Philadelphia Premiere
Kaddish For A Friend

The Gershman Y
Sunday, November 4, 2012 / 3:00 PM

Director: Leo Khasin
Germany, 2010, 94 minutes
In Arabic, German, and Russian w/ English subtitles
*contains violence

Two immigrants, Alexander and Ali, living in the same apartment house in Berlin, could not be more different. Alexander, an elderly Jewish war veteran from Russia, lives among his memories and fights to retain the culture of his past. Ali, a poor teenage Palestinian refugee from Lebanon, longs to fit in with his peers and keep his family above the law. When a local gang of Arab youths pressures Ali to vandalize Alexander's apartment, he is forced to weigh his integrity against his desire to belong. Will Ali and Alexander bridge the gulf of age, nationality, and history or will this unlikely pair succumb to the pitfalls of cultural difference? Winner of audience awards in Boston, Dayton, Pittsburgh, and Washington, Kaddish For a Friend is a tragicomic gem from Russian-born German Director Leo Khasin.

Special Guest: Sunka Simon, Associate Professor of German, Film and Media Studies, Swarthmore College

Fall Film Festival sponsored by SEED THE DREAM FOUNDATION, Marcy Gringlas & Joel Greenberg

Watch the trailer now