Films focusing on Jewish life and culture, sponsored by the Flint Jewish Federation and the Flint Institute of Arts.

The Outrageous Sophie Tucker
May 3
(U.S., 2014)  Directed by William Gazecki, 96 min., not rated
Before Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Bette Midler, Sophie Tucker infatuated her audiences with a bold, bawdy, and brassy style unlike any other. This film tells the rags-to-riches story of the iconic “Last of the Red Hot Mamas,” who ruled the worlds of vaudeville, Broadway, radio, television, and Hollywood throughout the 20th century.

God’s Slave
May 4
(Venezuela-Argentina, 2013)  Directed by Joel Novoa, 90 min., not rated, subtitled
Based on the true events surrounding a 1994 bombing in Buenos Aires, this film follows Ahmed, trained since childhood as an Islamic terrorist and now assigned to execute a suicide bomb at a synagogue, and David, the Israeli special agent who will stop at nothing to prevent the attack. But neither man is defined solely by his extremist views

Hunting Elephants
May 5 
(Israel/U.S., 2013)  Directed by Reshef Levi, 107 min., not rated
In this caper comedy, a bright 12-year-old, Jonathan, must cope with the loss of his father and the bad decisions of his mother. With the help of his cranky grandfather, the granddad’s wily friend, and a disgraced British lord (played by Patrick Stewart), the boy devises a crazy plan that would help save his family while getting even with his dad’s sleazy boss.

Little White Lie
May 6
(U.S., 2014)  Directed by Lacey Schwartz and James Adolphus, 65 min., not rated
Lacey Schwartz grows up in a middle-class household with loving parents and a strong sense of her Jewish identity—despite the open questions about her dark skin. She believes the explanation that her looks were inherited from her Sicilian grandfather, but her gut begins to tell her something different.

The Secret Ingredient
May 6 
(Israel, 2013)  Directed by Dror Shostak, 65 min., not rated
The two owners of the Tel Aviv Indian restaurant 24 Rupees travel to India in search of the “secret ingredient” in Indian food—only to find the secret ingredient in their lives.

When Comedy Went to School
May 7 
(U.S., 2013)  Directed by Ron Frank and Mevlut Akkaya, 83 min., not rated
Why are there so many Jewish comedians?  This answers the question with an entertaining portrait of this country’s greatest comics: Jerry Lewis, Sid Caesar, Jackie Mason, Mort Sahl, and Jerry Stiller, all of whom tell jokes and their stories in the film. The answer is also found in upstate New York’s Catskill Mountains, aka the Borscht Belt, which provided the setting for a remarkable group of people to hone their craft.