Israel Film Center Festival 2025 Tells Israeli Stories

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 04 June 2025 11:05

Written by Brad Balfour

Featuring award winning films from Israel, the Israel Film Center Festival returns June 5 to 12, 2025. Held at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, JCC Mid-Westchester, and Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, the Israel Film Center Festival features more than ten critically acclaimed films.

In The Shoshani Riddle, a documentary from Michael Grynszpan, Mr. Shoshani was an eternal nomad and enigmatic genius. With no family or friends, sleeping on park benches, taking on multiple names and identities, he acquired a mythological status. This film is a search for Mr. Shoshani. Soda, directed by Erez Tadmor, is set in 1950s Israel, as Eva arrives at a community of Holocaust survivors, captivating Shalom, a former resistance fighter. Soon, rumors spread about her past as a Kapo during the war, and Shalom must choose between his passion for Eva and his duty to uncover her secret. His Own Way: The Cinema of Avi Nesher is a documentary on Avi Nesher, Israel's leading filmmaker. As he weaves his personal life into all his films this documentary examines the DNA of his cinematic creations since he began his career in 1978.

Screenings also include Q&A’s from the filmmakers. Check the schedule for more info.

To learn more, go to: https://israelfilmcenterstream.org/festival/

Israel Film Center Festival
June 5 - 12, 2025

Various venues in New York

Bosozoku Beach: Japanese Biker Films in the Rockaways

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Monday, 02 June 2025 14:07

Written by Brad Balfour

His Motorbike, Her Island

Rev up your engines and pack a bento, because Rockaway Film Festival has a slate of classic biker films from Japan!  Presented by Screen Slate in conjunction with Rockaway Film Festival, Bosozoku Beach on June 7 at Rockaway’s Arverne Cinema (72-02 Gouverneur Ave, Arverne, NY) features three films: God Speed You! Black Emperor, Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss, and His Motorbike, Her Island. Bosozoku is the biker sub-culture that emerged out of Japan’s post-war years, as bike customization, clashes with the police, and a new breed of youth culture coalesced. These three films represent that era. 

Directed by Mitsuo Yanagimachi, God Speed You! Black Emperor is a gritty and up-close documentary shot on 16mm as he embeds himself with one of Japan’s most infamous biker gang, the Black Emperors.  Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss stars Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood) in a stylish music filled action romp as girl-gangs clash with right-wing nationalists on the streets of Tokyo. Capping off the trilogy of films is His Motorbike, Her Island from the legendary director Nobuhiko Obayashi (House). A story of young love, yearning, and bikes, Obayashi’s film was part of the teen-centric films Kadokawa released in the 1980s, but with a unique visual flare that only Obayashi could craft.

To learn more, go to: https://www.rockawayfilmfestival.org/program/bosozoku-beach

Bosozoku Beach: Japanese Biker Films in the Rockaways
June 7, 2025

Arverne Cinema
72-02 Gouverneur Ave
Arverne, NY 11692

Tribeca Festival 2025: Trans Rights, Sushi Chefs, & Gonzo Journalists

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Monday, 26 May 2025 14:40

Written by Brad Balfour

Celebrating film, games, and audio storytelling, the Tribeca Festival hits NYC June 4th to the 15th.  The opening night feature is Billy Joel: And So It Goes, a documentary from directors Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin featuring rare, never-before-seen archival footage with candid, soul-baring interviews to chart Billy Joel’s meteoric rise—from humble Long Island roots to international superstardom. The documentary State of Firsts follows Sarah McBride, the first transgender person ever to be elected to Congress during this time of heated and seemingly incessant political opposition to the transgender community. Director Chase Joynt brings a highly relevant and provocative examination of McBride's first year in Congress as she becomes the target of MAGA Republicans who ban her from using restrooms in the Capitol and routinely misgender her, intentionally and publicly.

Gonzo Girl is the directorial debut of Patricia Arquette, adapting Cheryl Della Pietra's novel of the same name loosely inspired by her experience as Hunter S. Thomspon's assistant. After a chance encounter at a book reading, Alley (Camila Morrone) is offered her dream job — working as a writing assistant to Walker Reade (Willem Dafoe), an aging journalist and author whose drug and alcohol use have worn him into a fading legend. Tasked with getting Reade to finish his newest book, Alley struggles not to be consumed by his drug-soaked lifestyle while ensuring the job gets done by any means necessary. 

Nobu is a documentary on the legendary chef Nobu Matsuhisa from his humble beginnings through his journey to hone his culinary skills. Directed and produced by Matt Tyrnauer, this compelling documentary traces Nobu’s journey from his childhood in Japan to the transformative experiences that shaped him in Peru and Alaska, ultimately leading to the creation of his iconic restaurants, Matsuhisa and Nobu. The premiere of the film will be followed by a conversation with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro, and director Matt Tyrnauer.

The Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, music, audio storytelling, games, and immersive. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is synonymous with creative expression and entertainment. Tribeca champions emerging and established voices, discovers award-winning talent, curates innovative experiences, and introduces new ideas through exclusive premieres, exhibitions, conversations, and live performances.

To learn more, go to https://tribecafilm.com/

Tribeca Festival
June 4 - 15, 2025

Various venues across NYC