The 2015 festival theme is Resilience.
Though there were several close contenders for a theme this year, in the end we picked Resilience. So many of our films have strong protagonists who take fate into their own hands, acting wisely in the face of adversity and making tough decisions that affect their world, and at times the course of history itself. The ability to overcome challenges while turning misfortune into success is something we can all aspire to…
Our film trailers & synopses are shown below in alphabetical order.
Click on our Hot Pink buttons to book your ticket. Clicking will take you to the Asia Society Hong Kong Center website to make your purchase – read more about the process here
Opening night – Film and Dessert: $380 per ticket and $350 for students/seniors
Fauda screen-a-thon: $200 per ticket and $180 for Students/seniors (per night – includes 6 episodes per night 1-6 & 7-12)
All other times: $90 per ticket, $80 for students/seniors
Download our form here only if ordering large quantities for multiple films
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A Borrowed Identity (Dancing Arabs) | Kindly sponsored by the Chouraqui Family
Director: Eran Riklis | Israel | Germany | France | 2014 | Drama | Hebrew | Arabic | English subtitles | 104 mins
Tuesday, 17 November: 8:10-9:55pm: Buy now
Through the journey of one young man, this coming of age story sensitively examines the complex interrelated identities of Jewish and Palestinian Israelis, two peoples divided by a shared culture.
NOMINATIONS:
Israeli Film Academy: Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Art Direction, Best Sound
REVIEWS:
“As usual for a Riklis film, actors are all perfectly cast and the production values are high.” – The Hollywood Reporter
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Apples from the Desert | Kindly sponsored by the Amias Family
Directors: Arik Lubetzky, Matti Harari | Israel | 2014 | Narrative/Drama | Hebrew | English subtitles | 96 mins
Sunday, 15 November: 3:35-5:10pm: Buy now
AWARDS:
The 28th Israel film festival: Best Feature Film
Audience Choice Award: Haifa International Film Festival
San Diego JFF 2015 – Special Jury Award Winner
Atlanta JFF 2015 – Winner of Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
PRESS:
‘Apples from the Desert’ a peach of a movie – Sheryl Rowling San Diego Jewish World
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Beneath The Helmet: From High School to the Home Front| Kindly sponsored by the Directors of the UIA in honour of the UIA
Director: Wayne Kopping | Israel | USA | 2014 | Documentary | English | Hebrew | English subtitles| 80 mins
Following the film there will be a Q & A with an ex‐IDF soldier Hadar Shabat
Sunday, 15 November: 2:00-3:20pm: Buy now
At the age of 18, away from their homes, families and friends, these young individuals undergo a demanding, inspiring journey, revealing the core of who they are and who they want to be.
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Brave Miss World |
Director: Cecilia Peck | USA | Israel | Italy | South Africa | 2014 | Documentary/Biography/Drama | English | Italian | Hebrew | English & Chinese subtitles | 88 mins
Chinese subtitles courtesy of Amnesty International | 此電影由國際特赦組織提供中文字幕
MATINEE, Tuesday, 17 November: 11:30-12:40pm: Buy now
Now a globe-trotting victims advocate, Linor encourages others to stand against sexual violence by putting an end to their silence.
Abargil’s progression from rape victim to empowered activist/attorney, and her journey of becoming more religously observant, is moving and brave in this uplifting documentary. Linor is an unforgettable heroine.
AWARDS:
Chicago International Film Festival: Audience Choice Award 2013
NOMINATIONS:
Primetime Emmy Awards: Exceptional Merit in Documentary Film-making
PRESS:
“The essential documentary of 2014.” – Mark Warren, Executive Editor, Esquire
“Impassioned and inspiring.” – LA Times
“The coming together of two remarkable women, Linor and documentary filmmaker Cecilia Peck.” – Amy Goodman, Democracy Now.
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Crossing the Line 2 |
Director: Shoshana Palatnik | USA | 2015 | Documentary | English | 30 mins
DOUBLE FEATURE, Sunday, 15 November: 5:25-6:50pm
Screened as a single purchase with Forgers of History
Crossing the Line 2: The New Face of Anti-Semitism on Campus is a new documentary that reveals the rise of anti-Israel activity and anti-Semitic rhetoric on North American university campuses, and demonstrates when reasonable criticism of Israel ‘Crosses the Line’.
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Encirclements (Hakafot) |
Director: Lee Gilat | Israel | 2014 | Drama | Hebrew | English subtitles | 96 mins
Wednesday, 18 November: 8:50-10:25pm: Buy now
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The Estigma? (The Stigma) | Kindly sponsored by the Spanish Consulate
Director: Martí Sans | Spain | 2014 | Documentary | Spanish | English subtitles | 72 mins
DOUBLE FEATURE with Jewish Identity in France, Monday, 16 November: 7:00-8:45pm
Screened as a single purchase with Jewish Identity in France:
AWARDS:
Audience Award – Punta del Este Jewish Film Festival, 2015
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The Farewell Party (Mita Tova) |
Directors: Sharon Maymon, Tal Granit | Israel | Germany | 2015 | Dark Comedy | Hebrew | English subtitles | 95 mins
Monday, 16 November, 9:00-11:00pm: Buy now
AWARDS:
Israeli Film Academy Awards: Best Picture, with wins for Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Sound
NOMINATIONS:
Israeli Film Academy Nominations: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Casting, Best Art Direction, Best Music
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Fauda (TV Series) | Kindly sponsored by BHI
Directors: Avi Issacharoff, Lior Raz | Israel | 2015 | TV Drama/Thriller | Hebrew | Arabic | English subtitles | 12 episodes
$200 per ticket and $180 for Students/seniors per night
Saturday, 21 November, episodes 1-6: 7:30-11:00pm: Buy now
Sunday, 22 November, episodes 7-12: 7:00-10:40pm: Buy now
Deemed “The Wire” of Israel, Fauda is exciting like “Homeland” and mind-blowing like “The Hurt Locker”, this show will knock you down and sweep you away…
REVIEWS:
“Thrilling” – Public Radio International (PRI)
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The Forgers of History (Les Faussaires De L’Histoire) | Kindly sponsored by the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre
Director: Michaël Prazan | France | 2015 | Documentary | French | English subtitles | 62 mins
DOUBLE FEATURE, Sunday, 15 November: 5:25-6:50pm
Screened as a single purchase with Crossing the Line 2: Buy both
Almost 70 years after the liberation of the Nazi extermination camps, some anti-semites continue to deny the planned execution of the Jews by the Nazis. According to French historian Annette Wieviorka, the issue lies in the fact that following the war, many survivors did not wish to speak of their experience, or were simply silenced. This opened the doors to past perpetrators, collaborators, or anticommunist extreme rightists, to fill the silence with denials and their versions of history.
It took twenty years, at the Eichmann Trial in Jerusalem, to finally hear the testimony of 111 survivors. Nevertheless, despite the facts, deniers are still prevalent, focusing on technicalities of the Final Solution; and today, accusing Israel of having “invented” the Shoah to serve its own interests.
Riveting and disturbing, this important documentary focuses on the evolution of different anti-Semitic tendencies.
Michaël Prazan is best known for his book and documentary Einsatzgruppen: les commandos de la mort
Supported by HKHTC, this film will also be shown in Hong Kong and Macau schools and universities.
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The Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem | Kindly sponsored by Withers Solicitors
Directors: Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz | France | Israel | Germany | 2014 | Drama | Hebrew | French | Arabic | English subtitles | 115 mins
There will be a Q & A session with Osnat Sharon, head of Yad L’isha, the leading organisation in Israel for Agunot (wives refused a divorce by their husbands).
AWARDS:
Best Film & Best Supporting Actor: Israeli Academy Awards
Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes 2014
SUBMISSION:
Israel’s official submission for the Best Foreign Language Oscar
REVIEW:
“an emotionally charged powder keg”
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Hate (A Voyage to the Dark Heart of Anti-Semitism) |
Director: Nadav Eyal | Israel | 2014 | Documentary | Hebrew | English | German | English subtitles | 51 mins
Moving from victims of anti-Semitism to experts and finally to the bigots themselves, the film generates a credible and frightening document. The film explains some areas of anti-Semitism’s resilience, and supplies a variety of dramatic encounters and confrontations with the perpetrators of racism.
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Hill Start |
Director: Oren Stern | Israel | 2014 | Dark Comedy | Hebrew | English subtitles | 92 mins
Sunday, 15 November: 7:00-8:30pm: Buy now
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Jewish Identity in France: Between Past & Future |
Director: Gilad Inbar | France | 2014 | Documentary | French | Hebrew | English | English subtitles | 34 mins
DOUBLE FEATURE with Estigma? Monday, 16 November: 7:00-8:45pm
Screened as a single purchase with The Estigma?: Buy both
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Kinderlekh | Kindly sponsored by the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Centre
Director: Audrey Gordon | France | 2012 | Documentary | French | English & Chinese subtitles (此電影中文字幕) | 52 mins
FREE FILM, Sunday, 15 November: 1.00 – 1.50pm: Select now
There will be No Charge for this film, compliments of the HKJFF and Asia Society Hong Kong Center
Suitable for Teenagers
In preparing for a play, a class of fourth graders from a small town in France discovers a tragic episode of the Second World War – the story of 44 children detained and deported in 1944. The nine year olds travel to Izieu, the house where the Jewish children had lived, to perform in the garden of the house. This is a beautiful lesson in the transmission of memory, as seen through the playful and authentic eyes of the children.
To be shown in schools throughout Hong Kong.
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Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life |
Director: Malcolm Clark | Canada | USA | UK | 2014 | Documentary | English | 39 mins
MATINEE DOUBLE FEATURE, Thursday, 19 November: 12:00-1:30pm
Screened as a single purchase with Regina
AWARDS:
Academy Awards, USA 2014, Oscar : Best Documentary – Short Subject
Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival: Best Documentary
New Media Film Festival Award 2013: Best Trailer
NOMINATIONS:
Camerimage 2014: Golden Frog, Short Documentary
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My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes | Kindly sponsored by Fabio Caviglia & The Italian Consulate/Bellissima Italia
Director: Oren Jacoby | USA | 2014 | Documentary | English | Italian | English subtitles| 92 mins
Wednesday, 18 November: 7:00-8:30pm: Buy now
Would you risk your life to save a stranger? This is the story of sports idol Gino Bartali and other courageous Italians who carried out ingenious schemes to rescue Jews, partisans and refugees from Nazi-occupied Italy. Bartali, a Tour de France champion, smuggled fake identify documents in the frame of his bicycle. Dr. Giovanni Borromeo invented a fictitious disease to scare the SS away from the hospital where he was hiding Jews. Oscar-nominated director Oren Jacoby reveals the dramatic stories of a secret underground that has remained largely unknown until now.
AWARDS:
Rome International Film Festival: Official Selection
Hamptons International Film Festival: Official Selection
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My Mayim |
Director: Galia Albin | Israel | 2015 | Drama | Hebrew | 10 mins
There will be a Q & A session with Galia Albin following the film

Screened as a single purchase with The Gett: Buy both
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Regina: The First Woman Rabbi | Kindly sponsored by the Consulate General of Hungary
Director: Diana Groó | Hungary | UK | 2014 | Documentary | English | 63 mins
MATINEE DOUBLE FEATURE, Thursday, 19 November: 12:00-1:30pm
Screened as a single purchase with Lady in Number 6: Buy both
Diana Groós’s poetic documentary tells the story of Regina Jonas who made history by becoming the first properly ordained woman rabbi in the world. The daughter of an Orthodox Jewish peddler, Jonas grew up in Berlin and was ordained in 1935. During the Nazi era and the war, her sermons and her unparalleled dedication brought encouragement to the persecuted German Jews. Regina Jonas was murdered in Auschwitz in 1944.
AWARDS:
New York Jewish Film Festival – Critics Choice
Winner of the Lia Award – Jerusalem Film Festival 2013
Winner – Grand Prix – Szolnok International Film Festival of Cultural Arts, History and Sciences 2013
Hungarian Film Critics Award 2014
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Rock in the Red Zone |
Director: Laura Bialis | Israel | USA | 2014 | Documentary | Hebrew | English | English subtitles | 87 mins
PRESS:
“Rock in the Red Zone is the best and most important Israeli documentary I’ve seen in years. Nothing comes close to getting inside the Israeli psyche and soul.” – -Yossi Klein Halevi
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Sabena Hijacking – My Version | Kindly sponsored by Anonymous
Director: Rani Sa’ar | Israel | 2014 | DocuDrama | Hebrew | English & Chinese subtitles (此電影中文字幕) | 100 mins
OPENING NIGHT, Saturday, 14 November: 7:30pm.
$380 per ticket and $350 for students/seniors
Followed by our famous kosher dessert party: Buy now
NOMINATION:
Finalist for the 2015 Ophir Awards (Israeli Academy Awards)
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Sacred Sperm |
Director: Ori Gruder (a.k.a. Or Yashar) | Israel | 2014 | Documentary | Hebrew | English subtitles | 74 mins
Following this film there will be a Q & A session with Director Ori Gruder.
Sunday, 15 November: 8:45-10:00pm: Buy now
AWARDS:Winner Award of Excellence, The Accolade Global Film Competition, December 2014
REVIEWS:
“It is a delicate subject which has been taboo since biblical times, but now an Israeli documentary has broken new ground …” – The Guardian
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Silicon Wadi | Kindly sponsored by Pharmalink
Directors: Daniel Sivan, Yossi Bloch | Israel | 2014 | Documentary | Hebrew | English subtitles | 82 mins
Sunday, 22 November: 3:10-4:35pm: Buy now
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Touchdown Israel |
Director: Paul Hirschberger| USA | Israel | 2014 |Sports Documentary | English | 85 mins
In the epicenter of the Middle East conflict, Israel’s weekend warriors team up, suit up, don helmets over their kippahs, and charge the field in a season of full-contact American Tackle Football, revealing pieces of themselves and their world along the way. Secular or religious, Israeli-born or not, these Jews, Muslims and Christians are transformed from ordinary citizens into fierce gridiron competitors on a quest for Israel Bowl glory. Providing a unique insight into the incredible religious and cultural diversity that is Israel, the film profiles players, teams, coaches, officials and fans from three teams throughout one playing season as they learn the rules, execute the strategies and bond together. The film’s coverage includes pre-season, regular season and playoffs, culminating in Israel Bowl V.
AWARDS:
Boston Jewish Film Festival: Official Selection
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival: 2014 Official Selection
San Diego Jewish Film Festival: 2015 Official Selection
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The Voice of Peace |
Director: Frédéric Cristéa | France | 2014 | Documentary | French | English subtitles | 52 mins
Sunday, 22 November: 12:30-1:20pm: Buy now
AWARDS:
2014 Official selection FIGRA
2015 Australia Jewish International Film Festival
2015 Toronto Jewish Film Festival