By Reporter staff
The Binghamton Jewish Film Fest will hold an in-person showing of the film “Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara” on Sunday, March 30, at 2 pm, at the Jewish Community Center, 500 Clubhouse Rd., Vestal. There is a suggested donation of $5. The film is in Italian with subtitles. Dora Polachek, Ph.D., associate professor of romance languages and literatures at Binghamton University, will moderate a discussion of the film. Registration for the film and discussion is suggested, but walk-ins are welcome; click here to register. The film fest is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton and the Ithaca Area United Jewish Community.
“Kidnapped” is based on the real-life story of Edgardo Mortara, a young Jewish boy living in Bologna, Italy, who in 1858, after being secretly baptized, was forcibly taken from his family to be raised as a Christian. His parents’ struggle to free their son became part of a larger political battle that pitted the papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification. 
On “Fresh Air,” John Powers said, “What gives the movie its timely resonance is not merely its depiction of antisemitism, but what it shows about the dangerous politics of religious belief. Although religion officially deals in timeless universal truths, ‘Kidnapped’ reminds us that these timeless universals are always bound up with historical questions of power. And where there’s power, there will be abuse.” The Wall Street Journal called the film “a sensitive and beautifully realized drama.” “Kidnapped” has received 19 awards and 16 nominations. They include awards for best film, best screenplay, best actor, best director, best actress and best supporting actor.