Biographies

Advocate

About the Film 
In this DocAviv best film winner, a controversial Jewish lawyer pushes Israeli courts to the limit in an unwavering defense of Palestinian rights. For nearly 50 years, Lea Tsemel has represented Palestinian prisoners in what she views as a rigged legal system. High-profile court cases are juxtaposed with flashbacks to her leftist awakening and attempts to raise a family, as this outspoken anti-establishment figure is astutely examined.
Genre 
Documentary
Running Time 
114 minutes

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Alan Pakula: Going for Truth

About the Film 
In this eulogy to a brilliant life tragically cut short, Hollywood remembers the visionary behind many of the 20th century’s most provocative films, including All the President’s Men, Sophie’s Choice and To Kill a Mockingbird. Of Polish-Jewish descent, Pakula’s ethos is manifest in stories of heart and suspense, and themes of moral malfeasance. Interviews with cinema luminaries, and copious movie clips, confirm his exceptional reputation and give the reclusive filmmaker his due.
Genre 
Documentary
Running Time 
110 minutes

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Aulcie

About the Film 
One of Israel’s top athletes captures the nation’s spirit while prevailing against the odds, in this exciting bio of a basketball icon. From Harlem’s courts to Maccabi Tel Aviv ‘76, Aulcie Perry helped Israel win its first European Championship. But fame led to a dramatic downfall, then ultimate redemption, for this superstar who put Israeli basketball on the map.
Genre 
Documentary
Running Time 
72 minutes

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Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn

About the Film 
An unflinching look at one of the country’s most vilified figures, this riveting profile of the closeted, self-loathing power broker reveals the man behind the Machiavellian mask. From McCarthyism’s chief architect to Trump mentor, Cohn’s amoral career stained U.S. politics. Filmmaker Ivy Meeropol, granddaughter of the Rosenbergs, executed as spies, adds a personal prism to this interrogatory account.
Genre 
Documentary
Running Time 
94 minutes

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A Cantor's Head

About the Film 

One of the world’s leading cantorial masters departs the bema, prompting questions about the fading tradition of Jewish sacred music. With an outsized Brooklyn persona and phenomenal voice, Cantor Jack Mendelson utterly leaps off the screen. But after 29 years, his synagogue prefers a younger cantor. With emotion, Mendelson and other experts explain a centuries-long art form, and what its loss represents.

Genre 
Documentary
Running Time 
87 minutes

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Golda

About the Film 
Israel’s only female prime minister defends her clouded legacy in this engrossing portrait backboned by a surprisingly candid, unaired TV interview buttressed by testimonials from devotees and detractors alike, which charts Golda’s trailblazing rise to power and her tragic demise.
Genre 
Documentary
Running Time 
88 minutes

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Jay Myself

About the Film 
After 50 years amassing random items in his Lower Manhattan mansion, revered photographer Jay Maisel plans to depart his Bowery nest. His iconic work includes magazine and album covers, advertising, and street photography. A compulsive collector, he crammed every corner of “The Bank”—his 72-room dwelling—with copious miscellany. But as it’s emptied, a melancholy Maisel waxes philosophical, resulting in an affectionate ode to a noteworthy life, the attritions of age, and the end of an era.
Genre 
Documentary
Running Time 
79 minutes

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The Keeper

About the Film 
An ex-Nazi plays soccer for salvation in this rousing, romantic, epic true story. No longer a British POW, the Manchester City team hires Bert Trautmann as goalkeeper, where he arouses the interest of the club manager’s daughter, and the post-war ire of fans. Famously playing the ‘56 FA Cup Final with a broken neck, Trautmann’s tale tells of how sports can unite.
Genre 
Narrative
Running Time 
118 minutes

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The Mover

About the Film 
Latvia’s Oscar entry, this gripping, ominous drama tells of real worker Žanis Lipke—Latvia’s Schindler—honored for his courage during WWII. Žanis and his wife are unlikely heroes, suffering under the Soviets and Germans. When the Nazis begin moving Jews from a nearby ghetto into forced-labor camps, Žanis embarks on a covert mission to save them from certain death.
Genre 
Narrative
Running Time 
87 minutes

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Oliver Sacks: His Own Life

About the Film 
British-born neurologist and literary giant Oliver Sacks is posthumously feted in this profoundly engaging, deeply personal memoir. Known by the film Awakenings, early fame came from his brilliant writings on cognitive disorders and natural world splendors. Sacks battled drugs, homophobia, and a skeptical medical establishment, and after a terminal diagnosis, vividly faces the meaning of his existence.
Genre 
Documentary
Running Time 
114 minutes

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