SAN DIEGO (Press Release)– The 21st Anniversary San Diego Jewish Film Festival, sponsored by the Leichtag Family Foundation, and presented by the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus, will run February 10-20, 2011.
The San Diego Jewish Film Festival showcases more than 45 of the best contemporary Jewish themed films from around the world celebrating life, human rights, and freedom of expression. The mission of the Film Festival is to offer outstanding world cinema that promotes awareness, appreciation and pride in the diversity of the Jewish people to attendees of the community at large. Festival programs aim to educate and illuminate through evocative, independent fiction and documentary films that portray the Jewish experience from current to historic global perspectives.
In addition to the carefully selected short-subject, documentary, and feature length films, the Film Festival features an international roster of visiting guest artists, including actors, filmmakers, and scholars, who introduce their work, participate in panel discussions, and meet and greet with the festival patrons.
“This year’s festival line-up has more West Coast and California premieres than ever before,” said Sandra Kraus, Film Festival Producer. “You may never have the opportunity to see these films again! We are also excited about our North County film screenings. The past two years have proven that the North County patrons want the Jewish Film Festival in their neighborhood. The theaters have been filled to capacity.”
The festival has added two new locations in North County: the Carlsbad Village Theatre and the Edwards San Marcos Stadium 18. The North County presentations are made possible by a generous grant from the Leichtag Family Foundation.
Thu., Feb 10 and Sun., Feb. 13 – Opening the festival is Berlin 36, an unbelievable but true account of German Olympic high jumper Gretel Bergmann. When the USA insists that they will boycott the games if Jewish athletes are not included in the Berlin Olympics, Gretel’s family is threatened if she does not compete on the German team. As soon as the Americans are air-bound, however, Hitler hijacks the games to further Nazi propaganda and a second-stringer with secrets of her own replaces Gretel. Raw emotion trumps both sports and politics in this beautifully crafted tale of courage and deceit.
Sat., Feb. 12 – Army of Crime tells the story of how French citizens largely capitulated to German rule while foreign immigrants risked their lives for the French ideals of “liberté, égalité and fraternité.” Based on a true story, this band of eclectic resistance fighters advances to a valiant assassination plot while the Nazis use their force as an unforgettable lesson to the French people by presenting these brave men (and one woman) as “The Army of Crime!” With standout performances by Simon Abkarian (Casino Royale) and Virginie Ledoyen as his wife, this is a spellbinding thriller.
Sat., Feb. 12 – In the hilarious French comedy He’s My Girl, homosexual klezmer clarinetist Simon Eshkenazy is harangued by his ailing mother into letting her live with him. Then Simon’s ex-wife shows up with her fiancé and her son, who Simon hasn’t seen since infancy. Into this messy “tsimmes” enters Naim (Mehdi Debhi), a Muslim transvestite who delivers a stunning performance as his female persona Rose.
Sat., Feb 12 and Sat., Feb. 19 – A European sensation, La Rafle is the moving true story of a young Jewish boy in France. Jo Weisman is eleven. He wears a yellow star, but his family and friends live a manageable life in Nazi-occupied France – or so they think. With a superb cast including Melanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds) and popular screen star Jean Reno, La Rafle tackles head-on this previously hidden episode in French history and breaks the taboo against France’s acknowledgment of its complicity in WWII atrocities.
Sat., Feb. 12 and Sun., Feb. 20 – Whoever heard of an ultra Orthodox baseball team? That’s what The Yankles delivers. Take Charlie, a recently out of prison, washed-up baseball player whose probation requires community service. Add a gaggle of yeshiva buchers (students) in love with baseball. Put them together in a pot and stir into a sweet dramedy. Against a backdrop of rabbinical supervision and the players’ orthodox practice, Charlie coaxes and cajoles his players into a capable team. Tzitsis and baseballs do mix!
Sun., Feb. 13 – To Jewish immigrants, baseball was both a fanatical pastime and a crack at the American Dream. Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story, a lively documentary narrated by Dustin Hoffman, includes interviews with Yogi Berra, Hank Greenberg, Sandy Kofax, Kevin Youkilis, Ron Howard, Larry King, and two baseball-loving rabbis. Peter Miller’s tribute to the 160 Jews who have played in the major leagues portrays both the players’ pride in their heritage and their encounters with anti-Semitism. This all-American Jewish story hits a home run!
Sun., Feb. 13 and Wed., Feb. 16 – Protektor is a retro noir film with a spectacular design and an avant-garde score. In pre-war Czechoslovakia, Hana and Emil have an unbalanced relationship – she’s a glamorous film star while he’s a mediocre news personality. Their positions reverse in 1938 when the Nazis invade and Hana’s Jewishness is discovered. Stuck hiding at home while Emil parties the night away with celebrities, the fiery, rebellious Hana embarks on daring escapades of her own. As Hana’s Protektor, Emil represents the flawed everyman trapped by the forces of tyranny and propelled into odious wartime compromises.
Thu., Feb. 17 and Sat., Feb. 19 – From the Ari Nesher, the director of The Secrets and Turn Left at the End of the World, comes The Matchmaker. It is 1968. Sixteen-year-old Arik journeys from middle-class Haifa to work for Yankele Bride, a melancholic Holocaust survivor and petty criminal who is also a matchmaker for “difficult cases.” Yankele exposes Arik to a world of Fellini-esque characters – streetwalkers, black marketers, grifters and dwarves running a love-story-only movie house. Yankele’s example of redemption through kindness teaches Arik to be a mensch, while the promiscuous teen, Tamara, sparks his sexual awakening. A coming-of-age valentine that sparks our optimism for a gentler, more tolerant and loving world.
Sun., Feb. 20 (at two locations and times) – How did mainstream America come to know and adore such musical giants as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry? Polish-Jewish immigrant Leonard Chess, a dreamer transfixed by blues music, and his brother Phil risked everything to make it happen. After selling their family junkyard business, they daringly opened a night club in the predominantly African-American South Side of Chicago and became the driving force behind the transformation of rhythm and blues into rock and roll. They parlayed their club venture into their own successful record label – and musical history was made. The Festival’s closing night film, Who Do You Love, recounts their story – with a stunning performance by Alessandro Nivola as Leonard – and with a musical score that will have your rockin’ and rollin’ in your seat.
The Joy F. Knapp Charitable Foundation has generously provided tickets for special populations to attend the screening of this film.
Baby & Me Movie
On Tue., Feb. 15, 10:00 a.m., there is a screening at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre especially for Moms and Dads with children under one year of age. This is a chance for parents to see a first-rate feature with no need to find a babysitter or worry if the baby cries during the film. Parents are invited to pack the diaper bag, bring the stroller, and enjoy Bride Flight, the story of three post-WWII refugee brides-to-be who fly KLM in the 1953 air race from London to Christchurch, New Zealand. There they begin life with their awaiting fiancés, far away from the atrocities of war and memories of lost families. Breathtaking photography of the New Zealand landscape, an authentic portrayal of life at the time, and a storyline that spans five decades make Bride Flight a sweeping romantic saga that demonstrates the inextricable link between past, present, and future. Babies are free; parent tickets are $11.25-$13.25.
Teen Screen Night
On Tue., Feb. 15, 6:00 p.m., at the Clairemont Reading Town Square 14, a pizza dinner (for teens only) will be followed by the screening of two films selected for teenagers. Teen Screen is open to teens 18 and under at no charge. An Article of Hope, the inspirational story of Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut, and the tiny Torah that traveled from the depths of despair to the heights of hope, will be followed by the film short Cohen on the Bridge: Rescue at Entebbe, an animated story of the 1976 hostage rescue in Entebbe, Uganda.
Flix Mix Evening
A “Flix Mix” evening on Sat., Feb. 12, offers the opportunity for young professional film fans in their 20s, 30s, and 40s to view The Yankles, an unorthodox Orthodox comedy about baseball, family, faith and romance, at 8:15 p.m. at the Reading Cinema Town Square 14. The screening will be preceded by a 7 p.m. mixer, with special guests Director David Brooks and Producer Zev Brooks, in the Underwriter Lounge, where participants can meet, mingle, and enjoy drinks and classic baseball fare. Tickets will be distributed from the JCC Box Office or may be picked up at Will Call one hour prior to show time at the theatre. ID will be required to guarantee discounted pricing of $19 in advance or $25 at the door.
The 9th Annual Joyce Forum – A Celebration of Rising Stars and Seasoned Filmmakers
The Joyce Forum presents outstanding Jewish-themed short-subject, documentary, and feature films by rising stars and seasoned filmmakers from around the world. Named in honor of San Diego Jewish Film Festival Founder Joyce Axelrod, the Joyce Forum supports emerging filmmakers by showcasing their talent and exposing their work to established filmmakers, artists, and industry peers.
This year’s Joyce Forum takes place on Mon., Feb. 14, at the Clairemont Reading 14. A collection of eight short films will screen at 3:00 p.m., including 1:0, Banana Bread, Last Respects, The Little Duke, Memory Game, My Father Joe, Sour Milk, and Written in Pencil.
At 5:00 p.m., the distinguished filmmaker Sam Ball will discuss his work in progress, Joann Sfar Draws from Memory. Ball’s documentaries have been exhibited by many of America’s most prestigious venues for independent film, from the Sundance Film Festival to The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Joann Sfar Draws from Memory follows a celebrated graphic novelist on a whimsical journey through the Algerian-Jewish heritage that inspires his work, culminating in a delightful blend of storytelling and outrageously inventive philosophical musings.
The Joyce Forum concludes with the 8:00 p.m. screening of Over 90 and Loving It, a film made by local filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz. A Valentine treat, this uplifting film will inspire everyone of all ages to be exhilarated about the future. It features people in their 90s and 100s living extraordinary and passionate lives, seemingly unaware of chronological age, as though youth springs eternal. Filmmaker Schutz, a resident of Rancho Santa Fe, introduces us to some of the most incredible seniors you can imagine.
General Information
The San Diego Jewish Film Festival takes place at the Reading Cinemas Town Square 14 in Caliremont Mesa, UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas at Hazard Center, Edwwards San Marcos Stadium 18, the Carlsbad Village Theatre in Carlsbad, and at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. San Diego Jewish Film Festival presentations at the Reading Cinemas Town Square 14 are made possible by the Joy F. Knapp Film Festival Endowment Fund.
Single ticket prices for most films are $11.25 for JCC members and $13.25 for non-members; opening and closing night films are $13.25-$15.25, and Joyce Forum Shorts are free. Festival passes, senior and student discounts, and group rate discounts are available. For tickets or information call 858-362-1348 or visit www.lfjcc.org/sdjff.
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Preceding provided by the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture