Film &amp; Television

The Best of Their Disabilities: Showcasing Special Needs on Screen

The largest film festival in the country dedicated to promoting the awareness of and appreciation for the lives, stories and artistic expressions of differently abled people has found a new home in Philadelphia. ReelAbilities will be showcasing films, displaying art exhibits and hosting conversations at venues throughout the area until Sunday evening. The festival is the brainchild of Isaac Zablocki,...

Film & Television

Rule by Frat Boys?

By:

Naomi Pfefferman Los Angeles Jewish Journal

David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer, screenwriters of Sacha Baron Cohen's latest film, "The Dictator," were bantering in the comic actor's office as Alec Berg, their co-writer, joined in by speakerphone (he was home babysitting his young daughter). Baron Cohen, star of the prankster mockumentaries "Bruno" and "Borat," was about to move out, and the office was bare except for some...

Film & Television

It's Mel All Over Again

By:

Dana Kennedy, Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Jews run Hollywood, the old cliche goes. So an outsider might find it strange that one of Hollywood's biggest studios, Warner Bros., agreed to make a movie about one of the Jewish world's greatest heroes with a star known for going on anti-Semitic tirades. And when the plans to film Judah Maccabee fell apart this month, igniting a feud between...

Local

Standing Up to Bullying

By:

Bryan Schwartzman

When Haley Simon entered sixth grade last year, she started school with the confidence to wear hair extensions and to be herself -- quirks and all. But in the world of middle school, she soon discovered, the consequences of seeming just a bit different proved to be severe. The bullying began on school grounds, with students hurling insults at her...

Health

Brotherly Love -- and Sorrow

A sibling's mental illness can wreak havoc on a brother or sister

By:

Lynne Blumberg, Jewish Exponent Feature

The mental illness of a daughter or son affects the well-being of the entire family, including healthy siblings. Examples of this are illustrated in Jonathan's Return, the latest documentary by the Oscar-nominated Eran Preis, the Israeli-American film director and associate professor of film and media arts at Temple University. Jonathan, 33, the youngest of Preis' three sons, had behavior problems...