The Mizel Museum's programming always seems to encompass a fine web of relationships. For instance, this summer's Israeli Film Series, a relaxed outdoor roster of screenings on the lawn, manages to interconnect the museum's summer self-portrait show and the 100th anniversary of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. Subtitled Tel Aviv: A Portrait, the mini fest attempts to define that city through four cinematic snapshots, including the 2001 film The Wisdom of the Pretzel, a breakaway hit in Israel and abroad based on Ilan Heitner's bestselling Israeli book of the same name, which screens tonight after dusk.
Interestingly enough, the film, which tells the story of a young man, Golan, who rejects the pat, traditional life his parents expected him to live and opts for a quirky love affair and a changed self-view, also has an appealing back-story. Heitner, a former brokerage analyst who wrote the book on a lark, not expecting it to be such a success, went on to attend the NYU film school before directing the film version himself. It, too, was a success, and one of the first Israeli films to garner worldwide notice. A realistic portrait of Israeli life (and life in Tel Aviv, in particular), it fits right into the series' theme.
Films begin after 8:30 p.m. at the museum, 400 S. Kearney Street; admission is $5. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on and a bit of extra cash to sample the hummus bar by Udi's Handcrafted Foods. Go to the Mizel site or call 303-394-9993 for a complete series schedule.
For more ways to rock the night and kill the day, go to westword.com/calendar.
