Arranged
(DVD)

Originally released as a motion picture in 2007.

Special features: Scene selection ; biographies ; about Film Movement ; this month's short film--Jan Thüring's The raft (Germany, 10 min.)

Executive producers, Andrew Lund, Yuta Silverman ; edited by Erin Greenwell ; director of photography, Dan Hersey ; music, Sohrab Habibion, Michael Hampton.

Zoe Lister-Jones, Francis Benhamou, Doris Belack, Mimi Lieber, Daniel London, Laith Nakli, Alysia Reiner, John Rothman, Alison Becker, David Castro, Sanuit De Silva, Peggy Gormley, Jason Liebman, Arian Moayed, Jake Robards, Gina Shmukler, Marcia Jean Kurtz.

Arranged: Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. A young Orthodox woman, Rochel Meshenberg, is about to begin her first year as a special education teacher at the local public school. She is also about to begin the process of finding a husband via the time-tested method of using a "shadchen," or matchmaker. As the school year gets underway, Rochel meets Nasira Khaldi, a Muslim woman of Syrian descent. Nasira is also a first-year teacher. The two young women - Rochel in long skirt and conservative blouse, Nasira in headscarf - stand out in this public school context. The principal is forever reminding them that although they are some of her smartest, most gifted teachers, they are also stunted by their outmoded customs, religions, and by their patriarchal worldviews. As the school year progresses, Rochel and Nasira realize they share much in common, not least of which is that they are both going through what the outside world calls "arranged marriages." They develop a friendship that transcends their insular Brooklyn communities and the religions that seem so at odds and, as their friendship deepens, they are exposed to each other's worlds.

Das Floß (The raft): An animated film about two starving and exhausted castaways who are lost at sea. When a seagull drops a fish onto their raft, their friendship is put to the ultimate test. Produced by the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in 2004.

DVD (region 1, NTSC), widescreen (16:9) presentation.

Closed-captioned.

Arranged: Berkshire International Film Festival, Audience Award, 2007; Brooklyn International Film Festival, Grand Chamaleon Award, Best Narrative Feature, 2007.

Das Floß (The raft): Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, Best Animation Award, 2004.