VIRGINIA BEACH — The 26th annual Virginia Jewish Film Festival kicks off in the Southside on Jan. 21 and runs through Jan. 30.
The festival begins at the Roper Performing Arts Center with An Act of Defiance. The film chronicles the 1963 trial of Nelson Mandela in apartheid South Africa. His Jewish attorney, Bram Fisher, defended Mandela and 10 others charged with conspiring to commit sabotage and violent acts.
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In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, An Act of Defiance and a post film discussion will be presented in partnership with the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Community Relations Council and Hands United Building Bridges multi-faith group. Attendance is free but requires an RSVP.
The Roper Theater in Downtown Norfolk will host The Samuel Project on Jan. 27, which stars Hal Linden and Ryan Ochoa. Linden starred in the ABC sitcom Barney Miller from 1975 to 1982 and Ochoa starred in the Nickelodeon series iCarly from 2005 to 2012. Both will be in at the festival to introduce and discuss their film.
Other films include two episodes of When Heroes Fly, a hit Israeli series, heralded at the Canne International Series Festival, that comes to Netflix in English this spring at the Cinema Cafe in Virginia Beach. Military service members can attend free by presenting their ID.
Some films do require admission. For a full list of the films and costs, visit the Virginia Film Festival website or call 757-321-2338.
