The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Film Festival To Offer 22 Movies During Final Week

"Experience the Magic of Cinema" is the slogan of a major new cultural event: The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Film Festival Presented by MorseLife-and movie fans can still enjoy 22 amazing screenings before the closing night film of PEACE BY CHOCOLATE on February 16, including:

ALI & AVA

(Feature-UK 2021)

A bundle of good humor and nervous energy in this woman-directed romance. Ali is a British Pakistani working-class landlord who forges close bonds with his tenants. One day, while picking up one of his tenants' children from school, he offers a lift to Ava, an Irish-born teacher and single mother of five. They bond almost instantly through their love of music. Their story serves as a reminder that sometimes the least likely connections are the ones most worth pursuing. (Toronto International Film Festival, BAFTA Nominee Best British Film)

+ February 14, 1:00 pm - Paragon Theatres of Delray Beach

+ February 14, 4:00 pm - CMX Wellington

Palm Beach County Premiere

BREAKING THE ICE

(Feature-Austria-2022)

What happens when someone with a rigid approach to life meets their freewheeling opposite? Mira is the heir to an Austrian vineyard whose existence is defined by stress: the family business is barely staying afloat, her grandfather's dementia is getting worse, and her brother Paul recently went missing. Mira's sole outlet for all this anxiety is serving as the captain of a women's ice hockey team. (Tribeca Film Festival)

+ February 11, 1:30 pm - Paragon Theaters of Delray Beach

+ February 14, 1:00 pm - CMX Wellington

Palm Beach County Premiere

CINEMA SABAYA

(Feature - Israel-2022)

A group of Arab and Jewish women attends a workshop run by Rona, a young filmmaker from Tel Aviv, to learn to document their lives on video. As each woman shares her raw footage with the others, they are all forced to challenge their preconceived views and beliefs, coming together as mothers, wives, and women. Based on the real-life experiences of the film's director, with a remarkable cast consisting of professional and non-professional actors alike, Cinema Sabaya is a testament to the power of film and its unique capacity to spark mutual recognition and connection across cultures. (Jerusalem Film Festival Winner Best Israeli Debut & Audience Award, AFI Fest, Warsaw International Film Festival, UK Jewish Film Festival, nominated for 8 Ophir awards {Israeli Academy} including Best Film {winner}, Best Director {winner}, Best Supporting Actress {winner}, Israel's official Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film)

+ February 13, 7:00 pm - CMX Wellington

+ February 13, 4:00 pm - Paragon Theatres in Delray Beach

DARRYL JONES: IN THE BLOOD

(Documentary-USA-2022)

Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones reflects on growing up on the South Side of Chicago, playing alongside Miles Davis, Madonna, and Sting, and replacing Bill Wyman in the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band. (Oxford International Film Festival, Best Documentary Feature; Rome Independent Film Festival)

Invited Special Guests: Director Eric Hamburg will be there on February 12 and 13.

+ February 12, 4:00 pm - Paragon Theaters in Delray Beach

+ February 13, 4:00 pm - CMX Wellington

Palm Beach County Premiere

FAREWELL MR. HAFFMANN

(Feature-France, Belgium-2021)

In occupied Paris in 1941, all Jewish community members were instructed to identify themselves to authorities. Fearing the worst, jeweler Joseph Haffmann arranges for his family to flee and offers his employee François Mercier the chance to take over his store until the conflict subsides. But his attempts to escape are thwarted, and Haffmann is forced to seek his assistant's protection. The agreement turns into a Faustian bargain that will forever change the fate of all. (Audience Award Aspen Film Festival, Best Narrative Audience Award San Francisco Jewish Film Festival)

+ February 15, 7:00 pm - CMX Wellington

Southeastern USA Premiere

GOODNIGHT SOLDIER

(Feature-France, Kurdistan-2022)

Ziné and Avdal are madly in love despite their families' ancestral feud. When both parties finally set aside their differences and agree to their children getting married, Avdal is injured at the front. His inability to perform sexually casts a shadow on the wedding night. As this revives the family tensions, the newlyweds start exploring new forms of pleasure. Will their love overcome decades of conflict and tradition? (Kurdisches Film Festival Berlin)

+ February 14, 4:00 pm - Paragon Theaters in Delray Beach

Palm Beach County Premiere

HAUTE COUTURE

(Feature-France-2021)

Esther is at the end of her career as Head Seamstress at Dior in the famous Avenue Montaigne workshop. When 20-year-old Jade steals her handbag, Esther decides to help her rather than call the police. In the frenetic world of Haute Couture, Esther will give Jade a way to reach beyond herself and harness her creativity and talent. (Mill Valley Film Festival, Palm Spring International Film Festival)

+ February 14, 7:00 pm - CMX Wellington

Palm Beach County Premiere

JUNIPER

(Feature-New Zealand-2021)

Upon returning home from boarding school and still dealing with the untimely death of his mother, self-destructive teenager Sam discovers that his gin-soaked, wheelchair-bound, English grandmother, Ruth (Charlotte Rampling), has moved in. Their first meeting is awkward, yet the person he gets to know is far from what he expected. With both strong-willed characters, a battle of supremacy ensues, enabling Sam to embrace life again and for Ruth to face her mortality.

+ February 12, 4:00 pm - CMX Wellington

Palm Beach County Premiere

KARAOKE

(Feature-Israel-2022)

An offbeat, comedic journey that follows Tova and Meir married 46 years, whose routine lives get a jolt of excitement from Itzik, their upstairs neighbor, who invites them to his penthouse for karaoke nights. The couple falls hard for Itzik's energetic lifestyle. This unique comedy-drama stars Sasson Gabay (The Band's Visit), Lior Ashkenazy (Footnote, Late Marriage), and Rita Shukrun. (Tribeca Film Festival, Winner of the Audience Award & Best First Film; Jerusalem International Film Festival, nominated for 14 Ophir awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and winning both Best Actor and Best Actress)

+ February 11, 7:00 pm - Paragon Theaters in Delray Beach

Palm Beach County Premiere

LITTLE TOWN

(Feature-USA-2022)

Jason, a failed stand-up comedian and rideshare driver takes his son on the road to Little Town, somewhere up in the mountains, to find his recently deceased mom. They drive with Lauren, a free-spirited soul trying to help them reach their destination and follow their dreams.

Invited Special Guests: Director Dani Menken and actor Grant Stevens

+ February 12, 11:00 am - Paragon Theaters of Delray Beach

Florida Premiere

MISSION JOY: FINDING HAPPINESS IN TROUBLED TIMES

(Documentary-USA-2021)

Deeply moving and laugh-out-loud funny, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu share science-backed wisdom of living with joy in troubled times. With genuine affection, mutual respect, and a healthy dose of teasing, these unlikely friends impart lessons gleaned from lived experience, ancient traditions, and the latest cutting-edge science regarding how to live with joy in the face of life's challenges, from the extraordinary to the mundane. (Tribeca Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Cleveland Film Festival Ad Hoc Docs Winner)

+ February 13, 1:00 pm - Paragon Theaters of Delray Beach

Florida Premiere

MUSIC PICTURES: NEW ORLEANS

(Documentary-USA-2022)

Considered the birthplace of jazz music, New Orleans still holds a strong association with the genre. This documentary gives us a personal view into the life and craft of four distinguished elders of the New Orleans music world: Irma Thomas, Benny Jones Sr., Little Freddie King, and Ellis Marsalis. Now in their eighties, these local masters continue their practice in the city that made them who they are. (Tribeca Film Festival)

+ February 15, 3:45 pm - CMX Wellington

MY DONKEY, MY LOVER & I

(Feature-France-2020)

Schoolteacher Antoinette (Laure Calamy) is looking forward to her long-planned summer holidays with her secret lover Vladimir, the father of one of her pupils. When learning that Vladimir can't make it because his wife organized a surprise trekking trip in the Cévennes National Park with their daughter and a donkey to carry their load, Antoinette impulsively decides to follow them with Patrick, a cantankerous, protective donkey. Completely inexperienced in outdoor life, Antoinette forges quick bonds with Patrick as she poignantly and uproariously stumbles toward self-revelation and independence. (Cannes Film Festival, Best Actress: Laure Calamy César Awards)

Note: Sign-up at the Festival's information table in the theater lobby to win one of four Valentine's Day Baskets of Goodies. The raffle winners will be pulled at 7 pm.

+ February 14, 7:00 pm - Paragon Theaters in Delray Beach

Palm Beach County Premiere

NO STRAIGHT LINES: THE RISE OF QUEER COMICS

(Documentary-USA-2021)

A lively look at five LGBTQ+ comic book artists whose careers go from the underground scene to the cover of Time Magazine and the international stage. This adaptation of Justin Hall's anthology of the same name invites the artists to share their stories and observations on everything from the AIDS crisis and workplace discrimination to the search for love. It's a warm-hearted tribute to all the artists who paint the world so we can better understand it. (Tribeca Film Festival, AFI Docs Fest, Grand Jury Documentary Prize Outfest)

+ February 12, 1:30 pm - Paragon Theaters of Delray Beach

Palm Beach County Premiere

PEACE BY CHOCOLATE / Closing Night Film

(Feature-Canada-2021)

This a heartwarming tale about Syrian refugees in Canada. After the bombing of his family's chocolate factory, Tareq Hadhad (played by Ayham Abou Ammar), a charming young Syrian refugee, struggles to settle into small-town life in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Despite moving to a new country, he's intent on pursuing his dream of becoming a doctor. But when his father, Issam (Hatem Ali), insists that he must focus on survival, Tareq and his family move towards a different but familiar path: rebuilding his father's chocolate business. When what seemed like a nostalgic attempt to cling onto remnants of an old life past becomes an overnight sensation, Tareq is shocked. Put in the role of business manager, he must choose between the demands of an exponentially growing business and an offer to go back to medical school. As father and son struggle to find common ground and navigate the complexities of family duty, the heightened tension between them threatens to tear the family apart.

Invited Special Guest: Director Jonathan Keijser

+ February 16, 7:00 pm - CMX at the Gardens

Florida Premiere

SCARLET

(Feature-France, Italy, Germany-2022)

An enchanting period fable based on a beloved 1923 novel, Scarlet Sails, by Russian writer Alexander Grin. Beginning as the tale of a sensitive brute who returns home from World War I to his rural French village to discover his wife has died and that he must take care of their baby daughter, Juliette. The film blossoms into a portrait of Juliette as a free-spirited young woman reckoning with a local witch's prophecy for her future and falling for the modern man who drops from the sky. (Opening Film, Director's Fortnight Cannes Film Festival, New York Film Festival)

+ February 13, 7:00 pm - Paragon Theaters in Delray Beach

Palm Beach County Premiere

THE BLUE CAFTAN

(Feature-Belgium, Denmark, France, Morocco-2022) Middle-aged married couple Mina and Halim operate a small garment shop, from which master tailor Halim painstakingly embroiders magnificent caftans for a choosy clientele. Mina and Halim have an unconventional marriage, informed by affection and mutual respect but burdened by a secret Halim can't name. The film is an understated, yet immensely powerful exploration of the various forms love can take. (FIPRESCI prize-winning premiere in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section, Toronto International Film Festival, Morocco's official Oscar entry for Best International Feature)

+ February 15, 7:00 pm - Paragon Theaters in Delray Beach

Palm Beach County Premiere

THE FORGER

(Feature-Germany, Luxembourg-2022)

Berlin,1942. 21-year-old Cioma Schönhaus, a Jewish man, won't let anyone take away his zest for life, especially not the Nazis. Since the best hiding spots are in plain sight, Cioma decides to go out into the light to escape deportation. Throughout the day, he forges IDs with just a brush, some ink, and a steady hand - and saves the lives of many. Based on the true story of Cioma Schönhaus. (Berlin International Film Festival, Haifa Film Festival, Vancouver Film Festival)

+ February 13, 1:00 pm - CMX Wellington

Palm Beach County Premiere

THE GRUMP: IN SEARCH OF AN ESCORT

(Feature-Finland, Germany-2022)

The Grump's everyday life in the deepest of Finland's countryside rolls forward according to old routines. He's busy working on his farm, but memories of his big brother Tarmo bother him. Tarmo moved to Germany decades ago, and the brothers haven't been in touch, even though they were best friends when they were children. So, when the Grump crashes his beloved Escort, he knows he only wants to find another Escort. Unfortunately, the nearest 1972 Escort is in Germany. The Grump withdraws a suitcase full of money at the local bank and heads to Germany. After a series of incidents, the previously estranged brothers go looking for an Escort together and end up getting to know each other again in the process. This is a tale about healing decades-old wounds. It's a story about reconciliation and forgiveness and Ford Escorts.

+ February 12, 7:00 pm - Paragon Theaters in Delray Beach

+ February 12, 7:00 pm - CMX Wellington

Florida Premiere

THE VISITOR

(Feature-Bolivia, Uruguay-2022)

Humberto is an ex-convict with a tormented past. Humberto's greatest desire is to rebuild his relationship with his estranged daughter and provide her with a decent life. Still, the grandparents of the child, who are wealthy Evangelical pastors, are unwilling to give up custody of their only granddaughter. Carlos, the head pastor, and his former father-in-law decide to take a chance on Humberto and bring him back into the church fold. Humberto begins to attend church to ingratiate himself into Carlos' network and bond with his daughter. What quickly transpires is an emotionally fraught 'tug-of-war' between Humberto and Carlos in their pursuit of 'saving' and commandeering the girl's future. Financially and ideologically bullied into a corner, Humberto is forced to face his demons while simultaneously fighting a powerful ecclesiastical institution to which he once belonged. (Tribeca Film Festival Best International Narrative Screenplay, AFI Latin American Film Festival)

+ February 15, 4:00 pm - Paragon Theaters of Delray Beach

Florida Premiere

THE WILD ONE

(Documentary-France-2022)

The documentary traces the life journey of an enigmatic artist, Jack Garfein, his family's fleeing the Nazis, surviving in Auschwitz, his 1946 arrival at 16 in New York and coming under the wing of Lee Strasberg, Hollywood, and his marriage to actress Carroll Baker. It examines how his experience in the concentration camps shaped his vision of acting as a survival mechanism. Narrated by Willem Defoe, the film explores the importance of his legacy as an artist who confronted censorship and reveals how art can draw on personal memory to enlighten our present better. (Winner Best Cinematography in a Documentary Film Tribeca Film Festival Winner Jury Prize Best Documentary Festival 2 Vincennes)

+ February 15, 1:30 pm - Paragon Theaters in Delray Beach

Florida Premiere

THE WORST ONES

(Feature-France-2022)

Set in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France, the story captures a film within a film as it follows the production of a movie whose director turns to the local housing project for casting. Eager to capture performances of gritty authenticity, the director selects four working-class teenagers to act in the film, to the surprise of the local community, who question the director's choice of "the worst ones." (Un Certain Regard Grand Prize winner at Cannes, Toronto International Film Festival)

+ February 12, 1:00 pm - CMX Wellington

To order tickets for The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Film Festival© Presented by MorseLife, please call 561.867.3109 or visit DMEPBFF.org. Or you can visit the ticket table in the lobby of the CMX Wellington or Paragon Theaters in Delray Beach to purchase tickets for all films during Festival hours.

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