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February 23, 2017Schenectady JCC’s Jewish Film Festival to Show “Once in a Lifetime” on March 4
On Saturday, March 4 at 7:00 PM, Schenectady JCC will show the penultimate film of 2016-2017 Jewish Film Festival series, Once in a Lifetime at the Robert and Dorothy Ludwig Schenectady JCC on the Golub Family Campus at 2565 Balltown Road, Niskayuna.
Once in a Lifetime (Les Heritiers, 2014, 105 minutes, French with English subtitles), tells the story of a dedicated history teacher in the rough suburbs of Paris who challenges her students to enter a nationwide contest, the annual Concours National de la Resistance et de la Deportation (National Contest of Resistance and Deportation).
Once in a Lifetime is inspired by a true story and is directed by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar and co-written by Mention-Schaar and Ahmed Dramé who plays one of the lead characters (student Malik).
Teacher Anne Gueguen (played by Ariane Ascaride) is determined to give the best education she can to her underprivileged inner-city pupils. Overcoming their apathy proves more difficult than expected. She gives her multicultural classroom a unique assignment: to enter a national competition on the theme of child victims of the Nazi concentration camps.
The project is met with resistance, until the class visits Paris’ Shoah Memorial, where the class sees evidence of the Nazi genocide including photos of French children deported to the concentration camps. Then, they meets Holocaust survivor Léon Zyguel (as himself). Zyguel speaks about the ordeals he faced as a 15-year-old deportee to Auschwitz.
Despite their long-shot odds of winning the competition, the students – many of Islamic faith – gradually learn to overcome their prejudices and band together in the name of tolerance and remembrance.
Following the film, there will be a discussion led by Shelly Shapiro, Director of Community Relations for Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York. Shapiro is also the Director of the Holocaust Survivors & Friends Education Center, an organization that provides anti-prejudice education through lectures by survivors, teacher-training programs and services, community programs and outreach services to students, the media and teachers throughout the Capital Region.
Individual films are $5 per person for Schenectady JCC members and $10 per person for community members. Admission is free for students with school ID. Admission includes film, discussion, and light refreshments.
The Schenectady JCC’s 2016-2017 Jewish Film Festival is sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Northeastern NY. This program is made possible through the generous support of the Epstein Jewish Cultural Fund, Meyer & Mary Kurland/Gebell Fund, Jonas and Edith Flemiberg Jewish Cultural Fund, Schenectady JCC Friends of the Arts, and in part by a grant from the Schenectady County Legislature through its County Initiative Program.
For more information and to register, call Judy Ben-Ami at 518-377-8803.
