Above and Beyond: The Birth of the Israeli Air Force

Above and Beyond is a documentary about the volunteers who played a crucial role in the air during the 1948 Arab-Israel War. Three years removed from liberation, war was inevitable in the days following Israel’s Declaration of Independence. Even though the Jews accepted the UN Partition Plan in 1947, it was rejected by the Arabs. Everyone knew that the British would be leaving in 1948 and that’s when Arab armies (Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia,…

"Above and Beyond: The Birth of the Israeli Air Force"

Only In Theaters Arrives on DVD

Only in Theaters, a love letter to cinema that tells the story of the Laemmle family and the American Dream, is now available on DVD. When I first spoke to Raphael Sbarge last fall, there were some technical issues that prevented the interview from being recorded. He was gracious enough to redo the interview earlier this year, which you can read right here. When we first spoke, he mentioned Kino Lorber being interested in releasing…

"Only In Theaters Arrives on DVD"

Reckonings – JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival 2023

Reckonings is a documentary that takes a look back at the early 1950s when German and Jewish leaders met to discuss reparations. Chances are likely that you probably do not know the story of the Jewish Claims Conference. It took until the 1950s for leaders to meet and discuss compensation for survivors. The question on many minds during the talks are how does one determine reparations for the worst mass genocide in history. How much…

"Reckonings – JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival 2023"

Only In Theaters: The Laemmle Family and the American Dream

Only In Theaters isn’t just a love letter to cinema but a story about the Laemmle family and living the American Dream. Over the course of two and a half years, filmmaker Raphael Sbarge traces the family’s history all the way back to the 1930s. He was given complete access and full creative control in telling their story. While the final run time is about an hour and a half, the initial cut ran around…

"Only In Theaters: The Laemmle Family and the American Dream"

Who Will Write Our History: The Oyneg Shabes Story

Who Will Write Our History tells the courageous but mostly unknown story of a covert group known as Oyneg Shabes and how they vowed to defeat the Nazis with pen and paper. When we first meet Rachel Auerbach (Jowita Budnik, voiced by Joan Allen), she’s headed to on a train to Warsaw in 1946.  This is three years after the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising that took place in April 1943.  While the war had been over…

"Who Will Write Our History: The Oyneg Shabes Story"