Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival lineup

The festival lineupThe 19th annual Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival will feature 14 films in 15 days from March 15-April 1, presented by the Sabes Jewish Community Center in St. Louis Park.

Films from nine countries will be represented in the lineup, which ranges from dramas to comedies to documentaries.

The first film, "Dorfman," will be screened at the Showplace Icon Theater at the West End in St. Louis Park. All other films will be shown at the Sabes JCC, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road.

Tickets are priced for individual films, but five- and 10-ticket packages are available for $45 ($35 for JCC members) and $85 ($70 for JCC members).

The films include:

"Dorfman." Following an opening reception at 6 p.m. March 15, this film will be presented at 7 p.m. at the ICON Theater at the West End, 1625 West End Blvd. in Hopkins. "The tale of an under-appreciated young Jewish woman who desperately needs to reinvent her life. Single, mousey and plain, she lives at home caring for her widowed father (Elliott Gould) and works as an accountant at her brother's agency, where she serves as workhorse, confidante and scapegoat. Socially inept and ill at ease, she spends a large portion of her day thinking of love." The movie is recommended for ages 16 and older. Tickets are $15-$22.

"My Australia." Showings at 8 p.m. March 17 and 4 p.m. March 18 at the Sabes JCC. About a "Single mother, Helina," who "struggles to raise her sons in 1960's Poland. After the fatherless boys join a neighborhood gang with a strong Neo Nazi orientation and are arrested for attacking Jewish youngsters, she decides to tell her streetwise boys the truth: she is a Jew who survived the Holocaust and raised them in the Catholic faith. " In Hebrew and Polish with English subtitles. Recommended for ages 14 and older. Tickets are $8-$10.

"Torn." 2 p.m. March 18 and noon April 1 at Sabes JCC. "Can one be a Catholic priest and an observant Jew at the same time? Twelve years after he was ordained as a Polish Catholic priest, Romuald Waszkinel discovers that he was born to Jewish parents." This documentary follows his journey from conducting mass in Poland to life as an observant Jew in a kibbutz in Israel. Polish, Hebrew and French with English subtitles. Recommended for all ages. Tickets are $8-$10.

"Remembrance." 7 p.m. March 18 and 4 p.m. March 25 at Sabes JCC. Inspired by a true story, "a remarkable love story that blossomed amidst the terror of a German concentration camp in Poland 1944." German, Polish and English with English subtitles. Recommended for ages 16 and older. Tickets are $8-$10.

"Bride Flight." 7 p.m. March 21. A story about three women who escape the gloom of post-World War II Holland for New Zealand. Dutch and English with English subtitles. Recommended for ages 18 and older. Tickets are $8-$10.

"Crime After Crime." 7 p.m. March 22. A documentary following Deborah Preagler's legal battle to gain her freedom after she was imprisoned for a quarter century due to her connection to the murder of an abusive boyfriend. Recommended for ages 18 and older. Tickets are $8-$10.

"My First Wedding." 8 p.m. March 24 and 2 p.m. March 25. A comedy about "Jewish-born Adrian and Catholic-born Leonora" on their wedding day. Portuguese with English subtitles. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Tickets are $8-$10.

"Naomi." 7 p.m. March 25. A "psychological thriller" about "a 58-year-old astrophysics professor who is obsessively in love with his young wife, Naomi. When he discovers that his deepest fears have come true, he is unable to control himself." Hebrew with English subtitles. Recommended for ages 18 and older. Tickets are $8-$10.

"Dolphin Boy." 7 p.m. March 28. "A violent attack and beating causes Arab teenager Morad to disconnect from humans and totally withdraw into himself ... His devoted father takes him to be treated with dolphins in Eilat, Israel." Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles. Recommended for ages 14 and older. Tickets are $8-$10.

"The Names of Love." 7 p.m. March 29. "Baya Benmahmoud uses her feminine wiles to convert right-wing men to her left-wing political agenda -- until she meets a Jewish, middle-aged, middle-of-the-road scientist named Arthur Martin." French with English subtitles. Recommended for ages 18 and older. Tickets are $8-$10.

"Kaddish for a Friend." 8 p.m. March 31 and 2 p.m. April 1. "14-year-old Ali Messalam learned to hate Jews while growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp. After escaping Lebanon, he and his family arrive in Berlin-Kreuzberg, Germany. In an attempt to prove himself and fit in with fellow Arab youths, he is challenged to break into the neighboring apartment of an 84-year-old Jewish WWII veteran. Ali's 'friends' follow him into the apartment and wreak havoc. After being recognized, Ali must seek out closeness to his neighbor to avoid being sentenced and deported." German with English subtitles. Recommended for ages 14 and older. Tickets are $8-$10.