Cinema lovers in Greater Kansas City do not need to travel to Cannes, Toronto or Sundance to attend a first-class film festival. Opportunity knocks starting next weekend when local audiences can find their very own slice of film nirvana in Overland Park at the 12th annual Kansas International Film Festival (KIFF). KIFF will take place Oct. 5-11 at the Glenwood Arts Theatre located inside the Metcalf South Shopping Center.
This year’s festival will premiere more than 45 films over seven days. The lineup contains an eclectic mix of dramatic features and documentaries with many filmmakers in attendance. High profile major studio releases premiering at KIFF before their regular fall openings include “The Sessions,” “Smashed,” “Butter” and “A Late Quartet.”
Five films will have a distinctive Jewish flavor. They are “Remembrance,” “Kinderblock 66: Return to Buchenwald,” “A.K.A. Doc Pomus,” Within the Whirlwind,” and “Policeman.”
“Remembrance” is a romantic war drama spanning three decades inspired by true events. A German Jewish woman and a Polish partisan forge a passionate bond in the dark shadow of the Holocaust. After a daring escape from a Nazi death camp and surviving a treacherous journey through the woods to freedom, Hannah and Tomasz are separated during the chaos at the end of the war. Each is convinced that the other has died. The events of 1944 Poland interchange with 1976 Manhattan, where an older Hannah — now a happily married 52-year-old mother — accidentally glimpses a television interview that leads her to a stunning revelation. She is forced to confront her unresolved past. The dialogue is partially in German, Polish and Russian with English subtitles. It will be shown at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6. My rating 3 stars out of 4). [Editor’s note: This film will also be shown at the Kansas City Jewish Film Festival on Oct. 13 at the White Theatre.]
“Kinderblock 66: Return to Buchenwald” is a documentary about four men who, as young teenage boys, were imprisoned by the Nazis in the Buchenwald concentration camp. They along with other Holocaust survivors return to commemorate the 65th anniversary of their liberation on April 11, 1945. The true hero of the story is Antonin Kalina, a Czech communist who served as the block elder. He committed himself entirely to saving 1,000 Jewish children that he barely knew. At this time, Yad Vashem is still considering Righteous Among the Nations status for this courageous patriarch. Writer/director Rob Cohen has crafted a stirring history lesson of traumatic childhood memories utilizing black and white archival footage provided by Steven Spielberg’s Film and Video Archive and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Jewish actor Liev Shreiber (“Defiance”) is the narrator. The documentary is partially in Hebrew and German with English subtitles. It screens at 5:25 p.m. Monday night, Oct. 8. My rating 4 stars.
“A.K.A. Doc Pomus” is a touching and emotional biographical documentary about Brooklyn-born Jerome Solon Felder, better known as blues singer and songwriter Doc Pomus. His parents were poor Jewish immigrants. This heavyset Jewish kid contracted polio at age 6. Although confined to crutches and a wheelchair, he demonstrated a lot of chutzpah by living more during his 65 years than others could experience in several lifetimes. He made a difference in the world as the lyricist of more than 1,000 songs, including “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “This Magic Moment,” “A Teenager in Love,” ”Suspicion,” “Can’t Get Used to Losing You” and “Viva Las Vegas.” His endearing tunes were recorded by the giants of the music industry including Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Bob Dylan. This documentary is packed with incomparable music, rare archival footage and celebrity interviews. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. It will be shown at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon, Oct. 7. My rating 3 1/2 stars.
“Within the Whirlwind” (7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8) is a biopic based on the memoir of Eugenia Ginzburg (Emily Watson), a Jewish educator, journalist and university administrator. During Stalin’s reign of terror, she was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with deprivation of political rights and confiscation of all her personal property. She was sent to a gulag in Siberia. Having lost everything, and no longer wishing to live, she meets the camp doctor who probably saved her life by recommending her for a nursing position. The film has previously shown in Jewish film festivals in Boston, Atlanta, Barcelona and New York. My rating 2 ½ stars.
“Policeman” (5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8) is an Israeli drama about the members of the most dangerous unit in the Israeli police. They clash with a group of young radical revolutionaries, who take three billionaires hostage at a wedding reception. The slow and methodical pacing may put you to sleep. The dialogue is in Hebrew with English subtitles. The movie was nominated for seven awards by the Israeli Film Academy (equivalent of the Oscars) including best film, director, screenplay, cinematography and actor. My rating 2 ½ stars.
Full festival passes, which cover admission to all KIFF films along with special advance seating privileges, are priced at $60. Individual tickets are $6.50 before 5 p.m. and $8.50 for evening shows. Seniors 60 and over pay $6.75 anytime. Discounts are available for Film League members. Tickets may be purchased at the Glenwood Arts. For the complete schedule and more information, call 913-642-4404 or visit www.kansasfilm.com.