A group of Jewish immigrants enters the port of Haifa, in a photo seen in Colliding Dreams. In late January, documentarian Oren Rudavsky brought his controversial new film, Colliding Dreams, to the area to screen it for attendees of the 26th annual Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival. He met with Hap Erstein to talk about the film — an exploration of Zionism, the promotion of … [Read more...]
Actress Rothauser chronicles ups and downs in ‘Life. Who Knew?’
Palm Beach International Film Festival president and CEO Jeff Davis was very taken with Lisa Rothauser’s autobiographical one-woman show with music and thought it would be a good fit for his new and newly refurbished Palm Beaches Theatre in Manalapan. But he thought the title, Life. WTF?, was too crude for his venue and audience. So out went WTF and in its place came a new … [Read more...]
‘Best of Enemies’ chronicles a turning point in the media
The year was 1968, a turning point for American politics as well as for the way the three television networks covered politics and the political party conventions. ABC News, invariably third in the ratings, took the bold move of not broadcasting gavel-to-gavel coverage, in favor of a 90-minute summary of the Republican and Democratic confabs, plus a half-hour nightly analysis … [Read more...]
Exhibit shows Rockwell’s art a gift in difficult times
By Gretel Sarmiento Little girls with ribbons. Smiles hidden behind melting ice cream. Summer trips. Family quality time. Nobody remembers an America like this, devoid of sadness, depression and poverty. Whose America is this? Without hesitation, some would say Norman Rockwell's. They wouldn't have been wrong, but they would have missed a large part of what this singular … [Read more...]
‘Herb & Dorothy’ chronicles the art of acquisition
Unassuming and wildly unlikely, Herbie and Dorothy Vogel would not seem out of place in a South Florida condo, whiling away their retirement years with a hot game of gin rummy or mah-jongg. Instead, as the affectionate documentary Herb & Dorothy recounts, they are the toast of the New York art scene as nurturing, instinctive patrons who amassed a major collection worth millions … [Read more...]