Top 10 things to do 476335

Ten great cultural events in the week to come.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Israel Ballet's 'Sleeping Beauty' (photo credit: PR)
The Israel Ballet's 'Sleeping Beauty'
(photo credit: PR)
1. FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the first of the Star Wars standalone films, an all new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who step up to do extraordinary things. With Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker.
2. LOVE AFTER TRAUMA
The film Aida’s Secrets is a documentary that tells the story of one family that was torn apart in the years following World War II. It’s about two elderly men, raised on separate continents, who discover they are brothers and are reunited. At the heart of the film is their mother, Aida, and the struggles that led her to give away her children. It is a fascinating portrait of a family that finds love after trauma.
In English and Hebrew. Check with theaters for subtitle information.
3. THE ‘HUMAN’ EXPERIENCE
Documentarist Yann Arthus-Bertrand created HUMAN, a collection of stories and images of our world filmed in 60 countries over a period of three years. From episodes of everyday experiences to accounts of the most unbelievable lives, these poignant encounters share a rare sincerity and underline who we are and what is universal. Our Earth is shown at its most sublime through never-before-seen aerial images.
Until December 31 at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque
4. THE JEWISH WORLD
The 18th Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival offers dozens of documentary and feature films from Israel and abroad, an international competition and many special events. The opening film, Denial, is based on a fascinating court case, screened in the presence of the film’s heroine, Prof. Deborah Lipstadt.
December 24 to 29 at The Jerusalem Cinematheque. For tickets, call *9377 or go to www.jer-cin.org.il.
5. NEW LIGHT ON ABSTRACT ART
A new exhibition at the Israel Museum “The Shadow of Color” presents works by Otto Freundlich, Len Lye, Lygia Clark and Blinky Palermo. Although active in different places and periods, the four pioneering artists developed similar visual languages, and bringing the works together sheds new light on 20th-century abstract art. For all four artists, form, color and shadow lay at the heart of their work, blurring the boundary between two-dimensional and three-dimensional art.
Ongoing at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem
6. IN A FESTIVE MOOD
The Israel Ballet introduces its production of Sleeping Beauty in time for Hanukka. Thirty Israel Ballet dancers and 15 young dancers, in a full stage production with ravishing costumes, perform the classical ballet to music by Tchaikovsky.
December 23 to 25 at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center; December 26 at the Petah Tikva Performing Arts Center; December 27 at the Jerusalem Theatre (two performances); December 29 at the Haifa Auditorium; December 30 at the Beersheba Performing Arts Center; December 31 at the Herzliya Performing Arts Center. Tel: *9066
7. TOUCHING HOME BASE
Internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Keren Ann is back for an Israeli tour, launching her seventh album, You’re Gonna Get Love. Ann has performed on some of Europe and North America’s largest stages and has collaborated with an impressive list of musicians. Her songs have been featured on such TV shows as Six Feet Under and Grey’s Anatomy. The concert will include new material and fan favorites.
December 23 at Hemdat Yamim (in Amirim); December 24 at Kibbutz Yifat; December 25 at Zappa Tel Aviv; December 26 at Zappa Herzliya; December 29 at the Caesarea Museum
8. THE MAGNIFICENT FOUR
Zubin Mehta conducts a special 80th anniversary concert of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, with four of today’s top solo musicians: violinist Pinchas Zukerman, pianists Murray Perahia and Yefim Bronfman and cellist Amanda Forsyth. The stellar cast will perform an all-Beethoven concert with the IPO. On the program: Leonore Overture No. 3; Violin Concerto; Piano Concerto No. 5, The Emperor; and Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano.
December 26 at 7 p.m. at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium (Heichal Hatarbut) in Tel Aviv
9. THE CLASSICAL HIT PARADE
The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra hosts renowned conductor Emmanuel Villaume for an evening of wonderful popular works: Strauss’s Blue Danube Waltz, the Overture to Die Fledermaus and Pizzicato Polka; Dukas‘s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice; Smetana‘s Moldava from Má Vlast; and Rachmaninoff‘s Piano Concerto No. 2. The piano soloist is the acclaimed Andrew von Oeyen.
December 28 at 8 p.m. at the Jerusalem Theatre.
10. GOLDEN (GLOBE) OPPORTUNITY
Tune in to see the 74th Golden Globe Awards ceremony on January 9, available in Israel only on YES. The ceremony will be broadcast live in the wee hours of the morning. This year the host is actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon. Meryl Streep was announced as the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, and Yes 1 will air her best films on the night of January 8. The edited version of the ceremony will be aired on the following days.