Month: May 2021

The last event in the 14^th Annual Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival featured a groundbreaking collaboration between Israeli and Japanese artists. On Thursday, March 11 at 4 PM the movie OUTSIDE: A COVOID FAIRY TALE, based on a story written by the internationally acclaimed short story writer, Etgar Keret,  was screened. The story Outside was recently published in the New York Times. The movie, based on the story, is a unique collaboration between Etgar Keret and choreographer Inbal Pinto. Following the screening, we had a Zoom conversation with Etgar Keret who read another story published recently in the New York Times. The event concluded with a Q/A with the audience.

Etgar Keret is a frequent visitor of the Center for Jewish Studies. As the Silverberg Distinguished Scholar in Residence, he taught a very popular creative writing course entitled From Idea to Plot. Movies based on his stories such as Total Love, $9.99, Wrist-cutters, Jellyfish and What Kind of Animal Are You were screened  at  Wesleyan University in the Jewish Studies annual series Contemporary Israeli Voices and The Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival.

The second film in the Fourteenth Annual Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival was Here We Are (2020). The Connecticut Premiere screening of the film Here We Are was followed by a conversation with the film’s director, Nir Bergman, who joined us from Israel via Zoom.

Here We Are (2020) was nominated for NINE Ophir (Israeli Oscar) prizes, was chosen for the Cannes 2020 Official selection, has been screened in more than 30 international film festivals and won several awards. We have previously screened two other films directed by Nir Bergman in our past Israeli film festivals: Broken Wings in 2006 and Intimate Grammar in 2010.

Here is a short description of the film:

Aaron has devoted his life to raising his son Ur. They live in a gentle routine, away from the real world. However, Uri is autistic, and now as a young adult it might be time for him to live in a specialized home. While on their way to the institution, Aaron decides to run away with his son and hit the road, knowing that Uri is not ready for separation. Or is it, in fact, his father who is not ready?