Feb. 18: Film Comment Selects, the Film Society’s annual showcase of edgy new films without commercial distribution. This year’s event features three films by Claude Lanzmann that were carved out from the vast footage that became “Shoah,” and two astonishing works about Nazism by Thomas Harlan (son of Veit Harlan of “Jew Suss” infamy) and Robert Kramer, one of the neglected forerunners of American independent cinema movement. Walter Reade Theatre (165 W 65th St.). For information, (212) 875-5600, www.filmlinc.com.
March 11: A week-long retrospective of the films of Mark Rappaport, a New York-based independent filmmaker whose career trajectory has taken him from hilarious and quirky comedies like “Imposters” to tough-minded essay films like “Rock Hudson’s Home Movies” and “From the Journals of Jean Seberg.” A unique talent and a great favorite of this reporter. Anthology Film Archives (Second St. and Second Ave.). For information, (212) 505-5181, www. anthologyfilmarchives.org.
March 18: A new Dutch thriller, “Winter in Wartime,” throws a 13-year-old boy into the cauldron of Resistance fighters in Occupied Holland. Lincoln Plaza Cinema (Broadway and 62nd St. (212) 757-2280 or www.lincolnplazacinema.com, and Quad Cinema (34 W. 13th St. (212) 255-8800 or www.quadcinema.com).
March 23: New Directors/New Films begins its 40th annual program. The series invariably includes some fine Israeli and/or Jewish-themed work from promising young filmmakers. Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St., (212) 708-9400, www.moma.org.
March 25: “Peep World” is a raucous comedy about the Meyerwitz family as it prepares for the 70th birthday of patriarch Henry. The wealthy clan has recently become the subject of a tell-all novel, and everyone’s neuroses are rising to the breaking point. With Sarah Silverman, Michael C. Hall and Ron Rifkin, directed by Barry Blaustein. IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave., (212) 924-7771, www.ifccenter.com.
April 15: A remarkable program of Dziga Vertov’s films, including 14 U.S. premieres from his “Kino-Week” series and a new full-frame restored print of his masterpiece, “Man With a Movie Camera.” Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St., (212) 708-9400, www.moma.org.
April 19: Ernie Kovacs may have been the first true genius produced by television. If you want to check the veracity of that statement, you will want to get “The Ernie Kovacs Collection,” a six-disk set that will be released on this date. Available from Shout Factory.
April 27: Kino! 2011 – New Films from Germany, another annual event from the Museum of Modern Art that always includes items of interest to Jewish Week readers. Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St., (212) 708-9400, www.moma.org.
Late April-Early May: A well-received Dutch film, “Bride Flight,” tells the story of three women who leave the Netherlands after WWII to meet husbands in New Zealand, and what happens to them over the next 50 years. The film won the “audience favorite” award at the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival. Theater and dates to be announced.
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