Scene from Wondrous Oblivion

Wondrous Oblivion OPENING NIGHT FILM
Already being touted as the ‘Billy Elliott’ of cricket movies, Wondrous Oblivion is the latest film from British director Paul Morrison, who made the Oscar-nominated, Welsh-language Jewish drama Solomon and Gaenor. Set in 1960s South London, it tells the story of 10-year-old Jewish cricket fanatic David Wiseman, the son of German refugees, whose dream of making the school team is hampered by the fact that he can’t play to save his life. All that changes when he befriends his new neighbours, a Jamaican family who install a cricket net in their back garden – but being 1960s England, the rest of the street aren’t too happy about his friendship with the new arrivals. Morrison blends poignant drama with quirky, gentle comedy to winning effect; the result is a charming little film that deserves to be seen.
Cert. PG. Showing 6.30pm Saturday October 25, Duke of York’s Picturehouse,

Suzie Gold
British Jewish film comedies have been a bit thin on the ground since Leon The Pig Farmer, but Suzie Gold looks set to change all that. Coming across as a king of Jewish answer to My Big Fat Greek Wedding, it stars Summer (sister of River) Phoenix as the title character, a Jewish girl from North London whose sister’s impending wedding puts even more pressure on her to get married. But when she falls for a non-Jewish colleague, she finds herself forced to choose between the man she loves and the man who she knows would keep her parents happy (but not necessarily her). Although it’s strong on Jewish content, featuring Shabbat dinners and shul trips, the film works as both entertaining romantic comedy and wryly funny portrait of life in Jewish London.
Cert. 15. Showing 6.30pm Sunday November 2, Duke Of York’s Picturehouse

Would I Lie To You? + A Fever In The Blood
The French know what they’re doing when it comes to making Jewish-themed movies – take last year’s comedy My Wife Is An Actress, for example, or God Is Great, I Am Not, which stars Amelie’s Audrey Tautou as an enthusiastic Jewish convert. This Tunisian set comedy from director Thomas Gilou has been doing the film festival rounds for a while (it was made in 1997) but if you haven’t had a chance to catch it now’s your chance. Set in the Paris garment district, it focuses on Edouard, an unemployed non-Jew who lands a job in the district by pretending to be Jewish. He’s welcomed into the community, but matters are complicated when he falls for his new Jewish boss’s daughter.

Meanwhile the short film A Fever In The Blood is well worth checking out. Directed by Guardian film journalist Andrew Pulver, it’s based on a short story by Ethan Coen (best known as one half of filmmaking siblings the Coen Brothers), and centres on a private detective who tries to get his career back off the ground after having his ear bitten off in a fight.

No cert. Showing 1.15pm Tuesday October 28 and 6.30pm Wednesday October 29, Duke Of York’s Picturehouse

Welcome To The Waks Family/Ruthie And Connie
Film documentaries are currently enjoying something of a renaissance, so it’s no surprise to see a few in the line-up. The first, Welcome To The Waks Family, is an Australian film which tells the story of a Lubavitch couple and their 17 children – every aspect of their lives is governed by their Jewish beliefs, but as their children grow up they are faced with the choice of whether to continue their ultra-religious lifestyle or opt for a secular life, at the risk of losing their family. Meanwhile, Ruthie And Connie focuses on a pair of Jewish grandmothers from working-class Brooklyn who both left their husbands for other women.

No cert.  Welcome To The Waks Family showing Monday November 3, 7pm, Cinematheque. Ruthie And Connie showing Saturday November 1, 6.30, Duke Of York’s Picturehouse

Eden
This offbeat animated film from Polish artist Andrzej Czeczot, which took six years to complete, is unusual in that it has no dialogue, relying solely upon music and its striking visuals to tell its tale. That tale is of Youzeck, who has encounters with a string of historical and biblical figures, including Noah and Salvador Dali. Surreal imagery (check out the flying rabbis, for example) and some imaginative, but seriously weird, storytelling are the order of the day. One thing, however, is for certain – you won’t see another film like this one in the festival.
No cert (not suitable for younger viewers). Showing Saturday November 1, 11.15pm, Duke of York’s Picturehouse.

For ticket information call Komedia on 01273 647100 or email tickets@komedia.co.uk. All of these films be showing in Brighton from October 25 – November 6, before going to various venues around the country.

For more information on the festival, visit www.ukjewishfilmfestival.org.uk