NO WOMEN are allowed to appear in the movies of Yehuda Grovais.
NO MOVIES at all are permitted in his ultra-Orthodox community.

He has:
NO TOLERANCE from fanatical rabbis.
NO RECOGNITION from other filmmakers.
NO CHANCE to show his movies in cinemas or on TV.
NO BUDGETS for his productions.

So far, he has made 50 feature films.

The story of Yehuda Grovais, a young Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jew, who rebels against his community and battles against the secular cultural establishment to realise his impossible love – cinema. His outward journey leads him into a tense confrontation with his own religious fanaticism.


First Basket, The
USA, 2007, 86 minutes, DVD, English
Director: David Vyorst

Did you know that Ossie Schectman, a Jewish kid from Queens, scored the NBA’s very first basket? For Jewish immigrants in the early 20th century, sports played an essential part in becoming "American," a way of disproving stereotypes of Jews as bookish and weak. Basketball, which doesn't require open fields or expensive equipment, proved a perfect fit for urban Jewish kids, and by the 1920s, nearly every Jewish urban neighbourhood, school, and institution had a basketball team. When these teams evolved into professional leagues by the late 1940s, Jewish players and coaches led the way.

Chock full of vivid anecdotes and distinctive characters, THE FIRST BASKET does for roundball what THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HANK GREENBERG (HKJFF Audience Award Winner '01) did for baseball. – Eddie Cockrell, Filmfest DC


Galilee Eskimos, The (Eskimosim BaGalil)
Israel, 2007, 99 minutes, 35 mm, Hebrew w/ English subtitles
Director: Jonathan Paz

An old kibbutz in the Hills of Galilee finds itself deep in debt and is threatened by lawsuits from bankers to the point of bankruptcy. On the evening prior to the arrival of the bailiffs, men, women and children abandon their homes, taking with them all their possessions. By the time the sun rises over the kibbutz, twelve senior citizens discover that they have been forgotten and left to fend for themselves. While the group initially sinks into deep depression, it soon begins to organise itself into an efficient communal unit. THE GALILEE ESKIMOS is a movie about the power that people reveal when abandoned and betrayed by society and relatives, who leave them alone to determine their own fate.


I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal
USA, 2007, 105 minutes, 35 mm, English & German w/ English subtitles
Directors: Richard Trank

A comprehensive look at the life and legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, the famed Nazi hunter and humanitarian. Narrated by Academy Award® winning actress Nicole Kidman, it features interviews with long-time Wiesenthal associates, government leaders from around the world, friends and family members – many of whom have never discussed the legendary Nazi hunter and humanitarian on camera. Previously unseen archival film and photos also highlight the film. What was the driving force behind his work? What kept him going when for years the odds were against his efforts? What is his legacy today, more than 60 years after the end of World War Two?

我從未忘記你

這齣電影讓觀眾能窺見知名納粹追兇及人道主義者西蒙•維森塔爾的生平與偉跡，當中包括追訪了與維森塔爾為同道中人多年的人物、來自全球不同地方的政府官員，以及其朋友與家人，其中不少從未在鏡頭前談論過這位傳奇納粹追兇的往事．這部製作的特色為當中所輯錄的館藏片段和有關的照片．究竟這位仁兄的工作背後有著甚麼驅動力？在追兇成功機會十分渺茫之際，他怎麼能保持堅毅不屈？與二戰已隔六十多年的今天，他的生平偉跡又是甚麼？


Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust
USA, 2004, 92 minutes, 35 mm, English
Director: Daniel Anker

An audience favourite at more than 50 film festivals around the world, IMAGINARY WITNESS tells a provocative and mostly unknown story of the 60-year relationship between Hollywood and the atrocities of Nazi Germany.

With scenes from over forty films, rare newsreels, and interviews with leading scholars, filmmakers, and witnesses to the events portrayed, IMAGINARY WITNESS takes the viewer on a 60-year journey from the American ambivalence and denial during the heyday of Nazism, through the silence of the post-war years, and into the end of the 20th century. The film explores not only the question of how an industry that sells fantasy has dealt with one of the most horrifying episodes in modern world history, but also how the movies themselves reflect America's ever-evolving relationship to the events of that era.


Jacob the Liar (Jakob der Lügner)
(East) Germany, 1974, 96 minutes, 35 mm, German w/ English subtitles
Director: Frank Beyer

Trapped in a Polish ghetto with thousands of other Jews facing starvation or deportation to the death camps, Jacob is detained one evening at Gestapo headquarters. Eavesdropping, he overhears a radio report about a nearby Russian victory. At first he is silent, but circumstances compel him to pass on the good news of hope. In order to be believed, he feigns access to a hidden, strictly forbidden radio. Quickly he becomes a one-man bulwark against despair, a reluctant hero, but a tragic figure still – a man ultimately powerless to see or change the fate of his people. JACOB THE LIAR is a heartbreaking, yet funny film that enlivens with the sheer power of its insight. A masterwork of artistry and understanding not to be missed.


Little Heroes (Giborim Ktanim)
Israel, 2006, 76 minutes, 35 mm, Hebrew and Russian w/ English subtitles
Director: Itai Lev

Erez, a young boy, struggles to cope with his father's death and live up to his legacy, and to make matters worse he also has to deal with the bullies in his class. His life changes when he meets Alicia, an immigrant girl from Russia and together with her brother and another boy, Lior, they form a heroic team to overcome adversity. In the process they learn a lot about themselves and each other. LITTLE HEROES is an exciting adventure story into the Negev desert where even children can be heroes and make a difference.


Sweet Mud (Adama Meshuga'at)
Israel, 2006, 100 minutes, 35 mm, Hebrew, French and English w/ English subtitles
Director: Dror Shaul

Set in mid-1970s, 12-year-old Dvir is entering his bar mitzvah year – a time for many initiations and trials. Dvir’s father is dead, his brother is away in the army, and his mother, Miri, suffers from emotional instability. While the kibbutz handles the practical needs of every family, the intangible moral support one expects from a close-knit community is scarce, and Dvir is left to care for beautiful, fragile mother. When her kindly boyfriend, Stephan, arrives from Switzerland, it seems that Miri, blissfully in love, may actually recover. But the kibbutzniks, already resentful of a "non-contributing" guest, cast Stephan out after he tussles with another resident to defend Dvir. The loss shatters Miri and Dvir must pick up the pieces.


Three Mothers (Shalosh Imahot)
Israel, 2006, 106 minutes, 35 mm, French, Arabic and Hebrew w/ English subtitles
Director: Dina Zvi-Riklis

Rose, Flora and Yasmin are 60-something triplets born in Alexandria, Egypt. Their well-off parents gave them names of flowers, and King Farouk of Egypt gave them his blessing. Today, in Israel, they live together in an apartment without men and without children. Flora has just retired from her work as a midwife, Yasmin awaits a kidney transplant, and Rose, once a successful singer, is wrapped in silence since the death of her husband. One after the other, the three sisters come to "This is your life," a place where people recount their memoirs, in order to tell their life story to Rucha (Rachel), Rose's only daughter, and talk about their symbiotic relationship. They are also searching for the long lost son of one of them who was given away for adoption under mysterious circumstances. Hidden ghosts will slowly appear, forcing the three sisters to confront their secrets and lies, and seek forgiveness.

三位母親

玫瑰，科拉和茉莉是六十多歲的三姊妹，出生於埃及的亞歷山大，她們充裕的父母將她們命名為花朵的名字，並且埃及的法老王給予他們他的祝福，今天，在以色列，她們共同一起生活在一棟公寓裹，沒有男人，也沒有孩子，科拉剛剛退休成為接生婆，茉莉在輪候腎臟移植與及玫瑰曾是一位著名的歌星，由於她的丈夫離世，使她被困在沈默裹。一切以後，三位姊妹花悟出“這就是您的生命”，為了告訴麗嘉(麗素)她們的傳記，人們詳述她們的往事，和談論她們的共生關係，麗嘉是玫瑰的唯一女兒，她們並且尋找一位失去了一段長時間的兒子，她們當中其中一個在神奇的情況下給收養。暗藏的鬼魂慢慢地將會出現，強迫三位姊妹花面對她們的秘密和謊言，和尋找饒恕。


Two of Us, The (Vieil Homme et l'Enfant, Le)
France, 1967, 90 minutes, 35 mm, French, w/ English subtitles
Director: Claude Berri

An eight-year-old Jewish boy living in Nazi-occupied Paris is sent by his parents to the countryside to live with an elderly Catholic couple until France’s liberation. Forced to hide his identity, the boy bonds with the irascible, staunchly anti-Semitic Grampa, who improbably becomes his friend and confidant. Poignant and light-hearted, THE TWO OF US was acclaimed director Claude Berri's debut feature, based on his own childhood experiences, and gave the legendary Michel Simon one of his most memorable roles in the twilight of his career.


Year My Parents Went On Vacation, The
(O Ano Em Que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias)
Brazil, 2006, 104 minutes, 35 mm, Portuguese and Yiddish w/ English subtitles
Director: Cao Hamburger

Set amidst the backdrop of a World Cup crazy 1970s Brazil, this poignant coming of age film tells the story of 12-year-old Mauro, a child of communist parents who are secretly on the run from the police. Mauro is told that his parents are going on vacation and will return by the start of World Cup season. In the interim, he will stay with his estranged paternal grandfather in São Paulo. Upon his arrival, Mauro learns that his grandfather has passed away and he is taken in by the grandfather's curmudgeonly neighbour Shlomo. Mauro and Shlomo quickly butt heads, as the stubborn and precocious young man waits anxiously for his parents' return. Director Cao Hamburger's second feature film is a richly detailed, bittersweet picture that gently shows us how a child finds his place in a multicultural landscape that is constantly changing.

矛矛的假期

這是一部多年前的製作，所描寫的時代背景為一九七零年代世界盃足球風靡一時的巴西。電影尖酸刻畫了十二多歲莫羅的一對信奉共產主義的父母逃離警方通缉的經歷。而莫羅所得悉的，卻是父母往度假去了，且於世界盃開羅前回來．期間，莫羅被安排到聖保羅市於其關係疏離的祖父家裡暫住，但不幸於抵達該處時得知其祖父已與世長辭，莫羅姑且能在為人吝嗇的鄰居施羅墨的家裡暫住，但不久兩人便產生磨擦，而莫羅更是渴望他父母能儘快回來。這部電影為曹•漢巴格導演所拍的第二部故事片，內容描繪細膩，劇情悲喜交雜，但仍能溫馨地帶出該孩子怎樣在變幻無常的多元文化環境中，找到落腳點。

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