By Reporter staff
The Binghamton Jewish Film Fest will hold a virtual showing of a documentary by Deeyah Kahn and the short film “Masel Tov Cocktail.” Stephen A. Lisman, distinguished teaching professor emeritus in psychology at Binghamton University, will moderate a discussion of the films.
People will be able to register for links to the films and the discussion here. The films can be streamed at no cost and will be available for viewing beginning Sunday, February 27. The viewing links will be viable until the discussion begins on Thursday, March 3, at 7 pm, when Lisman will facilitate the online video discussion of the film.
In “White Right: Meeting the Enemy” (55 minutes), Emmy Award-winning film-maker Deeyah Khan joins the front line of the race wars in America, sitting down face-to-face with Neo-Nazis and fascists. Speaking with racists, fascists and proponents of alt-right ideologies, Khan attempts to discover new possibilities for connections and solutions. As she tries to see beyond the headlines to the human beings, her own prejudices are challenged and her tolerance tested.
“White Right” received a PeaceJam Special Jury Prize at the Monte Carlo Television Festival and an Emmy Award for International Current Affairs. It was also a BAFTA Award Nominee for Current Affairs. Khan received a Best Director – Documentary award from the Royal Television Society.
“Masel Tov Cocktail” (30 minutes) tells the story of Dima, a German-Jewish teenager, who gets into a fight at school. When asked to apologize to the person he punched, he notes how he doesn’t really feel sorry. Dima then talks directly to the audience about the hypocrisy he sees in his school and society.
“Masel Tov Cocktail” has won numerous awards at film festivals, including the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival 2021, Anchorage International Film Festival 2020, Boston Jewish Film Festival 2020, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2021, Cleveland International Film Festival 2021, Filmets-Badalona Film Festival 2020, Flickerfest International Short Film Festival 2021, Florida Film Festival 2021, International Film Festival Etiuda and Anima 2020, Jaipur International Film Festival 2021, La Cabina Valencia International Medium-Length Film Festival 2020, London Short Series Fest 2020, Moscow Jewish Film Festival 2020, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival 2020 and Unabhängiges FilmFest Osnabrück 2020.
“I am so pleased the Film Fest Committee decided to show these films,” said Shelley Hubal, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton. “I was truly riveted by each of them. Each film focuses on hate, anger and antisemitism, but it in two very different ways. If you are interested in understanding why people hate, this is the event for you. The discussion is sure to be compelling.”