Keret could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

“He’s more well-known as a writer; ‘Jellyfish’ is the only film he has ever directed,” Rothfield said. “It’s an art film, a form of magical realism. It is good for people to see different kinds of films.”

The film festival collaborates MSU’s programs with other local programs and brings together the whole community, she said.
“It’s great to go to a university where they give us an opportunity to see these people from around the world and learn about different things,” said Steve Fideler, a music therapy senior.

Keret’s work and other films shown at the exhibit help educate people about the Middle East, an area many people would like to know more about, Rothfield said.

“His work deals with cultural influences in Jewish and Israeli cultures,” Margolis said. “Including the Holocaust and Israeli Army. But also he writes stories that deal with inner landscapes of childhood and relationships, so everyone can relate.”

Keret writes short stories, which makes his work accessible, she said. One of his stories, called “Breaking the Pig,” can be read in full on posters in the exhibit, Margolis said.

“His stories have also been made into graphic novels,” she said. “The comics can be seen in the exhibit and are made by some of Israel’s best graphic novelists.”

The library carries graphic novels from all over the world in its special sections, she said.

“I would love for people to realize we have those,” she said.
The exhibit features numerous works in Hebrew in addition to English.

“We’re trying to expose people to this author, Israeli culture and Hebrew,” she said.

The MSU Israeli Film Festival began five years ago and is successful because of the high quality of Israeli films, Rothfield said.

“As a teacher of Hebrew, I wanted to provide a way for students to hear Hebrew being used naturally,” she said. “Israel also has a striving film and TV industry.”

Israel is a diverse society and many of their films contain more than one language, making them appealing to many different people, she said.

“Our most popular film features Japanese, English and Hebrew,” she said.

The diversity featured in this festival is one of the things that makes MSU unique, said Megan Thompson, an elementary education freshman.

“It’s really interesting to be able to meet someone well-known in the world, not a lot of colleges can experience things like this,” she said. “It brings new information and diversity to campus.”