The Boston Israeli Film Festival, now in its second year, offers a vital perspective on Jewish cinema by focusing on a critical subset of it: Israeli films. The week-long festival, which is a partnership between Boston Jewish Film, Combined Jewish Philanthropies and the Fine Family Foundation, The Consulate General of Israel to New England, and the Israeli American Council, celebrates the beautiful complexities of Israeli culture by showing outsiders that Israel is a vibrant, diverse place to live where many people coexist peacefully regardless of their religious and political affiliations.
Once again I’m thrilled to be covering the festival, which runs from February 6-13, 2020, but before opening night, I wanted to offer a preview of what the festival has to offer with a review of a film that will be playing in the middle of the festival on February 11 at 7:30 PM at the West Newton Cinema.
Breaking Bread; Beth Elise Hawk; Israel, 2020; 85 minutes
It’s extremely fitting that Breaking Bread, a documentary about bridging cultural divides through food, would open with a quote from the late Anthony Bourdain stating “Food may not be the answer to world peace…but it’s a start.” His rebellious desire to flip the bird to our differences and celebrate our similarities permeates this delicious film directed by Beth Elise Hawk. Breaking Bread centers on Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel, the first Muslim Arab to win Israel’s MasterChef, and the founder of the A-sham Arabic Food Festival, which is inspiring social change through food. At her festival, Arab and Jewish chefs team up to revive traditional Arab recipes and transform them into something modern, yet still faithful to their origins. Ultimately by working together these chefs set out to show everyone that religion and politics are no match for a great meal and great company. The documentary’s through-line is Atamna-Ismaeel’s heartwarming perspective on her mixed Jewish and Arab roots, and her discussions about how food breaks down cultural barriers, but her scenes are wisely supported by charming interviews with the Jewish and Arab chefs paired up at the festival. These interviews profile both members of the Arab/Jewish pairs, tracing their family histories in their hometowns, showing how they came to work as chefs, and discussing their personal philosophies when it comes to Arab/Jewish relationships. Part geography lesson and part history lesson, the documentary effectively makes its case that there are many areas, like the city of Haifa, where Arabs and Jews coexist peacefully, embracing what they have in common while celebrating what they don’t. Most importantly though, as a documentary about food, Hawk’s film is chock full of gorgeous, mouthwatering shots of the tantalizing dishes these chefs prepare. Between these bountiful shots of food and delightful interviews, Breaking Bread is a satisfying and insightful feast, which like any truly amazing meal, makes you crave seconds.