Two films remain in summer series of Wilmington Jewish Film Festival

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The summer series of the Wilmington Jewish Film Festival marks a return to in-person events for the organization.

Two more films will be featured in the festival, which began on Aug. 4.

“This is our first time back after two years being in person in a movie theater,” said Debbie Smith, one of the festival’s organizers. “There were a few people and I’m sure there are more than a few that are a little nervous about coming back to the theater but we had our first film last Wednesday night and it was it worked out perfectly. We were able to physically distance and I think everyone felt very comfortable being in the theater and many wore masks so that helped as well.”

The next film in the series will be shown on Wed., Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Pointe 14.

The Tobacconist tells the story of a young man, Franz, who journeys to Vienna to apprentice at a tobacco shop. One of his employers top clients is Sigmund Freud. The story transpires as antisemitism increasingly takes hold in Vienna.

Tickets for the movie can be found here.

The final film in the series is Persona Non Grata, which is based on the true story of Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara who saved thousands of Jewish lives from Nazi extermination. Sugihara put his career and family at great risk by issuing transit visas to Lithuanian Jews to Japanese territories, defying a treaty that Japan had with Nazi Germany. The film will be shown on Wed., Aug. 18.

Organizers with the Wilmington Jewish Film Festival hope the festival creates an way for Wilmington’s Jewish community to strengthen its cultural foundation and grow Wilmington’s reputation as a culturally vibrant Jewish community. The festival also seeks to share stories and Jewish culture with the Wilmington community.

Tickets and more information can be found here.

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