Gold Coast International Film Festival is proud to present the best new Jewish and Israeli films as part of its 2023 Spotlight on Jewish Films. The GCIFF lineup showcases 5 critically acclaimed features comprised of a diverse collection of outstanding international narrative and documentary works, with special guest speaker question and answers following select screenings. All events will take place at the Manhasset Cinemas, 430 Plandome Rd. in Manhasset.
Schachten-A Retribution (March 14 at 7 p.m.; in German with English subtitles)
Schachten-A Retribution, which premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, is a thrilling historical drama that explores the lives of Austrian Jews in the years after World War II and the legacies of anti-Semitism and racism that follow them. When the legal system fails to secure punishment for the Nazi concentration camp commandant who tortured and murdered much of Victor’s family, the young businessman resolves to take the law into his own hands.
Israel Swings for Gold (March 16 at 7 p.m.)
Israel Swings for Gold follows the 2021 Israeli baseball team as they compete in the Olympics for the first time. With no media allowed in Tokyo’s Olympic Village, the players record their own experiences for the world to see. With a team of mostly newly minted Israelis, including one star pitcher from New Hyde Park, Long Island, they chronicle unexpected battles against anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism as they strive to show the world what they can accomplish.
Hummus Full Trailer (March 21 at 7 p.m.; in Hebrew with English subtitles)
Hummus Full Trailer is a satirical crime-filled comedy of errors that involves three trailers that have been smuggled into Israel. A mistake in the harbor brings together Arabs, Orthodox Jews and a gay couple that must join forces to solve the mishap.
Exodus 91 (March 23 at 7: p.m.; in Hebrew, Amharic, and English with English subtitles)
Exodus 91 follows Israeli diplomat, Asher Naim, on a seemingly insurmountable mission to bring 15,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel through Operation Solomon. In this vital, gripping film, a historical moment is brought to vivid life through a hybrid of documentary and dramatic narrative. Gold Coast’s screening of Exodus 91 includes a post-screening Q&A with Nassau County Legislator Mazi Pilip, herself an Ethiopian Jew who was rescued as a child through Operation Solomon.
America (March 28 at 7 p.m.; in Hebrew with English subtitles)
America, a colorful, affecting Israeli melodrama, follows an Israeli swimming tutor living in Chicago who returns to Israel after 10 years away to bury his father. An encounter with a beloved childhood friend and his newly engaged girlfriend will set a series of events in motion that will affect everyone’s lives forever.
For more information on each film and to purchase tickets visit www.goldcoastarts.org.
The 2023 Spotlight on Jewish Film is made possible by the generous support of The Bristal Assisted Living, Sumi & Michael Glickman and Micki & Dohn S. Schildkraut.
About Gold Coast Arts
Gold Coast Arts is a 501(c)(3) multi-arts organization dedicated to promoting the arts through education, exhibition, performance, and outreach. For a quarter-century, it has brought the arts to tens of thousands of people throughout the Long Island region. Among the Center’s offerings are its School for the Arts, which holds year-round classes in visual and performing arts for students of all ages and abilities; a free public art gallery; a concert and lecture series; film screenings and discussions; the annual Gold Coast International Film Festival; and initiatives that focus on senior citizens and underserved communities. These initiatives include artist residencies, after-school programs, school assemblies, teacher-training workshops, and parent-child workshops. The Gold Coast Arts Center’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The Gold Coast Arts Center is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts “Partners in Education” program and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.goldcoastarts.org.
—Submitted by Gold Coast Arts
