Despite being one of the key protagonists in Israel’s story, Theodor Herzl is far from being a household name, and yet it is his vision of a Jewish State that has come to define one of the key areas in modern international relations.
Born in 1860, Herzl was a lawyer, journalist, playwright, and political activist. He witnessed the rise in antisemitism in the 19th Century (that would ultimately lead to the Holocaust) and was inspired to build a safe haven for himself and his community.
In this documentary, David Baddiel explores Herzl’s legacy, looking at the formation of the Israeli state, its relationship with neighbouring countries, and the continuing conflict in Gaza.
Asking the question, has Herzl’s dream become a nightmare.
In 1972 the “King of Comedy” Jerry Lewis was at the peak of his career. Driven by the ambition to play a dramatic role for a change, he set out to craft a very special movie project for himself, The Day the Clown Cried. It turned out to be an epic fiasco, becoming an elusive ghost of a movie with Lewis leaving the set and never speaking about what happened. The movie was never completed and has become the ultimate Hollywood myth. Now, after years of research, extensive materials have been found, restored and put into their production context. This documentary tells the story as daring as the original project itself, with Lewis playing a German clown in a concentration camp long before any other director had narrated the Holocaust on the big screen in fiction. Featuring exclusive interviews with cast and crew members like Pierre Étaix, Rune Ericson, long-time friend and companion Martin Scorsese and ultimately Jerry Lewis himself, From Darkness to Light finally uncovers the story of one of the most ambitious US- European coproduction projects of its time, the storm surrounding its shooting and the almost unbearable pressure it put on its protagonist, the “total filmmaker” Jerry Lewis.
Eighty years after his liberation from Buchenwald, we seek to understand the man behind Elie Wiesel’s searing and widely read memoir Night. Told largely through his own words and eloquent voice, Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire seeks to penetrate to the heart of the known and unknown Elie Wiesel (1928-2016)—his passions, his conflicts and his legacy as one of the most public survivors of the trauma of the Holocaust. With unique access to personal archives, original interviews and employing hand painted animation, the film illuminates Wiesel’s biography as a survivor, writer, teacher, public figure and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Kyra Sedgwick and Cliff “Method Man” Smith lead an incredible ensemble cast in the uproarious new comedy BAD SHABBOS, winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative at the Tribeca Film Festival!
David and his fiancée Meg are about to have their parents meet for the first time over a Shabbat dinner on New York’s Upper West Side when an accidental death (or murder?) gets in the way. With Meg’s Catholic parents due any moment, this family dinner soon spirals into a hilarious disaster.
NEVER ALONE tells the gripping story of Jewish refugees seeking safety in Finland during WWII. As Nazi influence grows, the Finnish-Jewish businessman Abraham Stiller (Ville Virtanen, Netflix’s Bordertown) risks everything to protect the refugee community. This powerful film showcases courage, resilience, and the fight for hope amidst overwhelming adversity.
From the celebrated director Klaus Härö, known for Oscar-shortlisted “The Fencer“ and Golden Globe-nominated “My Sailor, My Love,“ comes a powerful true story of resilience and defiance. Based on actual events during World War II, NEVER ALONE shines a light on the plight of Jewish refugees seeking sanctuary in Finland and the unwavering hero who risked everything to protect them.