Comic actor and veteran director bring latest flicks to Hanukkah film fest

Comedian Michael Rapaport and Oscar-winning director Volker Schlöndorff will attend the Jerusalem Cinematheque's Jewish Film Festival over Hanukkah, December 5-10. Schlöndorff opens with his film "Visitation"; Rapaport's documentary "Am I Cancelled Yet?" closes the festival.

The Jerusalem Cinematheque's Jewish Film Festival will host two overseas guests during its 28th edition over Hanukkah, from December 5-10: comedian Michael Rapaport and Oscar-winning director Volker Schlöndorff. Schlöndorff, 87, will open the festival with his latest film "Visitation," which tells Germany's history through a lakeside home near Berlin and was recently screened at Cannes. He will receive an Achievement Award and participate in a Q&A on December 6. The festival closes with "Am I Cancelled Yet?," a documentary about Rapaport's personal journey since October 7, 2023, when he reconnected with his Jewish identity and faced backlash for supporting Israel. Rapaport will appear with director Ruth Berdah-Canet for a post-screening discussion. Festival directors Roni Mahdav-Levin and Daniella Tourgeman-Glass said both films explore identity, memory, and belonging, embodying the festival's spirit of thought-provoking cinema. The full program will be released later; opening event tickets go on sale November 8, others on November 22.