Noticias

Hilla Medalia returns to her award winning directorial status of documentary filmmaking with the film Dancing In Jaffa, a story about ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine teaching children to dance in his hometown of Jaffa, Israel. Dulaine marvelously picks his top dancers from the three dancing schools he started to compete together in citywide championships. Often times he would pair Palestinians with Jews, a common racial problem that Israel is facing today. In doing so, he often forces the children as well as their parents to put their faith to the test by willingly competing with each other instead of against.

The 100 minute documentary, in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, tells the story of such children learning to set aside their differences in order to compete in what they believe is right. It combines drama with humor, all based on the everyday lives of these children doing what they love most.

Well known for her documentaries,...

After The Storm, a doc competition film at the La Film Fest that focuses on a group of displaced teens in post-Katrina New Orleans as they audition and rehearse for a production of "Once On This Island", the hurricane-themed hit Broadway musical. It's the second doc feature for Hilla Medalia, who won a Peabody last year for her three-time Emmy-nominated HBO documentary, To Die In Jerusalem.

This week's releases arrive draped in a pervasive air of dissatisfaction -- Chris Rock's daughter is unhappy with her hair, a '70s feminist movement is unhappy with their options, and Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler are unhappy with each other. Elsewhere, British cultural icons are talked up while global corporate interests are torn down.

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"After The Storm"

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Oscar-winning filmmaker and activist James Lecesne's decision to bring a production of the Off-Broadway musical "Once on This Island" to the storm-ravaged city of New Orleans was both obvious and inspired, with an extra layer of resonance provided in the casting of local kids affected firsthand by the disaster. Captured by director Hilla Medalia, this documentary takes us behind the scenes of the production to follow 12 young actors...