Saturday, February 22, 8 pm, Sandler Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets $35 or under 21, FREE with RSVP (required)
The Big Saturday Night Celebration of Jewish Film and Champagne Reception is in memory of Patricia Ashkenazi
The BIG Saturday Night Celebration of Jewish Film and Champagne Reception features a screening of the award-winning documentary, Picture of His Life, followed by a discussion with director Dani Menkin and environmental-activist and world-renowned wild-life photographer Amos Nachoum. It concludes with a champagne reception.
The annual Patricia & Avraham Ashkenazi and Alma & Howard Laderberg Virginia Festival of Jewish Film will celebrate its 27th year with a fantastic lineup of films.
As in years past, the BIG Saturday Night event focuses on an Israeli story. This year, the feature film is about one of the greatest underwater photographers of all time, Amos Nachoum. The film, Picture of His Life, which has won numerous awards, will have viewers on the edge of their seats and spellbound by the expansive beauty of the photography.
The film follows Nachoum’s journey as he contemplates the series of unspoken events that drove him to the end of the world in search of fulfilling his goal of being only one of a handful of people in the world who have swam with, and photographed, polar bears. In fact, only five people have done so in history.
The still photographs that Nachoum captured during filming are magnificent and a selection of these photos will be on view in the Leon Family Gallery February 14 through March. This exhibit gives Tidewater a rare opportunity to see Nachoum’s work up-close, and to appreciate the extent to which he will go to photograph some of the largest animals on the planet.
An internationally-awarded marine and wildlife photographer, dedicated conservationist, and champion of the Earth’s last remaining wild places and species, Nachoum has led numerous National Geographic expeditions. His work, including his underwater photography and films, has been seen in more than 500 publications and on TV. Nachoum is the founder and president of Big Animals Global Expeditions, taking small groups of four to six clients to observe, photograph, and responsibly interact with whales, polar bears, sharks, dolphins, and more. He believes that interaction, understanding, and respect for the fragile environment is the secret to preservation.
The evening is presented in partnership with Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Simon Family JCC, and community partner’s ninth annual Israel Today series. To see a full list of partners and additional visiting experts as part of Israel Today, visit JewishVA.org/IsraelToday or contact Megan Zuckerman, CRC director at mzuckerman@ujft.org.
To purchase tickets or learn more about the 27th annual Virginia Festival of Jewish Film, or for the full lineup of films, visit JewishVA.org/FilmFestival or contact Patty Shelanski, Arts + Ideas manager, at
pshelanski@ujft.org.