New York Times
New York Jewish Film Festival: Sisters, Hummus and Bette Midler
By NEIL GENZLINGER
JAN. 4, 2017
Dorit Hakim’s first feature, “Moon in the 12th House,” has none of the overeagerness and overstatement that often characterize directors’ initial efforts. Perhaps that’s why it was chosen to be the opening film Wednesday, Jan. 11, at the New York Jewish Film Festival, which runs through Jan. 24. It’s the story of estranged sisters (Yaara Pelzig and Yuval Scharf) who have forged very different paths, one caring for their frail father, the other working at a hot Tel Aviv club. When events throw them back together, the chasm between them doesn’t simply disappear; it must be painstakingly bridged. Both the director and Ms. Scharf are to be on hand for Wednesday’s two screenings at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center. The festival features 28 other films and shorts, an eclectic selection that includes “Shalom Rabin,” Amos Gitai’s diary of the time surrounding the Oslo Accords; “Bette Midler: The Divine Miss M,” in which Ms. Midler revisits career high points; and, for foodies, “Hummus! The Movie.” (nyjff.org)
Bette Midler: The Divine Miss M
U.S. Premiere
SAMANTHA PETERS, UK, 2014, 75MIN
For five decades the woman they call “The Divine Miss M” forged a path that has taken her from a pineapple canning factory in Honolulu to the highest echelons of Hollywood. The BBC’s Imagine series joins Bette Midler on her journey through the chorus lines of Broadway, the bathhouses and nightclubs of New York City in the 1970s, and to the top of the film industry. Her combination of soulful voice and raucous wit made her irreplaceable as an outrageous, captivating entertainer. As she releases her first album in eight years, host Alan Yentob joins Ms. Midler to revisit the places and early influences of her spectacular career.
Director Samantha Peters in person for Q&A.
Free and open to the public.
