Multicultural

The Staunton Jewish Film Festival, which opens Friday, includes stories about an Egyptian band stranded in a small Israeli town; a devoted fan on a road trip in his ancient Volkswagen “beetle”; a group of children who play together despite the ethnic and religious violence all around them; an American Jew looking for his past in the Ukraine; and a reunion of the survivors of a Parisian internment camp.

The series, “Bridging Gaps,” includes tours of the Temple House of Israel, an opening reception and discussions following the films. All films will be presented at the Visulite Cinema in Staunton and require advance reservations.

Laurie Berman, vice president of the temple board and director of the festival, explains the reasoning behind the theme and the film festival itself.

“In this area, Jews are always the different guys,” she said. “People don’t know much about us. The film festival, presented for the first time last year, is a way for the community to see who we are and for us to reach out to them.”

It is hoped that the series communicates that intention to the international community.

“Each one shows some kind of interaction between two or more very different cultures,” Berman said.

Waynesboro’s Shirley Brand is credited by Berman with planting the seed that later grew into the festival, which debuted last year.

“She was always finding these great movies for us to watch,” Berman said. She put Brand to work, along with several other film buffs, screening films and narrowing the selection down to the handful that made the final cut.

“I found out that once you start asking distributors for a sample copy of one film, they’ll send you five or 10 they think you might like,” she said. “Each film was seen by a couple of people before we made the final selection.”

Brand said Jews have been involved in the entertainment business in this country since the early days of vaudeville.

“There’s no shortage of Jewish filmmakers and actors,” Berman acknowledged. “But that’s not exactly what we were looking for. For the purposes of the festival, they wanted films that showed Jewish culture in many different contexts.”

“We didn’t want to focus solely on the Holocaust,” Berman said, “that’s been well-documented in film.” She noted that the film festival comes in the midst of a monthlong calendar of events commemorating the Holocaust.

Festival organizers also wanted to have some humorous situations and some that explored the possibility of connections between Jews and people who have historically been adversaries. One of the films, “Promises,” follows a filmmaker as he brings children from Israel and Palestine together for a fresh look at the struggles of both cultures. It has inspired a study guide, at the request of American educators who want to make it part of a class, Berman said. “Promises” will be shown Saturday at 2:30 p.m., with a speaker to follow and Sunday at 5 p.m.

Other films, each of which will be screened twice during the festival:

“The Band’s Visit,” a comedy about an Egyptian police band invited to play at the dedication of an Arab cultural center in Israel, but who mistakenly arrive at a tiny desert town far from anything or anyone. Screening is Friday at 7 p.m., with a speaker to follow, and Saturday at 5 p.m.

“Everything is Illuminated” is a comedy about a young Jewish American who returns to the Ukraine on a quest to seek his grandfather’s past and learn what happened to the family before and during the war. Screening is Friday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m., with a speaker to follow.

“Emotional Arithmetic” is a drama about redemption, healing and reconciliation, triggered by the reunion of three survivors of Drancy (an internment camp outside of Paris). The past explodes into the present, unfolding into a love story and the ‘emotional arithmetic’ with which the characters must struggle to face the past and to move on. The screening is Saturday at 7 p.m., with a speaker to follow, and Sunday at 9 p.m.

“The Beetle” is about the most-produced car of a single design in history, despite its rough and noisy ride, underpowered motor and dubious distinction as Hitler’s “car for the masses.” We follow the story of Director Yishai Orian, whose beloved 40-year-old car is on its last legs. We join the filmmaker on his extremely funny and touching road trip as he introduces us to the people who owned, loved and even gave birth in his cherished car. As fatherhood looms, Orian is reluctant to let go of the past and he debates his options to repair or sell the car. The Beetle will be shown Saturday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m., with the speaker following Sunday’s film.

For more information, call 886-4091 or e-mail Laurie Berman, the festival chair at ; Beth Young, Temple House of Israel president at ; or Rabbi Joe Blair at . Call Visulite Cinemaat 885-9959 to reserve a seat.