There are plenty of award-winning films coming to Madison in the next few days. But don't look for them in the multiplexes and don't expect to see them honored at this year's Oscars. The upcoming exemplary movies are part of the Daniel Goldstein Israeli Film Festival.
Thursday night brought the first film of the festival, \Late Marriage,"" and a packed house at the Majestic Theater, 115 King St. The movie shows a group of Georgian immigrants in Israel dealing with their son's affair with a divorced mother. With abundant humor and complex characters, ""Late Marriage"" satisfied the audience's expectations. After the movie, a bustling reception indicated that the rest of the festival will not disappoint.
This weekend the festival continues with five full-length films from Israel and a compilation of student films from students at the Ma'ale School in Jerusalem. The films have collectively acquired 24 Israeli Academy Awards. The full-length features are in Hebrew and include subtitles in English. Shirin Ezekiel, Israeli program director at Hillel, said the festival sprung from the interest of both members of the Jewish organization and the Madison community in viewing films from Israel.
""At Hillel there was a lot of excitement at the possibility of having an Israeli film festival,"" she said.
Ezekiel said the films bring an abundance of perspectives of Israel and present sides of the nation that are not seen on the news. The films don't ignore pressing issues of the Jewish state, and provide more complex portraits of Israel than just the tensions with Palestinians, she said. Lauren Weitz, a junior with Hillel, will be presenting ""Song of the Siren"" for the festival. The film tells the story of Talia Katz, a 32-year-old who pays more attention to her love life than the sirens blaring in the city of Tel-Aviv and the scuds in the skies. Though the film takes place during the Gulf War, Weitz said it deals more with normality than crisis.
""It's about how life goes on, like in any other country,"" Weitz said.
Other films depict the life of Jews trying to find their nation. With romance and comedy, ""Yana's Friends"" shows how Russian immigrants deal with a move to Israel. ""Over the Ocean"" is told through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy. It examines how a Jewish family handles their transition from their homeland to North America.
Lina Dreyfus, a program assistant at Hillel, said the films create a complex picture of modern Israeli life. The festival portrays Israeli culture as diverse and unique, she said.
""This is a way of bringing information about Israel from a totally different perspective,"" she said.
For Greg Steinberger, executive director of Hillel, the festival is a way to bring more attention to a younger crowd of filmmakers. He said Hillel is also planning a festival for Jewish student filmmakers.
Steinberger said part of the reason behind the festival is embedded within Jewish culture itself. Jews, he said, live in a public society that celebrates involvement in the arts. That involvement gives Steinberger optimism for the popularity of the festival.
He said most of the free tickets have already been distributed but will not rest with the success of this year's festival. Steinberger is looking forward to next year's shows, where he anticipates a collection of new pictures.
""Next year I hope we'll be able to show films that are right off the Israeli screen,"" he said.
