ISRAELI FILM OPENING IN KC — “The Cakemaker” will open tomorrow (Aug. 10) in Kansas City at the Tivoli Cinemas. The film follows a German pastry chef who travels to Jerusalem in search of the wife and son of his dead Israeli lover. “The Cakemaker” was a Critic’s Pick in both The New York Times and Los Angeles Times and was also featured in The Forward, Jewish Journal and NPR, among other news outlets. In addition, it was an official selection of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, New York Jewish Film Festival, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and the Miami Jewish Film Festival. The film is director Ofir Raul Graizer’s feature debut.
The drama is rated PG and is in English, German and Hebrew with English subtitles and runs 105 minutes.
For show times and more information, visit tivolikc.com.
NETFLIX SAYS IT’S NOT OFFERING LOUIS FARRAKHAN DOCUMENTARY (JTA) — Last week on this page we reported that Netflix would begin airing a documentary about Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Apparently that report was inaccurate, as Netflix said it was based on an “internal miscommunication.”
“[I]t appeared to be scheduled for release on Netflix, but it is not,” a representative said in a statement July 31, after The Chronicle had gone to press. “We apologize for any confusion this has caused.”
The film, “The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan: My Life’s Journey Through Music,” had appeared on lists in media outlets of upcoming Netflix offerings. Farrakhan, who has a history of making anti-Semitic statements, had also written July 30 on Twitter that the documentary would be available on the service starting on Aug. 1. His tweet is no longer available.
In June, Twitter removed Farrakhan’s verified status after a clip was posted of the Nation of Islam leader speaking about “the Satanic Jew.”
Farrakhan has promoted an array of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, including that Israel and Jews knew ahead of time about the 9/11 terror attacks and that they controlled the world. He has also attacked white people and the LGBTQ community in his statements.
AMAZON REMOVES RACIST AND ANTI-SEMITIC PRODUCTS FROM SITE (JTA) — Amazon removed racist and anti-Semitic products from its site being offered by third-party sellers.
Amazon announced the move in a letter to Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., dated July 31. In mid-July, Ellison in a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos called for the company to stop selling “products that promote hateful and racist ideologies.”
Among the products removed were a Nazi swastika pendant, a Nazi eagle sticker and a cross-burning onesie for baby boys, according to BuzzFeed, which published the letter. Amazon also was offering books by white nationalist printing houses, including on Kindle.
In its letter to Ellison, Amazon said that it prohibited the listing of products that “promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual, or religious intolerance or promotes organizations with such views.”
The company said it had reviewed the products and contents referenced in Ellison’s letter and “removed the listings that were found in violation of our policies and permanently blocked the seller accounts that were in violation of Amazon policy.” Amazon also said it was reviewing seller accounts for potential suspension.