4th March

MENASHE
2017
USA
Joshua Z. Weinstein
82 min
Cert U

This film is a soulful gaze on a world we rarely see in American film: the Hasidic community of New York City. Using non-actors who speak entirely in Yiddish, a man battles for custody of his son following the death of his wife. A tender drama, the film intimately explores the nature of faith and the price of parenthood. “Menashe” makes an incredible case that the specific is universal, and that stories shouldn’t compromise perspective for a wide audience to get it.

What the Critics say…

“Menashe is a deeply felt and absorbing Yiddish-language drama about New York Hasidic Jews.“  The Guardian

Preceded by 2 entries in the 2018 Chester Animation Festival:

GOOD BOY
2017 USA
Rachel Beltran and Nicole Myers
7 min
A hopeful man goes on a blind date with the women of his dreams expecting to have the best night of his life. Things seem to be going perfect, until the night take an unexpected turn.

SWORD AND FLOWER
2017 UK
Yulan Sun
3 min
Sword and Flower tells a story about memory and reality. A girl seeks for a man who gave her a flower in her childhood. Finally, when she finds the man, she realizes reality is different from her imagination.