on the finest paper, contains illuminating, exquisite color pictures, and could be yours for a mere $9.99." This is the ad that opens this Australian- Israeli production and alters the life of unemployed, 28 year-old Dave Peck. In his struggle to share his find with the world, Dave's surreal path crosses with those of his unusual neighbors: an old man and his disgruntled guardian angel, a magician in debt, a bewitching woman who likes her men extra smooth, and a little boy who sets his piggy bank free. Together- can they find the meaning of life?
Miss Entebbe
Screening Details:
Monday 30 Aug - 7.15pm & Saturday 04 Sep - 3pm
synopsis
Set during the summer of 1976 in Jerusalem when Palestinian terrorists hijack an air France aircraft full with Israelis. Noa, a 13 year old Isreali girl, knows one of the hostages and she decides to take action to free the aircraft. Noa and a group of kids decide to hold a hostage of their own; they abduct an Arab boy working at their building and demand the release of the aircraft in exchange to his release. Their plan backfires when the boy turns out to create a problem of another kind. Noa and her friends discover that the solution is not to be found in the violent adult world and scope of behavior, but rather within their own hearts. Director Omri Levy cleverly brings out not only the story of Noa, and society's influence on her, but also her constant stumbling comprehension of life, from the wild enthusiasm of early childhood to the tentative explorations at the arrival of adolescence.
THE DEBT
Screening Details:
Friday 03 Sep - 7.15pm & Sunday 05 Sep - 5pm
synopsis
As her retirement unfurls, ex-Mossad agent Rachel (Gila Almagor) unexpectedly comes face to face with a long-buried demon from her past in this haunting psychological thriller. The highlight of Rachel's career at central intelligence was the successful track down a long-elusive Nazi war criminal ominously nicknamed "The Surgeon of Birkenau." Now, in the mid-90s, Rachel finds out that elderly gentleman in a Kiev, Ukraine nursing home, insists that he is actually the "real" surgeon. Director Bernstein blends 1960s spy film visual style with the tale of a woman in her golden years summoned to perform one last mission, checking off an old assignment.
The Troupe
Screening Details:
Sunday 29 Aug - 5pm & Wednesday 01 Sep - 7.15pm
synopsis
Can Israeli soldiers sing? This musical comedy is set in 1967 following the Six-Day War in Israel. It follows the story of twelve young men and women, all members of an Israeli Army entertainment troupe. They perform comedy and singing acts through bus trips and stage shows, taking time to follow a few romances and friendships along the way. But how do you deal with a director who is also your commanding officer? How would the performing divas take orders? And how similar is an army battle to a battle for the lead part? A cult favourite in Israel, The Troupe impeccably showcases the soldier entertainers, the real personal and worldly tensions they face daily, and how they might get under each other's skin but when the chips are down they will rally to stick together.
The Policeman
Screening Details:
Saturday 28 Aug - 3pm & Tuesday 31 Aug - 7.15pm
synopsis
This hilarious heart warming, bittersweet comedy is set in Jaffa, Israel. The Policeman- Azulai (Shaike Ophir) is beloved by everyone who knows him - his police colleagues and the criminals he is chasing. He is also completely inept at law enforcement. He has been on the force for 20 years, and his contract is up for renewal. His police superiors cannot bring themselves to keep him on, despite their love of him. The gang of robbers who live in his district and also adore the kind sweet man are afraid that a more competent policeman will replace him. They arrange for Azulai to catch them red-handed in a nefarious crime- just so that the police keeps him in the force. This however takes a lot of doing, as naive useless Azulai keeps missing the obvious clues they dangle in front of him.
BeauFort
Screening Details:
Thursday 26 Aug - 7pm & Saturday 28 Aug - 7pm
synopsis
Perched atop a mountain in southern Lebanon, the Beaufort Castle has passed from army to army for centuries. In the year 2000, Liraz, a 22 years old Israeli commander, and his men are in charge of defending the last outpost. This is their story not of war, but of retreat, a story of no enemy, but an amorphous entity that drops bombs from the skies.
The story is set in the last days before Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon. The young soldiers in their late teens and early twenties know the end of their mission is near; they will get to go home within a few days, they just have to survive until the order comes. Physically survive the constant bombing and mentally survive the troubling torturing question- what are we here for?
SCREENING SCHEDULE
| Screening Date | Time | Film Title | Rating |
| Thursday 26 Aug | 7pm | Beaufort | NC16 (Some Coarse Language) |
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| Friday 27 Aug | 7.15pm | Five Hours From Paris | PG (Some Sexual References) |
| ** (Special Screening) The Picturehouse Explores (see above at Film Information) | |||
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| Saturday 28 Aug | 3pm | The Policeman | PG |
| 7pm | Beaufort | NC16 (Some Coarse Language) | |
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| Sunday 29 Aug | 5pm | The Troupe | NC16 (Some Nudity) |
| 7.15pm | $9.99 | M18 (Nudity) | |
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| Monday 30 Aug | 7.15pm | Miss Entebbe | PG (Some Violence) |
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| Tuesday 31 Aug | 7.15pm | The Policeman | PG |
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| Wednesday 01 Sep | 7.15pm | The Troupe | NC16 (Some Nudity) |
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| Thursday 02 Sep | 9.30pm | $9.99 | M18 (Nudity) |
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| Friday 03 Sep | 7.15pm | The Debt | NC16 (Some Nudity & Violence) |
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| Saturday 04 Sep | 3pm | Miss Entebbe | PG (Some Violence) |
| 9.30pm | Five Hours From Paris | PG (Some Sexual References) | |
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| Sunday 05 Sep | 5pm | The Debt | NC16 (Some Nudity & Violence) |
- Information provided is correct at time of printing and subject to changes due to circumstances beyond the festival organisers’ control.
- All films come with English subtitles.
