Hava Nagila (the movie) and more must-see films of the 17th Denver Jewish Film Festival

By Bree Davies Tue., Feb. 5 2013 at 10:59 AM

Categories: Film, Film and TV

Continued from page 1

Portait of Wally
Screening: Sunday, February 17, 12:55 p.m.

"One of my favorites this year. It deals with the issue of provenance of artwork that the Nazis stole during the Holocaust, and how museum provenance, the ownership of these pieces has, in some cases, been doctored."

The film talks about "how important it is to get these works restored to their rightful owners. The particular case they deal with -- a portrait by Egon Schiele -- became a landmark case. It was just resolved maybe ten or eleven years ago. It really has impacted how works with questionable provenance are dealt with, even as new artworks are discovered. The photography is beautiful, the artwork is beautiful. The story unfolds as if it's a mystery."

A.K.A. Doc Pomus
Screening: Saturday, February 16, 8:50 p.m.
The closing film of the festival, this documentary looks at the life and career of Jerome Felder, aka Doc Pomus. Unknown by name to many, he penned some of Motown's most memorable songs -- like "This Magic Moment" and "Save the Last Dance for Me" (and even Elvis's notoriously flamboyant hit "Viva Las Vegas.")

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