After a dozen years of slowly increasing attendance, the Altoona International Jewish Film Festival has gotten people talking.
And the event's organizer, the Greater Altoona Jewish Federation, has been listening.
"We've always looked to the members of our community who visit film festivals and have access to other movies, and we get their recommendations," said Len Zimmerman, a member of the film festival committee. "This year, I think all of our movies [come from] recommendations."
According to Bill Wallen, director of the Greater Altoona Jewish Federation, the recommendations of festival attendees directly affected which movies were chosen for this year's festival, which is held for four consecutive Thursdays, beginning this week.
"We always get feedback from people who come to the movies, and we try to respond to it," Wallen said. "Some of the feedback [asked if] we could show any films that are family-friendly films. So two of our films are family-friendly films."
In the past, some of the festival lineups have been pretty dark, with films about the Holocaust and the Israel-Palestine conflict common. But attendees wanted a small change there, as well, Wallen said.
"The other feedback was - as popular as our attendance was last year, and it was the best ever - could we get something that was a little lighter? Because our films last year were all very serious."
All movies start at 7:30 p.m. and will be shown at Penn State Altoona's Devorris Downtown Center, 1308 17th St., Altoona. Admission is $3 for Federation members, $5 for the general public and free for students.
A preliminary dinner will be held before the film begins at The Heritage Discovery Center. The meal includes wine, appetizers, dinner and dessert prepared by Catered Affairs. Tickets to the dinner are $12.
This year's lineup of films:
* "The Little Traitor" - Thursday. A 2007 Israeli film starring Alfred Molina (perhaps best known as Dr. Octopus in "Spider-Man 2"), "The Little Traitor" is based on the novel "Panther in the Basement" by Amos Oz.
It follows a young Jewish boy named Proffy in Palestine in 1947, just before the end of British rule.
Proffy and his friends spend their time looking for ways to terrorize the British soldiers occupying their home, but when he is caught by a British sergeant (Molina), Proffy is surprised to find the soldier is a kind man who is fine with Israel's coming independence. They become friends and all is well - until Proffy's friends find out he has been fraternizing with the enemy.
"It's more of a feel-good, human interest [film] that children can relate to," Wallen said. "Anybody fourth grade and above would really enjoy this movie."
It's a movie that has been on the festival's radar for several years - Wallen said they only had to wait until the screening fees became more reasonable.
"I've known of the film for at least three years," he said. "We had had recommendations about it for the last couple of years, from people who had seen it in larger cities."
* "Yoo Hoo Mrs. Goldberg" - Feb. 24. A documentary made in 2009, "Mrs. Goldberg" shines the spotlight on television and radio pioneer Gertrude Berg. According to Wallen, the subtitle of the film - "The Most Important Woman You've Never Heard Of" - gives you a hint about Berg's surprising life.
"Gertrude Berg won the first Emmy for an actress on television," Wallen said. "She pretty much developed sitcoms for television. She had a radio show for 20 years that she wrote every script for."
Berg was a precursor to the in-charge actresses like Lucille Ball who followed her, and the documentary features interviews with famous faces like Norman Lear, Ed Asner and Ruth Bader-Ginsberg - all talking about Berg's influence on pop culture.
The film left a mark on Zimmerman, who said he had never heard of Berg before screening the film.
"She was just the most remarkable woman," he said. "She was kind of a leader in the industry; I found it fascinating."
The film will be introduced by Rabbi Audrey Korotkin of Temple Beth Israel.
* "For My Father" - March 3. "For My Father" is an Israeli film released in 2008 and possesses the riskiest subject of this year's Jewish film festival.
The movie follows Palestinian suicide bomber Tarek, who is given a vest full of explosives and dumped into Tel Aviv, Israel. Though he is ready to die for his cause, Tarek's bomb malfunctions. Stuck in Tel Aviv until he can get it fixed, he begins connecting with the Jews living there and falls in love with a young woman named Keren.
As he waits throughout the weekend, opening up to his new surroundings and the people around him, Tarek is faced with a terrible choice - does he go through with his bombing or not?
"It's an interesting [story]," Wallen said. "It humanizes the people that we hear about on television as suicide bombers."
"For My Father" also shows off a growing market for filmmakers.
"We have two films that were made in Israel this year," Wallen said.
"Israel is producing more films of higher quality than ever before."
The film will be introduced by Dr. Matt Evans, a political science professor at Penn State Altoona.
* "Inside Hana's Suitcase" - March 10. "Inside Hana's Suitcase" is a documentary about how a Japanese teacher named Fumiko Ishioka and her class brought the story of a Holocaust victim to light.
In 1999, Ishioka visited the Auschwitz concentration camp and requested the loan of some children's items that would help her class relate to the Holocaust's victims. The suitcase she was given had the name "Hana Brady" and a birthdate on it. Ishioka's investigation into Brady's life - which ended in Auschwitz's gas chambers when she was 13 - eventually led her to Hana's surviving brother in Toronto.
"There's a message there about understanding, respect," Wallen said. "It's a different take on a Holocaust tale."
The film will be introduced by Jan Houseman, a recently retired teacher at Northern Bedford County Middle School. During her time there, Houseman developed a Holocaust curriculum for middle school kids.
Wallen expects another big year for the Altoona International Jewish Film Festival.
"We continue to attract more people from the general community," he said. "And we show films that would never otherwise be shown in theaters around here."
