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Indiewire ~ “GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM: One Film That Could Change the Course of Women’s Rights in Israel”

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An Israeli woman (Ronit Elkabetz) seeking to finalize a divorce (gett) from her estranged husband finds herself effectively put on trial by her country’s religious marriage laws, in GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM, a powerhouse courtroom drama from sibling directors Shlomi and Ronit Elkabetz. Laemmle Theatres opens the film at the Royal on February 13, the Playhouse, Town Center 5 and Claremont 5 on February 20 and the NoHo 7 on February 27.

In Israel, there is neither civil marriage nor civil divorce; only Orthodox rabbis can legalize a union or its dissolution, which is only possible with the husband’s full consent. Women can’t contact an LA divorce lawyer, for example, to end the marriage it has to be the husband who makes the decision. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Viviane Amsalem has been applying for a divorce for three years but her religiously devout husband Elisha, continually refuses. His cold intransigence, Viviane’s determination to fight for her freedom, and the ambiguous role of the rabbinical judges shape a procedure where tragedy vies with absurdity and everything is brought out into the open for judgment.

What’s more, as reported by Indiewire, the film is having real-world effects in Israel, prompting religious authorities to reevaluate their positions on divorce. Check out this short interview with the filmmakers reacting to the news:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kL1aL3LFIM#t=110
Indiewire ~ "GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM: One Film That Could Change the Course of Women's Rights in Israel"
GETT co-directors Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz.

ABOVE AND BEYOND, Documentary About the Volunteer Fighter Pilots from Abroad Who Helped Save Israel in ’48, Opens February 6

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In 1948, a group of World War II pilots, mostly from the United States, volunteered to fight for Israel in its War of Independence.  As members of “Machal”– volunteers from abroad – this ragtag band of brothers turned the tide of the war, preventing the possible annihilation of Israel at the very moment of its birth.  ABOVE AND BEYOND is their story, told for the first time and we are pleased to open the film Friday, February 6 at the Town Center in Encino and the next day at the Royal in West L.A. ABOVE AND BEYOND producer Nancy Spielberg will participate in Q&A’s after the 10:30 AM screening at the Royal and after the 7:50 PM show at the Town Center on Sunday, February 8.

ABOVE AND BEYOND recounts the harrowing missions of the men who helped repel five Arab armies. The film follows them from the United States – where they met and trained in secret and struggled to stay two steps ahead of the FBI – to Panama, Rome and even behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia, where they flew versions of the very Nazi planes they had tried to shoot down in World War II.

Set against the backdrop of an emerging nation still reeling from the horrors of the Holocaust, ABOVE AND BEYOND uncovers the motivations of these volunteers – Jews and non-Jews, some Zionists, many others not.  It recounts the personal stories of the young pilots, whose experiences in Israel were life altering. And ultimately, the film taps into universal themes of courage, commitment and sacrifice.  At a time when a fledgling nation was under attack, a tiny band of airmen answered the call for help. They risked their citizenship, their futures and even their lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNMJGaptDds&feature=youtu.be
ABOVE AND BEYOND, Documentary About the Volunteer Fighter Pilots from Abroad Who Helped Save Israel in '48, Opens February 6
Volunteer pilots, 1948.

MONK WITH A CAMERA Q&A’s with the Filmmakers this Weekend at the Royal

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MONK WITH A CAMERA chronicles the life and spiritual quest of Nicholas (Nicky) Vreeland, who for the past twenty-eight years has been a Tibetan Buddhist monk. The son of a United States Ambassador, grandson of legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, and a photographer by trade, Nicky left his privileged life behind to follow his true calling. He moved to India, cutting his ties with society, photography, and his pleasure-filled world, to live in a monastery with no running water or electricity.

MONK WITH A CAMERA co-directors Tina Mascara and Guido Santi will participate in Q&A’s after the 11 AM screenings at the Royal on Saturday and Sunday, January 31 and February 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07LL-r-Sqzk

The 2015 Oscar-Nominated Documentary Shorts Open January 30

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Here at Laemmle Theatres we take a lot of pride and pleasure in showing many feature documentaries, but it’s extra sweet every February when we can feature the focussed, concise brilliance of the Oscar-nominated short documentaries. We open the program of five films on Friday, January 30 at the Music Hall and February 7 and the Playhouse 7 and Claremont 5. The nominees are:

JOANNA (Aneta Kopacz) – 40 minutes/Poland/Polish. With great visual poetry, JOANNA portrays the simple and meaningful moments in the life of her family. Diagnosed with an untreatable illness, Joanna promises her son that she will do her best to live for as long as possible. It is a story of close relationships, tenderness, love and thoughtfulness.

CRISIS HOTLINE: VETERANS PRESS 1 (Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry) – 39 minutes/USA/English. The timely documentary CRISIS HOTLINE: VETERANS PRESS 1 spotlights the traumas endured by America’s veterans, as seen through the work of the hotline’s trained responders, who provide immediate intervention and support in hopes of saving the lives of service members.

OUR CURSE (Tomasz Sliwinski and Maciej Slesicki) – 27 minutes/Poland/Polish. OUR CURSE is a personal statement of the director and his wife, who have to deal with a very rare and incurable disease of their newborn child – the Ondine’s Curse (also known as CCHS, congenital central hypoventilation syndrome). People affected with this disease stop breathing during sleep and require lifetime mechanical ventilation on a ventilator.

WHITE EARTH (J. Christian Jensen) – 20 minutes/USA/English and Spanish. Thousands of souls flock to America’s Northern Plains seeking work in the oil fields. WHITE EARTH is the tale of an oil boom seen through unexpected eyes. Three children and an immigrant mother brave a cruel winter and explore themes of innocence, home and the American Dream.

THE REAPER (La Parka) (Gabriel Serra Arguello) – 29 minutes/Mexico/Spanish. THE REAPER: Efrain, known as the Reaper, has worked at a slaughterhouse for 25 years. We will discover his deep relationship with death and his struggle to live.

The 2015 Oscar-Nominated Documentary Shorts Open January 30
Still from JOANNA

AMERICAN BEAR Filmmaker-Adventurers at Both Laemmle Screenings for Q&A’s

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As seen in the documentary AMERICAN BEAR, Sarah and Greg set out to critically explore American culture, compassion, and fear by relying on the kindness of strangers for a home each night. Traveling through 30 states in 60 days, they spend every day in a new town, learning why people may or may not be willing to open their homes. Sarah and Greg spend time getting to know their hosts – each uniquely, culturally American – while the film raises questions about how we define American identities.

AMERICAN BEAR co-directors Gregory Grano and Sarah Sellman will participate in Q&A’s after both the January 28 screening at the NoHo 7 and the January 29 screening at the Claremont 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5yJtP4IFhU

ABOVE AND BEYOND Q&A’s at the Royal and Town Center 5 with Producer Nancy Spielberg

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In 1948, a group of World War II pilots volunteered to fight for Israel in the War of Independence. As members of ‘Machal’ — volunteers from abroad — this ragtag band of brothers not only turned the tide of the war, preventing the possible annihilation of Israel at the very moment of its birth; they also laid the groundwork for the Israeli Air Force. ABOVE AND BEYOND is their story. The first major feature-length documentary about the foreign airmen in the War of Independence, ABOVE AND BEYOND brings together new interviews with pilots from the ’48 War, as well as leading scholars and statesmen, including Shimon Peres, to present an extraordinary, little-known tale with reverberations up to the present day.

ABOVE AND BEYOND producer Nancy Spielberg will participate in Q&A’s after the 11 AM screenings at the Royal on Saturday and Sunday, February 7 and 8 and after the 7:50 PM show at the Town Center on Sunday, February 8. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNMJGaptDds&feature=youtu.be

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE LAST UNICORN Novelist/Screenwriter Peter Beagle will Introduce All Laemmle Screenings

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Since its 1982 release THE LAST UNICORN has enchanted audiences everywhere with its moving story about a unicorn trying to find and rescue her lost people, and the price she pays for bringing magic back into the world. Considered one of the great fantasies of the last century, the original novel has sold over six million copies in 25 languages, while the film adaptation has sold more than four million home video copies in America in just the last nine years.

THE LAST UNICORN novelist/screenwriter Peter Beagle will introduce all Laemmle screenings.

THE LAST UNICORN Novelist/Screenwriter Peter Beagle will Introduce All Laemmle Screenings

LITTLE ACCIDENTS Q&A at the NoHo Opening Weekend

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When a teenage boy goes missing in a small town already devastated by a fatal mining accident, three strangers find themselves drawn together in a tangle of secrets, lies, and the collective grief of the community. Elizabeth Banks, Josh Lucas and Boyd Holbrook star in the new indie drama LITTLE ACCIDENTS.

LITTLE ACCIDENTS cinematographer Rachel Morrison will participate in a Q&A moderated by Hilari Scarl of the Alliance of Women Directors after the 7 PM screening at the NoHo 7 on Saturday, January 17.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PrTTsvs05U&feature=youtu.be