The Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF) returns for a second time this year, this time in even more cities (just SA and NT are now missing from the festival circuit). Read on to discover 4 films from France and the Francophonie in French that are showing at JIFF this October through to December (depending on the location you’re in).
Country: France
Director: Aurélie Saada
Language: French (English subtitles)
In this feel-good and life-affirming French melodrama, Françoise Fabian portrays a widow reawakening to life’s possibilities. The sudden death of her beloved husband leaves Rose distraught and uncertain how to navigate the sunset of her years. Offering little solace, her family fails to see beyond her roles of devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Refusing to fade into oblivion, Rose discovers long ignored aspirations of her own, throwing her family’s equilibrium off balance.
Featuring a treasure trove of Yiddish and Mizrahi songs, the directorial debut of actress-screenwriter Aurélie Saada – who draws from her Tunisian-Jewish roots – is a tender reminder that it’s never too late to seek fulfilment.
Country: France
Director: Gad Elmaleh
Language: French (English subtitles)
Acclaimed comedian Gad Elmaleh directs and stars in this hilarious and heart-warming autobiographical comedy about acceptance, and the importance of family.
Gad Elmaleh decides to leave New York and move back to Paris, to get baptised and become a Catholic. Despite his attempt to hide the truth from his Jewish family, Gad’s parents discover their son’s unconditional love for the Virgin Mary – and for them, it’s a nightmare! Determined to bring Gad back to reason and to his Jewishness, they turn his conversion into a battlefield – as Gad tries to make them understand by any means necessary that his sincere beliefs do not change his identity and the love he has for his family.
The Accusation (Les choses humaines)
Country: France
Director: Yvan Attal
Language: French (English subtitles)
The Farels are a power couple: he is a famous television presenter, and she a writer known for her feminist activism. When their son, a student at Stanford University, is accused of raping a young woman from a Jewish family, the family’s life flies off the rails.
In this film adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name, director Yvan Attal delivers a timely and thought-provoking story exploring the intersection of class, sex, truth and consent. Premiering at Venice Film Festival, The Accusation is a stunning French drama featuring an outstanding performance from Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Country: France
Director: Mona Achache
Language: French (English subtitles)
Suspenseful and moving in equal measures, Valiant Hearts tells the true story of exceptional bravery and survival against all odds. The story recounts the odyssey of six Jewish children in August 1942 who are forced to take refuge where no one will ever think to look for them: amongst the Louvre Museum artworks, including the Mona Lisa, hidden in the Château de Chambord.
Between fear and unexpected encounters, the children learn about independence and discover solidarity and friendship despite the tumultuous circumstances. The children’s incidental guardians – in the form of Louvre curators – were inspired by Rose Valand, a conservator at Paris’s Jeu de Paume Museum and a member of the resistance who spied and documented artwork thefts carried out by Nazi officers.
KEY INFO ABOUT JEWISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (JIFF)
WHAT: Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF)
WHERE AND WHEN:
- Melbourne – Classic Cinemas and Lido Cinemas – 24 October – 27 November
- Sydney – Ritz Cinemas and Roseville Cinemas – 25 October – 28 November
- Canberra – Dendy Cinemas – 27 October – 6 November
- Hobart – State Cinema – 27 October – 6 November – NEW FOR 2022!
- Brisbane – New Farm Cinemas – 10 – 20 November
- Gold Coast – Dendy Southport – 17 – 27 November – NEW FOR 2022!
- Perth – Luna Palace Leederville – 24 November – 7 December
HOW:
Individual tickets can be purchased from the film’s page on the JIFF website
Festival passes can be purchased by the relevant links from this page
HOW MUCH:
Single ticket prices are as follows:
- Adult $24
- Concession $18.50
- 35 and younger $18.50 (can only be purchased at the cinema and with valid ID)
Opening Night event (includes food, drink and live music)
- Adult $39
- Concession $35
Closing night event (includes drink on arrival)
- Adult $33
- Concession $29
Passes are also available for Elsternwick and Hawthorn in Melbourne and for Randwick in Sydney.
Pass type Price Price per film
10 Film Pass $175 / $170 early-bird $17.50 / $17
20 Film Pass $330 / $320 early-bird $16.50 / $16
JIFF VIP – Unlimited $645 / $620 early-bird —
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Which films are you interested in seeing at JIFF this October through to December?
