Yaniv - A Good Bet
“We wanted this year to be lighter, to focus on humor, but when we starting looking for films for the festival, we didn’t find many appropriate for the White Mountain Jewish Film Festival,” said festival director David Goldstone. “Until we found Yaniv.”
Yaniv is a story of good intentions gone bad, a compassionate look at addiction, true atonement and sincere, heartfelt apologies that lead, ultimately, to repaired relationships and a sold-out high school production of "The Little Shop of Horrors.”
Opening night of the White Mountain Jewish Film Festival (WMJFF) on Thursday, July 18, at Bethlehem’s Colonial Theater was a perfect night: balmy weathe”, wine and soft drinks on the house, a “bridge club’” patio party menu, and a reunion of the WMJFF regulars and guests. Dave and Dorothy Goldstone welcomed the crowd before introducing the guest speakers, Yaniv co-writers and producers Amnon Carmi and Ben Ducoff.
Carmi took the microphone to tell the story of how he met Ducoff, who stars in the film, on a summer camp tetherball court when they were nine years old. They instantly bonded over their shared talent for teasing friends without being mean. Growing up in the early years of digital video photography, they recorded hours, and hours (and hours and hours) of video, most of which they claim they have deleted. That ability to be funny without being mean, cynical, snarky, or ironic suffuses their film with a compassionate voice and sensibility as well as the courage to take on difficult themes such as addiction, school funding cuts, trust within relationships and redemption.
The film was made, Carmi explained, during COVID with the help of ten of Ducoff’s high school students, who enjoyed internships paid by the N.Y. Department of Youth and Community Development. The students took on many of the professional roles including those in the art department, hair and makeupas as well assisting the camera department, holding the boom mic and more. It’s worth noting that the same educational agency is now supporting the development of a film-industry certification program for high school graduates who want to go directly into film.
Carmi expressed gratitude to a generous Detroit film producer, whose studio in a decommissioned car factory was put at the team’s disposal. The sets, backup production professionals - this was filmed during COVID and there were several points when the original crew was down with the virus - and support brought the film forward. Carmi described the studio space that doubled as the Casino and the Yaniv club, both central locations for the film.
(A sidenote about the Yaniv club, a male-only Orthodox gambling establishment that Carmi and Ducoff jokingly say “may or may not exist”. It’s a loving tribute to the film “Cabaret,” with an MC telling awful jokes, a male “all the way from Cleveland” torch singer, elegant waiters, steaks on the menu and gambling at the tables.)
Having shared a bit about the film’s origins and sponsors, it was time to play “Yaniv,” an Israeli card game. The spirit of competition was high as foursomes - and their support teams - learned and began to master the game. The stakes were low, the entertainment high as WMJFF players built winning ‘Yaniv ‘ hands. Ducoff roamed the floor offering rule clarifications and strategy suggestions.
After a half-hour of intense play, the theater doors opened and all entered to enjoy the film. The evening closed with a question and answer session and an opportunity to get some Yaniv swag, including matchboxes that have a secret Shabbat Shalom message at the bottom.
Melissa Potter and Jacki Katzman hosted the patio party with thanks to Sharon Heyman for setup support and to Barry Zitser, our man on bar. Debbi Simon and Jay Johnson represented BHC at the Colonial’s popcorn and concessions operations. Special thanks to Susanna Brent, Director of Programming at the Colonial Theater, who is always there with a smile to ensure our events - and the projection booth - run as smoothly as possible.
Jacki Katzman