Nir Cohen, UKJF’s head of programming, chooses his highlights from the stellar festival, which kicks off this week

The Love Trilogy
Dir Yaron Shani, Israel

“Israeli director Yaron Shani, whose 2009 film Ajami (co-directed with Scandar Copti) was nominated for an Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category, is back with three films – Change, Stripped and Reborn. These powerful dramas don’t shy away from tough themes such as rape and an analysis of masculinity. They will receive their UK premieres at the festival.”

It Must Schwing
Dir Eric Friedler, Germany

“Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff were two young Jewish émigrés from Berlin who founded the legendary jazz label Blue Note Records when they arrived in New York in the 1930s. This documentary tells the story of the label and how it developed. It’s a beautiful tale, has amazing music and it will look great on the big screen. The human story is quite captivating.”

Jewish Britain On Film
Dir Jon Spira, UK

“This is a compilation of the BFI’s archival material from its online collection of the same name. The oldest clips are from the early years of the 20th century and show Jewish communities and life in Britain. The material goes up to the mid-70s and includes a very funny appearance by a young Maureen Lipman. A live soundtrack has been composed for the event.”

God of the Piano
Dir Itay Tal, Israel

“The debut film from Israeli director Itay Tal is a drama about a mother-son relationship. It tells the story of a young mother, Anat (played by Israeli actress Naama Preis), who comes from a family with a musical background. When her son is born deaf, she adopts drastic solutions. It’s a psychological thriller but with a lot more going on.”

Shut Up and Play the Piano
Dir Philipp Jericke, Germany/UK/ France

“Chilly Gonzales is a Canadian-Jewish avantgarde musician and this documentary follows him from his native Canada to underground Berlin in the late 1990s, and via Paris to the world’s great philharmonic halls. The screening is at Bertha DocHouse (based at the Curzon Bloomsbury), which specialises in documentaries. We’ll also be showing there a film about the Czech film director Milos Forman called Forman versus Forman.”

Leona
Dir Isaac Cherem, Mexico

“This is a lovely film that feels fresh, young and modern. It also has an interesting documentary feel to it. It’s about a young Jewish Mexican woman who falls in love with a non-Jewish Mexican guy. Her family make her end the relationship, but it has a very light touch. It’s a glimpse of young life in Mexico City not seen through a prism of drugs and violence.”

Interview by Peter Watts

UK Jewish Film Festival launches in London Wed 6 Nov and runs until Thu 21 Nov. The festival also tours to:

Greater Manchester (7-21), Yorkshire (7 Nov-12 Dec), Midlands (10 Nov-12 Dec), Scotland (10 Nov-8 Dec), Merseyside (19-24 Nov), Cambridgeshire (21 Nov-1 Dec), Tyne & Wear (23-27 Nov), Wales (23 Nov-8 Dec), Bristol (25 & 28 Nov), Oxfordshire (28 Nov-12 Dec), Sussex (2 & 4 Dec), Devon (3-11 Dec), Norfolk (3-11 Dec).

See JR listings for further info or visit ukjewishfilm.org