The 10th annual Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival 2017 will take place on the Middletown campus from Feb. 2 to March 9, showing six free screenings of films and TV episodes.
Experts will speak after the screenings of the films, which are all subtitled in English. Admission is free to all the movies, which will be shown on Thursdays at 8 p.m. at the Goldsmith Family Cinema, Center for Film Studies, 301 Washington Terrace.
The first film, to be shown Feb. 2, is “Wedding Doll.” The 2015 drama tells the story of a developmentally disabled woman who craves independence, love and marriage. Jeanine Basinger, Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies, will speak after the show.
The Connecticut premiere of “Beyond the Mountains and the Hills” will follow on Feb. 9. The 2016 drama tells the story of an army veteran returning home and struggling with family issues. Isaac Zablocki, director of JCC Manhattan film programs, will speak.
Natalie Portman stars in “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” the third film, to be shown Feb. 16. The 2015 drama, based on the memoir by Amos Oz, is set during the early years of the state of Israel. The speaker is New York Times film critic A.O. Scott, who is also a distinguished professor of film criticism at Wesleyan.
“The Kind Words” follows on Feb. 23. The 2015 drama tells the story of three siblings looking for their real father. Film critic Laura Blum will speak.
On March 2, the movie is “Harmonia,” a 2016 drama inspired by the Book of Genesis story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. Ori Sivan, a distinguished scholar in residence at Wesleyan, will speak.
The series closes with an episode of “In Treatment,” the Israeli TV series that inspired the American HBO show. It follows five patients in psychotherapy. Sivan will speak after.
