An Opportunity to Bear Witness in Israel
Snappy review: "Virtual Sundance, fundraising for Israel trip, and film and TV reviews all covered in this edition!"
Sundance has come and gone but I have an opportunity to bear witness in Israel in mid-March. However, the only way that I can make the trip is through raising the funds on GoFundMe. My goal price right now is set for $4K to account for the costs on the ground in Israel and flights. Flights can fluctuate daily in price so the sooner I raise money, the sooner that everything can get booked.
The itinerary for the 5 day/4 night trip is current scheduled to include visits to the southern community and with hostage families, volunteering, a number of meetings and panels with Israeli writers and those involved in the literary scene, a visit/tour to the brand new National Library and other relevant literary/artistic spaces, as well as Shabbat in Jerusalem. The hotel where I'd be staying isn't far from the Western Wall.
It's very different from the recent 8-14 day Birthright Israel trips as those are more to volunteer. There is still volunteering on this trip but for the most part, it is mixture of solidarity mission and writing conference. Except for Shabbos, there will be daily generative writing sessions. I might be a film critic but I'm still a creative writer.
As for Sundance, I watched a record low of 15 films this year. To be fair, some of this was because of the Utah legislature dampening my mood with their transphobic legislation. It certainly didn't help that Sundance didn't respond to my two requests for a statement. When they finally gave a statement to The Daily Beast, it wasn't even strong enough--no condemning or naming the bill!
The other factor in such a low number is that virtual Sundance is way less time than on the ground. Factor in Shabbos and there's just not enough time to watch everything. I had pre-ordered 17 films but only got through all but three of them. I only watched one film as a screener but it wasn't for the lack of trying. There just weren't as many opportunities for pre-fest screeners. Well, both that and January meaning watching classics just to keep publishing reviews.
Film Reviews:
Film Festival Reviews:
Home Entertainment Releases:
TV Reviews:
Interviews:
Op-ed:
Awards Season:
Streaming--Coming and Leaving: