San Francisco Jewish Film Festival 33

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Board of Directors

Welcome to the 33rd San Francisco Jewish Film Festival!

PRESIDENT

Gale Mondry VICE PRESIDENT

Sandee Blechman

The 2013 Festival includes a stellar line-up of 74 films from 17 countries in eight Bay Area venues, including some new ones: the California Theatre in Berkeley, the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland and one-night only at the New Parkway Theater during Oakland’s August Art Murmur.

S E C R E TA R Y

Dan Wohlfeiler TREASURER

Janet Schneider Liki Abrams Susie Coliver Dana Doron Steven Fayne Julie Felner Meredith Goldsmith Diana Grand Spencer Jarrett Sasha Kovriga George Krevsky Adrienne Leder-Schriner Susan Mall Fern Tiger Staff E x ecutive D irect o r

Lexi Leban A d m inistrative D irect o r

Owen Levin P r o g ra m D irect o r

Jay Rosenblatt D eve l o p m ent D irect o r

Kerri Gawryn

At SFJFF, we believe in bringing people together year-round to experience the power of the moving image and to meet the filmmakers who create the works we show. If you have been with us for over three decades, you know the ritual of our signature summer festival. The secular High Holidays of the Bay Area kick off with an annual embrace in the lobby, a kvetch while waiting in line and a transcendent experience in a dark theater. If this is your first Festival, we hope it will be unforgettable.

Our theme, Life Through a Jew(ish) Lens, celebrates an expansive and ever-evolving notion of Jewishness and brings into focus a wide-angle view of filmmaker perspectives on the human experience. Whatever your place on the continuum—Jewish (religious, secular or somewhere in-between), Jew-curious, Jewy or just guilty by association—you are welcome.

We open with the unbearable lightness of Jewishness. The Zigzag Kid, a delightful detective story for audiences of all ages about a boy searching for his identity on the eve of his bar mitzvah, is based on the novel by David Grossman and features a spot-on performance by Isabella Rossellini. On Closing Night, inheriting an apartment leads to sibling rivalries in the US premiere of the new French dramedy Rue Mandar, starring Emmanuelle Devos from last year’s hit Centerpiece film, The Other Son. This year we honor the legacy of the past while celebrating the discovery of new talent, new voices, new modes of storytelling and new points of view. The cinematic master Alan Berliner returns to SFJFF to screen his new film First Cousin Once Removed and to receive this year’s Freedom of Expression Award. Emerging talent Alex Karpovsky, known as Ray the barista on the HBO hit series Girls, is also a director. He comes to SFJFF with his newest film Red Flag and joins us in an onstage conversation and clip show featuring his developing body of work. Our Centerpiece film, The Attack, a favorite at Telluride, gives us a fresh point of view on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict with a Palestinian Israeli protagonist who behaves like a neutral observer until a horrifying event forces a painful reexamination.

Some of today’s most riveting drama is happening on television and we are highlighting several international favorites including the world premiere of Arab Labor Season 4. Join Gideon Raff, the creator of Homeland and Prisoners of War (Hatufim) and hear the incredible true story of how the most talked about TV show in America was trafficked here from Tel Aviv.

A ss o ciate P r o g ra m m er

Joshua Moore Mar k etin g & C o m m unicati o ns C o o rdinat o r

Luis Mamayson D eve l o p m ent & Me m bers h ip A ss o ciate

Patrik Nylund P r o ducti o n & H o spita l ity C o o rdinat o r

Natalia Guecheva B o o k k eeper

And what would the festival be without a little song and dance? Amy Winehouse made a significant contribution to the blues in her short but astonishing life. Come to a live concert featuring Crystal Monee Hall of the Mickey Hart Band will be followed by the film Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came to Dingle, featuring an intimate performance in a small church in Ireland before she became a star. Awake Zion examines preconceptions of what it means to be Jewish and what it means to be Rastafarian and the surprising connection between the two. Followed by a LIVE dub/reggae show featuring the Bay Area’s Dub Gabriel and Brooklyn-based Doctor Israel.

Anchored by our screening of the documentary Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy, we are showing several family-friendly films by masters of the Broadway songbook including two of the longest running musicals, Annie and The Producers. And finally, bring your littlest ones to the animated musical An American Tail featuring a family of Russian Jewish mice. We’ll see you at the Castro around 10:00-ish. In the morning, of course.

John Valte

Catalog design and content ©2013, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. All right reserved.

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Gale Mondry

Jay Rosenblatt

Lexi Leban

President, Board of Directors

Program Director

Executive Director

www.sfjff.org

Categories Lights, Camera, Take Action We believe in the power of film to make people think, feel, and act.

These inspiring films, including several from our new collaboration with the Sundance Institute’s Stories of Change project, help move us from our seats into the streets. Come join us and experience the feeling of community that comes only from standing together to make a difference.

JewTube TV is taking off like never before, and we are highlighting several international favorites. Come hear Gideon Raff, the creator of Homeland and Prisoners of War (Hatufim), talk about how his show about Israeli POWs became a hit American thriller. See Arab Labor Season 4 BEFORE it airs in Israel. And finally, join former South Park writer Kenny Hotz with episodes from Triumph of the Will, the hottest comedy on Canadian TV. So put down your remotes and join us for a live collective TV experience. Our screen is bigger than yours.

Icons From the Jewish Elvis to the Man in Black to “The Greatest,” we present fascinating portraits of these larger-than-life men and women who have made their mark and added to our lives.

Borders We believe film provides an invaluable lens through which to see the Middle East in all its complexity from Israel to Iran. This year’s picks are sure to provoke new questions.

Song and Dance What would the Festival be without a little song and dance? We usually have music, but this year the diversity is a standout. Soul, blues, jazz, pop, reggae, country, Broadway musicals, and yes, a family of singing Russian Jewish mice. We even have a few dance films to boot.

New York New York Most American Jews can trace their beginnings to the Big Apple. From Ellis Island to the hipster Brooklyn of GIRLS, this year we are proud to feature nine films that not only take place in this great city but also draw their inspiration from this vibrant and pulsating melting pot.

We Are Family For the young and young at heart, we have more family friendly films this year. Trade in the i-pods and pads for popcorn, and have some quality screen time together!

Growing Up Some of us take a long time growing up and others are forced to grow up way too quickly. This diverse group of engaging films invites us to reflect on the nature of aging, maturity and mortality and how it affects each of us differently.

WWII and Beyond Heroes, survivors and the ghosts of World War II and the Holocaust hover over this select group of inspiring and provocative films. Join us as we travel through time to Nazi Germany, neutral Sweden, Communist Prague and end up in modern-day Poland.

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Esther Broner: A Weave of Women Gideon’s Army Honorable Ambassador The Last White Knight

Poor Consuelo Conquers the World Rafea Solar Mama Within the Eye of the Storm

American Jerusalem: Jews and the Building of San Francisco (Adolph Sutro & Levi Strauss) Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came to Dingle The Art of Spiegelman

Hannah Arendt Jerry and Me (Jerry Lewis) Joe Papp in Five Acts My Father and the Man in Black (Johnny Cash)

Neil Diamond: Solitary Man The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich The Trials of Muhammad Ali

The Attack Aya Before the Revolution The Cutoff Man

Jerry and Me The Lab The Lesson Out in the Dark

Soldier on the Roof Wherever You Go

American Tail Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came to Dingle Annie Awake Zion

Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy Dancing in Jaffa Inside Envelopes Let’s Dance!

Neil Diamond: Solitary Man My Father and the Man in Black The Producers

Alex Karpovsky (Red Flag) An American Tail The Art of Spiegelman

Blumenthal Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy Here One Day

Joe Papp in Five Acts Sleeping with the Fishes Sukkah City

An American Tail Annie Commie Camp

Dancing in Jaffa Life According to Sam The Zigzag Kid

Afternoon Delight Aliyah All In American Commune Commie Camp

First Cousin Once Removed Life According to Sam Lies in the Closet My Awkward Sexual Adventure

50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. & Mrs. Kraus Aftermath Closed Season

In the Shadow The Last Sentence The Real Inglorious Bastards

After Tiller American Commune Brave Miss World Commie Camp Dancing in Jaffa

From Prisoners of War to Homeland: The Art of Adaptation Arab Labor, Season 4 The A Word Kenny Hotz: Triumph of the Will

Rue Mandar We are Not Alone The Zigzag Kid

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Sponsors PRESENTING SPONSOR

BUSINESS & COMMUNITY SPONSORS The Consulate General of

ISRAEL S A N F R A N C I S C O

MEDIA SPONSORS

MAJOR FOUNDATIONS & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

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www.sfjff.org

Sponsors IN KIND SPONSORS

Stories of Change: Repairing the World, One Film at a Time Sponsored by the Alexander M. And June L . Maisin Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund For the first time ever, on July 26 at the Castro, SFJFF will be showing a full day of award-winning documentaries that offer us the opportunity to repair the world through our actions (the Jewish practice of tikkun olam). These powerful stories reveal the real people behind the issues we care about.

The SFJFF mobile app connects audiences with immediate opportunities to get involved in the social justice campaigns highlighted in the films. Download the SFJFF app to your mobile device to learn more about the issues and how you can get involved: sfjff.org.

One of the documentaries in this exciting series comes to us through the Sundance Institute’s Stories of Change program, a partnership with the Skoll Foundation. For more information visit: sundance.org/ storiesofchange.

12 : 0 0 noon Rafea Solar Mama Can an illiterate grandmother from Jordan become a solar engineer?

Rafea is a Bedouin woman from Jordan who says, “Yes!”

Within the Eye of the Storm Bassam, a Palestinian, and Rami, an Israeli, share a tragic common bond: Both of their daughters were killed in acts of senseless violence at the hands of their enemies.

1: 4 5 pm

Dancing in Jaffa World champion ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine has a dream: to see Jewish and Palestinian Israeli children dance together.

3 : 4 5 pm

Panel Discussion: Lights, Camera, Take Action Can a movie change the world? There is a new generation of filmmakers who say yes, and they are telling stories in very new ways to the people formerly known as the audience. How do films empower social movements? Join us for a stimulating panel discussion moderated by Wendy Levy (Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Senior Consultant and Director of New Arts AXIS). Hear filmmakers and community engagement experts share their inspiring success stories.

5 : 2 0 pm

6 : 5 0 pm Gideon’s Army This Sundance award-winning documentary shines a light on three heroic public defenders in the South who represent clients who do not have the financial resources to adequately defend themselves in court.

American Commune Filmmaker sisters Nadine and Rena Mundo return to the Farm, the largest commune in the US, for the first time in 20 years with a critical eye and empathy for its efforts to reboot society.

8 : 5 5 pm

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Opening Night: The Zigzag Kid

BAY ARE A PREMIERE

Director: Vincent Bal

Netherlands, Belgium, 2012, 95 min., Dutch, English, French w/ Eng. subtitles

Screenwriters: Vincent Bal, Jon Gilbert, David Grossman

OPENING NIGHT IS SPONSORED BY A GENEROUS GRANT FROM WELLS FARGO

Editor: Peter Alderliesten

FILM SPONSORED BY LISA AND JOHN PRITZKER

Cinematographer: Walther Vanden Ende Principal Cast: Isabella Rossellini, Burghart Klaussner, Fedja van Huêt, Jessica Zeijlmaker CASTRO

Thursday, July 25

film only: $30/$25 members

6:30 pm

film & party: $75/$65 members

CINEARTS

Sunday, August 4

CALIFORNIA

Tuesday, August 6

6:15 pm

RAFAEL

Monday, August 12

6:10 pm

1:50 pm

Opening Night Bash Thursday, July 25, 9:00pm Swedish American Hall 2174 Market Street, San Francisco (Between Church and Sanchez)

Opening Night of the Jewish Film Festival is always a great night and this year will be even better. Join us for live music from SF’s La Pêche Quintet,and a great selection of some of the best food and drink in the Bay Area. The backroom downstairs is our lounge, it’s a great place to relax with a drink, pose with a friend for our photobooth, grab a desert or other goodie (the Backroom is ADA accessible).

Featuring: Fabrique Délices, Ciao Bella, Max’s Market, Shorty Goldstein’s and many more.

Event parking available for $10 at Everett Middle School on 17th Street between Church/Sanchez.

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Nono is a 13-year-old boy on the brink of his bar mitzvah with a rich imagination and quite the knack for getting into trouble. Inspector Jacob Feierberg is his father and also happens to be the best police inspector in the world. Zohara, his mother, died when Nono was an infant and remains a mystery to him. Inspector Feierberg helps Nono hone his powers of observation and deduction, while Gaby—his father’s young, zaftig secretary/girlfriend—fosters Nono’s imagination. Yet Gaby really functions as his second mother telling Nono wild stories about criminals and teaching him to sing along to the songs of famous chanteuse Lola Ciperola (played to perfection by Isabella Rossellini). When one of Nono’s creative hijinks sets off a pyrotechnic chain reaction at a cousin’s bar mitzvah, his father sends him to visit Uncle Schmuel, a shrink. Nono discovers a letter from his father on the train, instructing him to meet a secret mentor and fulfill a mission. With the help of master burglar Felix Glick, Nono exits the train, and the two go on the lam in search of the enchanting Lola. Their quest takes them to the French Riviera, where plot twists and turns mirror the twists and turns of the country roads they speed down. Director Vincent Bal’s fast-paced, superbly written feature, based on the popular novel by David Grossman, is a delightful mixture of genres: detective story and coming-of-age tale, with a dose of romance.

High production values, a fabulous 1960s soundtrack and a series of chases on trains, scooters, cars and cranes make The Zigzag Kid an endearing tale about identity and following one’s best hunches.

—Nancy K. Fishman

Official Selection, 2013 Berlinale Director Vincent Bal and actor Jessica Zeijlmaker in person in San Francisco.

www.sfjff.org

Castro Closing Night: Rue Mandar

France, 2012, 95 min., French w/ Eng. subtitles

Director: Idit Cebula Screenwriters: Idit Cebula, Emmanuelle Michelet

CLOSING NIGHT IS SPONSORED BY A GENEROUS GRANT FROM THE BONNIE AND MART Y TENENBAUM FOUNDATION

Editor: Célia Lafitedupont Cinematographer: Rémy Chevrin Principal Cast: Emmanuelle Devos, Richard Berry, Sandrine Kiberlain CASTRO

Thursday, August 1

$25/$22 MEMBERS

8:30 pm

CINEARTS

Saturday, August 3

6:30 pm

CALIFORNIA

Wednesday, August 7

8:45 pm

RAFAEL

Saturday, August 10

8:10 pm

Closing Night San Francisco All attendees at the closing night film will receive a very special gift bag.

Mezzanine Dinner | $100

Park early and join us on the Mezzanine for a meet and greet with the filmmakers. Enjoy a pre-closing night bite. Relax with a glass of wine and a gourmet box dinner from Back To Earth Organic Catering, the premiere organic company in the bay area. Don’t worry about draping your coat across a row of seats. We will reserve one for you and you can slip in just as the trailer begins. Limited tickets available on a first come first serve basis. (ticket good for dinner only, film admission requires separate ticket or pass)

Take a traditional Jewish funeral whose rituals no one can quite recall.

Mix in a Yiddishkeit setting in a predominantly Sephardic Jewish community. Add one of the most beautiful cities in the world as your location, and top it off with a terrific ensemble cast. What you get in the assured hands of director Idit Cébula (Two Lives Plus One, SFJFF 2008), is the charmingly poignant French film Rue Mandar. For elder brother Charles, sister Rosemonde (Emmanuelle Devos, The Other Son, SFJFF 2012 Centerpiece) and youngest sibling Emma, their widowed mother’s funeral marks the end of an era. Brought together after years of separation, they are soon squabbling about religious tradition, each other and what to do with their parents’ apartment at 13 rue Mandar. Unsure of whether to sell the apartment, they each express grief in the quirkiest of ways. Charles summons a crew of Polish workers to redecorate his own apartment without consulting his long-suffering wife. Psychoanalyst Rosemonde barely pays attention during patient sessions as she obsesses over her faltering marriage and her son, who is now studying in New York. Scatterbrained Emma, a Tel Aviv translator, ends up efficiently cleaning out her mother’s apartment. Her “mourning special” giveaway of its contents on the Paris sidewalk below, leads to a chance encounter with Simon, the son of previous owners of the flat.

Director and actor Idit Cébula appears in only a cameo role. But her film reminds us that the messy, sometimes humorous and often bittersweet business of death can lead to new beginnings. —Sara L. Rubin Actor Richard Berry in person in San Francisco

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Centerpiece Film: The Attack

Belgium, Qatar, Lebanon, France, 2012, 102 min., Arabic, Hebrew w/Eng. subtitles

Berkeley Big Night: Afternoon Delight

Director: Ziad Doueiri

United States, 2013, 102 min., English

Screenwriters: Ziad Doueiri, Joëlle Touma

Cinematographer: Jim Frohna

Cinematographer: Tommaso Fiorilli

Principal Cast: Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, Jane Lynch

Tuesday, July 30

CALIFORNIA

Sunday, August 4

6:15 pm

CALIFORNIA

Saturday, August 3

6:40 pm

$25/$22 MEMBERS

SPONSORED BY MOSES AND SUSAN LIBITZK Y AND DIANA GRAND AND JON HOLMAN

By all appearances Palestinian Israeli surgeon Amin Jaafari (brilliantly played by Ali Suliman, (Lemon Tree, Paradise Now) has it all. As an admired and respected member of his profession he has carved a space for himself and his wife Sihem at the crossroads of two troubled societies.

Together they have strong friendships with Israelis, absorbing a Tel Aviv lifestyle that rejects traditionalism. Amin and Sihem are ostensibly the best examples of Palestinian integration, and despite some tension in the hospital, Jaafari is blissfully unaware of differences. If we are to believe him, his wife is generally satisfied too. But Jaafari’s world is abruptly shattered when Sihem goes missing after a suicide bombing.

As Israeli police evidence mounts, it appears that Sihem could have been responsible. A stunned Jaafari is haunted by how he could have missed the signals. In dreamlike sequences he revisits his most intimate encounters with Sihem looking for clues. Evading the police and following his own intuition he travels alone to the Palestinian Territories to find those who might have recruited her. In the narrow streets and shadowed alleys he becomes an unwelcome visitor. Directed by Beirut-born Ziad Doueiri and based on a popular novel written by Algerian novelist Yasmina Khadra, this highly suspenseful drama bravely enters into the complicated world of redemption and revenge in the Middle East. In the story one understands that Khadra is attempting to illuminate both sides of the conflict. —Janis Plotkin Screened at Toronto Film Festival, 2012 and Telluride Film Festival, 2012.

Director Ziad Doueiri and actor Ali Suliman in person in San Francisco.

Editor: Catherine Haight

Editor: Dominique Marcombe Principal Cast: Ali Suliman, Reymonde Amsellem, Evgenia Dodina

CASTRO

Director/Screenwriter: Jill Soloway

6:30 pm

Rachel is a quick-witted, lovable, yet tightly coiled, thirtysomething steeped in the creative class of Los Angeles’s bohemian Silver Lake neighborhood. Everything looks just right: chic modernist home, successful husband, adorable child and a hipster wardrobe. So why is she going out of her gourd with ennui? Plagued by purposelessness, Rachel visits a strip club to spice up her marriage and ends up meeting McKenna, a stripper whom she becomes obsessed with saving. She decides to adopt McKenna as her live-in nanny, and this bold move unleashes unimagined and colorful waves of change into her life and community. It becomes clear that Rachel is feverishly, desperately trying to save her own sense of who she is. In a perfect storm of hilarious writing, performance and direction, first-timer Jill Soloway pinpoints the ambivalence of privileged, educated women seduced by an idealized vision of marriage and motherhood, yet deadened by the stultifying realities of preschool auctions, lackluster sex lives and careers that have gone kaput. Afternoon Delight compassionately revels in the existential trials of a Peter Pan generation battling too many choices, resisting adulthood and distractedly tapping their iPhones instead of tuning in to what matters. —Caroline Libresco, Sundance Film Festival catalog Note: Adult Content US Dramatic Directing Award, Sundance Director Jill Soloway in Person.

Actor Kathryn Hahn invited.

Berkeley Big Night Saturday, August 3rd, immediately following afternoon delight david brower center , 2150 allston way, berkeley

This year’s Berkeley celebration all new and bigger and better than ever! SFJFF is very proud to announce our new party location at the David Brower Center in downtown Berkeley, one of the Bay Area’s most advanced green buildings. Join us and our visiting filmmakers and guests for an evening of drinks, noshes and conversation just a minute away from the California Theatre. A combination work and programming space designed for nonprofits, the center is beautiful, filled with art, light and the energy of people working for a better future!

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www.sfjff.org

Freedom of Expression Award: Alan Berliner CASTRO

MONDAY, JULY 29

6:25 pm

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AWARD SPONSORED BY GALE MONDRY AND BRUCE COHEN

For many of us, the arrival of a new work by Alan Berliner is nothing less than a revelatory moment. The half dozen key films the Brooklyn-born filmmaker has directed simultaneously entertain, challenge and then redefine the very notion of what a documentary is in the first place.

It seems way too simple to label his latest, First Cousin Once Removed, merely a personal essay about a relative struggling with Alzheimer’s. It also happens to be a dense, complex meditation on life and death, easily one of the best documentaries of this year or any year. There is no other filmmaker crafting work like Berliner. It’s hard to believe that his experimental breakthrough, The Family Album (1985), was made a quarter of a century ago. Begun when Berliner purchased a collection of anonymous home movies, it established the unique vocabulary that is synonymous with all his work.

With his next film, Intimate Stranger (1991), a portrait of his businessman grandfather Joseph Cassuto, Berliner’s lexicon solidified.

He fills the frame and soundtrack with more found footage, adding postage stamps, police reports, family photos and a choir of opposing voices like an artist arranging the intricate pieces of a mosaic. Nobody’s Business (1996) found Berliner deepening his techniques as he tried to capture his difficult, occasionally combative and often humorous father.

Not satisfied to go on mining his family life, Berliner turned the camera on himself for his next two films. The Sweetest Sound found this Alan Berliner looking for all the other Alan Berliners in the world with a humor and playfulness unseen in his previous work. Wide Awake, “a portrait of the artist as an insomniac,” showed audiences an unexpected side of the filmmaker that we suspect had existed all along: the obsessive perfectionist intent on proving that creativity can only come from chaos and exhaustion.

First Cousin Once Removed seems like the culmination of 30 years spent exploring the fertile terrain between found images and personal identity. The recent awards and other accolades resoundingly confirm this.

And yet Berliner seems hardly content to rest on his laurels. One can only assume, judging by the last three decades, that the filmmaker will continue to rearrange the boundaries of the documentary form and make it into another place entirely. —Thomas Logoreci This year’s award is an original archivally framed etching by the renowned Social Realist artist Jack Levine based on his 1967 painting “The End of the Weimar Republic” generously donated by the George Krevsky Gallery and the Estate of Jack Levine.

Intimate Strangers

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Red Flag: Spotlight on Alex Karpovsky

United States, 2012, 83 min., English

CASTRO

GRANDLAKE

From Prisoners of War to Homeland: The Art of Adaptation

Director/Screenplay: Alex Karpovsky

Israel, 2010, 66 min.

Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Editor: Adam Ginsberg, Gerald D. Rossini

Director/Screenwriter: Gideon Raff Editor: Simon Herman

Cinematographer: Adam Ginsberg

Cinematographer: Itai Neeman

Principal Cast: Alex Karpovsky, Onur Tukel, Jennifer Prediger

Principal Cast: Assi Cohen, Ishai Golan, Yoram Toledano

Saturday, July 27

7:15 pm

Sunday, August 11 (film only)

8:45 pm

CASTRO

Sunday, July 28

4:35 pm

SPONSORED BY LELA AND GERRY SARNAT

SPONSORED BY SUSAN AND JAY MALL AND THE ISRAEL CENTER OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY FEDERATION AND ENDOWMENT FUND

A star of HBO’s hit comedy series, Girls, Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture and the upcoming Coen Brothers film, Inside Llewyn Davis, Alex Karpovsky is one of America’s hottest emerging filmmakers and actors.

Often blurring the line between his onscreen and off-screen neurotic persona which he describes as “his little Jewish engine of anxiety and guilt,” Karpovsky is a new generation’s Woody Allen. His debut film The Hole Story finds him in Minnesota documenting a rare black hole engulfing the icy plains, and eventually his very sanity. Filmmaker magazine labeled the film “equal measures Woody Allen and Werner Herzog.” In Woodpecker we follow fanatical bird watchers in rural Arkansas as they search for the illusive bird to hilarious results. Trust Us, This Is All Made Up is a performance film about two improv comics, while Rubberneck finds Karpovsky dabbling in the thriller genre to bold results. Red Flag, Karpovsky’s newest film as director/writer/actor, is perhaps his most biting satire on the subject he knows best: himself.

In Red Flag Karpovsky plays Karpovsky, an indie filmmaker recently dumped by his girlfriend, touring the South with his film Woodpecker to half-empty theaters. Along the way he’s joined by an old buddy and “his biggest fan” in this hysterical road trip comedy. —Joshua Moore

Are you addicted to Homeland and craving the next season? The popular TV series on Showtime starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, has won six Primetime Emmys, including the 2012 Outstanding Drama Series, and four Golden Globes, including the 2013 Best Television Drama Series. What many people may not realize is that it is based on the critically acclaimed Israeli series Prisoners of War (Hatufim), Israel’s highest-rated drama series. The story of this twice-over hit is emblematic of a trend: the trafficking of content from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles. In this anchor program of the Television Spotlight, the Festival will show the pilot of Prisoners of War, followed by an onstage discussion with Gideon Raff, the creator of Prisoners of War and executive producer of Homeland.

Raff will show selected scenes from both series and discuss the creative process behind these award-winning dramas. From concept to screen, he will talk about how these compelling shows have become international hits. We will hear about the process of adapting the Israeli show, a character-driven story about the traumas Israeli POWs face once they return home, into the American version, a Manchurian Candidate–like thriller about a bipolar CIA agent pursuing a terrorist mole. —Lexi Leban

Alex Karpovsky will appear live at the Castro Theatre, followed by clips and discussion.

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Creator Gideon Raff in person.

www.sfjff.org

Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came to Dingle

Awake Zion

Director/Editor: Maurice Linnane

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Director/Cinematograopher: Monica Haim

United States, Israel, Jamaica, 2013, 60 min., English

Editor: Keith Strand

Ireland, 2012, 60 min., English

Cinematographers: Toni Byrne, Franck Hugues, Aiden Keyes

CASTRO

Wednesday, July 31

GRAND LAKE FRIDAY, AUGUST 9

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

8:45 pm

$18/$15 MEMBERS

Whether or not you’re an Amy Winehouse fan, you can’t help but be charmed by the engaged, passionate woman on display in this film, equal parts documentary and concert movie. Whether she’s talking about her diverse musical influences—from Thelonious Monk to the Shangri-Las or her crush on British jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch—Winehouse sparkles with enthusiasm, particularly when the subject is music. Made for the Irish television show Other Voices, Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came to Dingle is a loving portrait of the iconic singer before she became an international superstar and, more important, before she lost herself to alcohol and drugs. The filmmakers transport us back to the wild, stormy night Winehouse arrived in Dingle, a remote town in Ireland, to perform in a tiny church with seating for 80. Backed by only a guitarist and bass player, Winehouse delivers stripped-down, spine-tingling renditions of her songs, including the hit “Back to Black.” Footage of the gorgeous nature surrounding Dingle and interviews with people who witnessed the once-in-a-lifetime concert are interspersed between the six songs she sang that night. Other Voices presenter John Kelly, who interviewed Winehouse that night, put it beautifully, “When she was here, I felt that she was really happy. She sang the blues away.” — Hagar Scher

7:00PM

$18/$15 MEMBERS

Consider that one of the earliest reggae songs was called “The Israelites,” or that Rastafarians and Orthodox Jews take cues from identical passages of the Bible on matters of faith, prayer and dietary and sexual ethics. Or that the concept of Zion—a longing for repatriation—is deeply embedded in both cultures. Traveling from Jamaica to Jerusalem, and featuring appearances from Sister Carol and Matisyahu, Awake Zion explores why the Star of David spoke to both Maimonides and Marley and how it came to be that the Exodus was a movement of both the Jews and “Jah People.” Director Monica Haim searches for common roots in an effort to better understand her own. She travels around the globe and through time weaving together the perspectives and experiences of Jews and Rastafarians, scholars and ska artists, rabbis and reggae stars. Speaking powerfully to the history, spirituality and humanity shared by these two peoples, Awake Zion takes us back to the days of King Solomon to explore and uncover the connections between davening and the dance hall, payos and dreadlocks. Most entertainingly, Awake Zion features a rock steady soundtrack celebrating the rhythms of Burning Spear, Dr. Israel, Rocker T and Ex-Centric Sound System. —Ilana Kaufman

Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came To Dingle w/ Crystal Monee Hall

Awake Zion w/ Doctor Israel & Dub Gabriel

Wednesday, July 31, 8:45pm | Castro Theatre

Stick around after the film for a Q&A with the director, and a LIVE dub/ reggae show—featuring the Bay Area’s Dub Gabriel and Brooklyn based Doctor Israel as they explore the musical connections between Rastafarians and Jews.

Crystall Monee Hall (currently the front woman for the Mickey Hart Band) will lead a band exploring Amy Winehouse’s influences and connecting her stunning musical gifts to the present.

415.621.0523

Friday, August 9, 7:00 pm | Grand L ake Theatre

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50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. & Mrs. Kraus

United States, 2012, 63 min., English

Director: Steven Pressman

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

Editor: Ken Schneider Cinematographer: David Sperling, Andrew Black

JCCSF

Sunday, August 4

CALIFORNIA

Wednesday, August 7

5:55 pm

CINEARTS

Thursday, August 8

3:45 pm

In early 1939, Nazi policy still allowed Jews to leave Germany, but few countries would grant them asylum. President Roosevelt blocked a bill that would have given Jewish children safe passage to the US. Even American Jews did little for fear of fanning the flames of rampant anti-Semitism. Yet in Philadelphia, a Jewish doctor, Gilbert Kraus and his elegant wife Eleanor, leaving their own young children behind, took it upon themselves to get 50 Jewish children out of Austria. This tense and compelling story, narrated by Alan Alda, is brought to life by private journals and a trove of previously unseen home movies. —Thomas Logoreci Director Steven Pressman in person.

PRECEDED BY

The Real Inglorious Bastards

Director: Min Sook Lee

Canada, 2012, 51 min., English, German w/Eng. subtitles

Editors: David Kazala, Bruce Lang

Israel, 2010, 78 min., Hebrew, Thai w/Eng. Subtitles

1:40 pm

SPONSORED BY JANET SCHNEIDER AND ANDREW K AHN

WEST COAST PREMIERE

The A Word

Director/Screenwriter: Keren Margalit Editor: Arik Leibovitch Cinematographer: Itzik Portal Principal Cast: Yossi Marshek, Yehuda Barkan, Ori Pfeffer

CINEARTS

Tuesday, August 6

12:10 pm

PIEDMONT

Monday, August 12

2:50 pm

CO-SPONSORED BY ORLI AND ZACK RINAT

Following in the footsteps of Israeli shows that were adapted to American television like Prisoners of War and In Treatment, The A Word explores terrain that is fresh and timely and will soon find its way to US audiences.

It’s the story of the Rotenberg clan, who live in the Arava desert. There’s Meir, the idealistic patriarch who corrects his adult children’s Hebrew.

Meir’s daughter Ayelet and her husband Yaniv have a refreshingly hot-blooded marriage and two children, daughter Natti and her younger brother Omri. Meir’s son Avishay has just returned from Tel Aviv to tend the family farm and try to mend his relationship with his wife Yael, a doctor who, we learn in the series pilot, has been unfaithful. This complicated interpersonal stew is stirred up when Yael starts raising concerns about Omri’s development. She thinks the young boy’s obsession with music is troubling; his parents think it’s a sign of genius. The truth is somewhere in between. It’s the A word: autism. In just three episodes, this show makes you care deeply for all its characters and portrays familial relationships in all their beautiful, flawed glory. The motley crew of resident Thai laborers serves as a humorous Greek chorus. —Hagar Scher

Cinematographer: Daniel Grant

“The truth is way stranger than fiction,” muses one interviewee in this unbelievable true account that Quentin Tarantino’s mega-hit was based on.

As the Second World War was coming to a close, the US Office of Strategic Services trained and parachuted two Jewish refugees and a German deserter deep into Nazi-occupied Austria. Their original task was only to gather intelligence, but, astonishingly, they helped change the course of the entire war.

These courageous men recount their unbelievable adventure whose finale beats any Hollywood movie hands down. —Thomas Logoreci

10

www.sfjff.org

After Tiller

United States, 2013, 88 min., English

Aftermath

Director: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson Editor: Greg O’Toole Cinematographer: Hillary Spera, Emily Topper

CALIFORNIA

Thursday, August 8

4:00 pm

CO-SPONSORED BY DEBORAH K AUFMAN AND ALAN SNITOW

Screened to great acclaim at Sundance this winter, this documentary about third-trimester abortion practitioners hardly sounds life-affirming on its surface. Yet Martha Shane and Lana Wilson have managed to inject a welcome dose of rationality to the hotly contested topic. They offer an intimate portrait of the only four doctors in the United States who still perform the procedure. Interspersing quiet interviews with some breathtaking scenery, they show the impact of their work on their families, patients and towns. As the film explains, Roe v. Wade allowed states to ban third-trimester abortions except those that protected the health of the mother. Today they are outlawed in only nine states, but are only available in the three states where these doctors practice: New Mexico, Maryland and Colorado. The doctors all risk their lives. Their friend and mentor Dr. George Tiller was assassinated by an antiabortionist in Kansas in May 2009. Shane and Wilson move away from the picket lines to show life inside the clinics. Far from the signs and shouting, in their consultation rooms these doctors and patients face difficult choices with inspiring bravery and care. The film’s most powerful message may be the stark contrast between those humane exchanges and the bitter language of protest outside. —Emily Thelin Subject Dr. Shelly Sella in person.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director/Screenwriter: Władysław Pasikowski

Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, 2012., 107 min.

Polish w/Eng. subtitles

Cinematographer: Paweł Edelman

CASTRO CINEARTS CALIFORNIA

Editor: Jarosław Kami´nski Principal Cast: Maciej Stuhr, Ireneusz Czop, Jerzy Radziwilwicz Tuesday, July 30

Sunday, August 4

8:55 pm

8:35 pm

Thursday, August 8

6:30 pm

SPONSORED BY STEVEN AND BUNNY FAYNE

In the opening scenes of this contemporary thriller, a hard-nosed Polish Catholic construction worker from Chicago pays a visit to his family’s farm in Poland only to find that his brother is being mysteriously threatened and shunned by local townspeople. What follows is a gothic tale of intrigue as the combative brothers are drawn inexorably into investigating the village’s dark secrets about its long deceased Jewish residents. While the story of Aftermath is entirely fictional, its writer/director has drawn loosely from notorious incidents that befell Jewish villagers in Jedwabne during World War II. As such it is probably unprecedented: a high-profile feature film from Poland daring to raise the taboo topic of Polish indifference to—or outright complicity in—the Nazi persecution of Polish Jews. (The preferred narratives under communism presented Poland, which lost more than 2 million non-Jews among its 5 million destroyed by the war, as unilaterally victimized and occasionally heroic in hiding Jews.)

Now some historians and Polish artists are shedding more complex, albeit embarrassing light onto Polish-Jewish relations. No wonder Aftermath, which also unabashedly depicts everyday anti-Semitism in today’s Poland, is already controversial there: denounced by nationalists as unpatriotic, but also hailed as an important and compelling corrective in the ongoing self-critique of postwar Europe. —Peter L. Stein 2013 Jan Karski Eagle Award Producer Dariusz Jablonski in person in San Francisco.

415.621.0523

11

Aliyah

All In

France, 2012, 88 min., French, Hebrew w/Eng. subtitles

Director: Elie Wajeman

Argentina, Brazil, Spain, 2012, 113 min., Spanish w/Eng. subtitles

Screenwriter: Elie Wajeman, Gaelle Mace Editor: Francois Quiquere

JCCSF

CINEARTS CALIFORNIA

Editor: Luis Barros Cinematographer: Daniel Ortega

Principal Cast: Pio Marmai, Cedric Kahn, Adele Haenel

Principal Cast: Norma Aleandro, Jorge Drexler, Valeria Bertuccelli

7:00 pm Thursday, August 1

Wednesday, August 7

8:00 pm

CASTRO

Thursday, August 8

8:45 pm

CINEARTS

Sunday, August 4

PIEDMONT

Monday, August 12

SPONSORED BY THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE EAST BAY

Dimpled, handsome Alex needs a break from his life as a small-time drug dealer, and from constantly cleaning up the much bigger messes of his deceitful older brother Isaac (French filmmaker Cédric Kahn).

At Friday night dinner, cousin Nathan, visiting from Israel, reveals his plans to open a restaurant there. For Alex, the venture offers a way out.

No more dealing. No more bailing out Isaac. No chance he’ll see his ex-girlfriend with her fiancé. But nothing is ever clear cut. Jeanne, a non-Jewish friend of his ex, is also invited for dinner. She falls for Alex and the attraction is mutual. And there’s a bigger problem. Alex needs to buy into Nathan’s restaurant in Tel Aviv. That means amping up the dealing from hash to cocaine. His best friend Mathias proves to be a much-needed link to funding Alex’s aliyah, or immigration to Israel. In this gripping story of betrayal, ambient sound creates a realistic, gritty view of life in Paris and its tougher suburbs, and background music alternates between Schoenberg and Sixto Rodríguez’s “Sugar Man.” Filmmaker Elie Wajeman’s debut feature looks closely at one type of new immigrant to Israel and deservedly earned him a berth in the 2012 Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight. —Sara L. Rubin

12

Screenwriter: Daniel Burman, Sergio Dubcovsky

Cinematographer: David Chizallet

Sunday, August 4

Director: Daniel Burman

6:10 pm 6:15 pm

6:35 pm

CO-SPONSORED BY NANCY AND STEPHEN GRAND AND BARBARA AND RICHARD ROSENBERG

In this sharp Argentine romantic comedy, Uriel is a dedicated single dad who runs the family business by day. At night, he is a Jewish Don Juan and a professional gambler who has mastered the art of bluffing.

One weekend, Uriel runs into his old girlfriend Gloria and the attraction between the two is palpable. No surprise there, Daniel Burman, one of Argentina’s leading directors, has cast the Oscar-winning singer/ songwriter Jorge Drexler alongside the sexy actress Valeria Bertuccelli.

Years ago, Gloria dumped Uriel without explanation and now the ladies man pulls out all the stops to win her back. But is Uriel a changed man or is he just not used to rejection? At first everything seems to be going swimmingly, but then Uriel plays the wrong card. He doesn’t want to admit what he does for a living and tells Gloria that he is a big-time music producer who is mounting the comeback of a Jewish rocker. This white lie gets Uriel into some pretty hot water and he quickly learns that his poker face may not always be the key to hitting the jackpot. But with the help of a punk rock Hassidic rabbi, this Casanova just might get what he is looking for. —Erica Marcus

www.sfjff.org

American Commune

American Jerusalem: Jews and the Building of San Francisco

UNITED STATES PREMIERE

Directors: Rena Mundo Croshere, Nadine Mundo

WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Marc Shaffer

Editors: Nadine Mundo, Michael Levine

Editor: Stephanie Mechura, Josh Peterson

United States, 2013, 90 min., English

Cinematographers: Nadine Mundo, Rena Mundo Croshere

United States, 2013, 57 min., English

8:55 pm

CASTRO

Wednesday, July 31

2:00 pm

CINEARTS

CASTRO

Friday, July 26

RAFAEL

Saturday, August 10

GRANDLAKE

Sunday, August 11

6:40 pm

CO-SPONSORED BY CAROLYN CAVALIER ROSENBERG AND SANFORD ROSENBERG AND THE DAVID R. STERN FUND OF THE COMMON COUNSEL FOUNDATION

“How about just up and changing?” asks hippie holy man Stephen Gaskin. American Commune tells the story of the Farm, founded by a group led by Gaskin and his wife Ina May, godmother of the modern midwifery movement. For the first time in 20 years, filmmaker sisters Nadine Mundo and Rena Mundo Croshere return to the Farm, where they were born and raised. Born to a Beverly Hills Jewish mom and a Bronxraised Puerto Rican dad, the sisters recount the commune’s origins as a caravan of 60 buses leaves San Francisco in 1970 and ultimately lands in the backwoods of Tennessee. Surviving vows of poverty, the rigors of city kids trying to farm, an FBI raid during the Reagan years and Phil Donahue, they are finally done in by the limits of idealism. As the once self-sustaining utopian experiment transitions, the filmmakers’ family crumbles and the sisters flee to Los Angeles, where they consume TV, perfume and meat for the first time. Accented with vintage home footage and news reports—from Rather to Cronkite—this is no simple “wasn’t that a groovy idea while it lasted” story. With empathy for the Farm’s efforts to reboot society, the Mundo sisters have created an engaging and layered portrait of an unusual community and its legacy. —Ken Schneider Directors Rena Mundo Croshere and Nadine Mundo in person in San Francisco.

Cinematographer: Jon Shenk

Saturday, August 3

6:15 pm

4:20 pm

SPONSORED BY HEBREW FREE LOAN

Puzzled visitors to San Francisco often wander around wondering where the Jewish neighborhood is, or at least was. Fact is, beginning with the city’s boom in the 1849 Gold Rush, Jews have been assimilated into nearly every corner of San Francisco life, helping build, grow and define the city—as well as being shaped by it—in ways that are unique in American and Jewish history. Focusing on the first chapter of the city’s development (1849–1915), American Jerusalem entertainingly charts the evolution of a distinct brand of American Jewish life on the western edge of the continent and introduces us to influential pioneers like Levi Strauss and Adolph Sutro (America’s first Jewish mayor, voiced by legendary director Werner Herzog), helping to explain why some San Francisco Jewish families celebrated Shabbat on Sunday and enjoyed a good roast pork on Christmas. Some habits die hard. While not shying away from the community’s more troubling chapters, such as antiChinese and anti–Eastern European sentiments among German Jewish leaders here, the documentary is a lively and affectionate primer to a place, and a community, like no other. —Peter L. Stein Producer Jackie Krentzman in person.

PRECEDED BY

Shanghai Strangers China, 2012, 20 min., Mandarin w/Eng. subtitles

Director: Joan Chen

In modern-day Shanghai, San Francisco’s sister city, a beautiful young woman chooses to disclose a long-held secret to a stranger; her motive harks back to an old house containing memories of Jewish life during wartime Shanghai. Actor Joan Chen directs this haunting tale of starcrossed love. –Peter L. Stein Director Joan Chen in person.

415.621.0523

13

An American Tail

United States, 1986, 80 min., English

CASTRO

Annie

Director: Don Bluth Screenwriter: Tony Geiss, Judy Freudberg

United States, 1982, 127 min., English

Director: John Huston Screenwriter: Carol Sobieski

Editor: Dan Molina

Editor: Michael A. Stevenson

Principal Cast: Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Phillip Glasser

Cinematographer: Richard Moore

Sunday, July 28

Principal Cast: Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Aileen Quinn

10:00 am GRANDLAKE

This beautifully animated film tells the story of Fievel Mouskewitz and his family of Jewish mice who escape from Russia in the late 1800s and immigrate to the United States in search of freedom. However, upon his arrival in New York City, Fievel is separated from his parents and sister and soon discovers that contrary to what he was told, there are in fact cats in America. The stunning, painterly images of New York City before the turn of the last century are striking. An American Tail combines multifaceted timeless animation with a story that is very close to every American’s heart: immigrants trying to succeed despite the many hardships and obstacles. Featuring Dom DeLuise as Tiger, a cowardly orange cat who also happens to be vegetarian and Christopher Plummer as Henri, a pigeon of French descent who is in New York building the Statue of Liberty. Papa Mouskewitz is played by Nehemiah Persoff, an actor who was chosen primarily because of his similar role as Barbra Streisand’s father in Yentl. The film includes the song “Somewhere Out There” which received an Academy Award nomination and won two Grammys. At the time of its release in 1986, An American Tail was the most successful non-Disney animated feature and continues to entertain audiences of all ages. —Natalia Guecheva

Saturday, August 10

11:00 am

Celebrate the multiple Tony–winning music of legendary composer Charles Strouse (featured in this year’s Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy), as a tough little orphan shows us how to overcome adversity.

Based on Harold Gray’s renowned political commentary comic strips, this rags-to-riches story of the charismatic feisty redheaded orphan girl in search of her birth parents is just as endearing today as it was upon its initial 1982 release. There have been other versions of Annie, but none as well received as this. Here, Strouse’s source material seamlessly captures common themes of suppression so often found in other remarkable Jewish-penned productions from Broadway’s golden age.

Through a multitude of energetic performances, all of the exuberance found in the stage show becomes fully realized. Highlights include the jam-packed array of memorable song-and-dance routines, the glimpse into Depression-era politics and the joy of watching comedic icon Carol Burnett’s uproarious portrayal of the wicked, boozed-up orphanage supervisor. One thing is for sure, rarely have good old fashioned family entertainment films with such a strong moral center ever been this rich.

Though she has endured a life of hard knocks, Annie still manages to stick out her chin, grin and hope for the best, come tomorrow.

—Adam Cuttler

14

www.sfjff.org

Arab Labor: Season 4

The Art of Spiegelman

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE

Director: Clara Kuperberg, Joëlle Oosterlinck

France, 2010, 44 min., English, French w/Eng. subtitles

Cinematographer: Adam Vardy, Thibaut Castan, Pascal Richter

5:05 pm

JCCSF

Sunday, August 4

4:45pm

CALIFORNIA

6:05 pm

CINEARTS

Saturday, August 10

4:05pm

RAFAEL

WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Shai Capon

Israel, 2013, 80 min., Hebrew, Arabic w/Eng. subtitles

Screenwriter: Sayed Kashua

CASTRO

Saturday, July 27

Sunday, August 4

CALIFORNIA CINEARTS

RAFAEL

Principal Cast: Norman Issa, Clara Khoury

Tuesday, August 6

SPONSORED BY THE FOHS FOUNDATION

They’re back! The Alian family returns in an all-new season of the hilarious hit series Arab Labor. In Season 3 Amjad became the unwitting star of the reality TV show, Big Brother. At the beginning of the fourth season Amjad is shocked to find out that his wife Bushra is pregnant.

After all, he sees himself as an enlightened Arab and only recently spoke proudly about being a father of two, countering the racial demographic “problem,” which according to him deepens the chasm between Jews and Arabs. Amjad leaves home after a big fight erupts between him and Bushra about the pregnancy. He tries to find safe haven at his parents’ house, but they kick him out and take Bushra’s side. Unintentionally, Amjad finds himself leading the recent Israeli social protest movement.

The press refers to him as the leader, the political parties woo him and he decides to become a politician who thinks the only way to change “the system” is from the inside, though he is not completely sure what the system is. As usual, writer/creator Sayed Kashua (SFJFF Freedom of Expression Award 2010) puts the issues front and center in all their intricacy, finding humor in the most unlikely places. —J.T. Greenstein Actor Norman Issa in person in San Francisco.

Editor: Clara Kuperberg

12:00 pm

Wednesday, August 7 Thursday, August 8 Monday, August 12

4:15 pm 12:00 PM 4:30 pm

In 1991, one of the key figures in American underground comics, Art Spiegelman published his graphic novel Maus. Groundbreaking in both style and form, the emotionally raw Maus imagined a conversation between the alienated Spiegelman and his traumatized father Vladek, a Holocaust survivor. The stark black-and-white panels which portray the Jews as mice and the Germans as cats drew critical raves and massive sales. Eventually Maus won Art Spiegelman a coveted Pulitzer, the first ever for a graphic novel. Yet the international success of Maus plunged the uneasy cult hero into despair. The artist virtually disappeared for the following decade. Clara Kuperberg and Joëlle Oosterlinck’s doc traces Spiegelman’s journey from his childhood obsession with all things comic (“I studied Mad the way some kids studied the Talmud.”) to his resurgence with the outrageous covers he created for the New Yorker. A highly entertaining look at the visionary who took underground comics into the mainstream yet still requires a touch of “disquiet but not disaster” to craft his singular art .—Thomas Logoreci PRECEDED BY

Every Tuesday: A Portrait of the New Yorker Cartoonists United States, 2012, 21 min., English

Director/Editor/Cinematographer: Rachel Loube

The New Yorker is famous for its clever, absurdly off-kilter cartoons.

Now you can go behind the scenes and see the drawing studios and Tuesday afternoon lunches with the select group of cartoonists who are forever seeking the perfect fusion of drawing and caption as they ponder inspiration and rejection. —Thomas Logoreci

415.621.0523

15

Aya

Before the Revolution

Israel, 2012, 40 min., English

Director: Mihal Brezis, Oded Binnum Screenwriters: Mihal Brezis, Oded Binnum, Tom Shoval Editor: Dov Steuer Cinematographer: Oded Binnum Principal Cast: Sarah Adler, Ulrich Thomsen

CASTRO

Monday, July 29

11:20 am

SPONSORED BY AMY AND MORT FRIEDKIN

Aya (Sara Adler, Jellyfish) unwittingly finds herself holding a passenger pickup sign at the airport for a Mr. Overby (Ulrich Thomsen, The Celebration). He arrives: tall, handsome, and Danish. Enchanted by this random encounter, Aya decides to pose as his driver. The romantic tension between the two strangers builds as they get closer to Mr. Overby’s Jerusalem hotel, yet Aya’s true intentions remain hidden until the surprising final act. —Joshua Moore PRECEDED BY

Wherever You Go

UNITED STATES PREMIERE

Director: Dan Shadur

Israel, 2013, 60 min., Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Cinematographer: Itai Neeman, Itay Marom

CASTRO

Monday, July 29

CINEARTS GRANDLAKE

Editor: Nili Feller

1:15 pm

Wednesday, August 7

3:50 pm

Saturday, August 10

1:45 pm

CO-SPONSORED BY THE ISRAEL CENTER OF THE JEWISH COMMUNIT Y FEDERATION AND ENDOWMENT FUND

During the reign of Shah Reza Pahlavi, Iran and Israel were close allies, a far cry from the sworn enemies they have since become. This bond went far deeper than simply trade or diplomacy. Eager to establish himself as a Middle East power broker, the Shah opened Iran’s doors to Israeli advisors, businessmen and their families. The Iranian economy flourished while the lucky Jewish transplants lived a disco-era dolce vita of unbelievable wealth and prosperity.

But there was a dark side to all of this. The Shah’s corrupt regime kept millions living in poverty and under the thumb of the feared secret police, the SAVAK. A real life Argo doc thriller packed with Super 8 footage and fond remembrances of an unlikely alliance that shows no immediate sign of being rekindled.

– Thomas Logoreci PRECEDED BY

Jerry and Me

Israel, 2012, 40 min., Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Director/Screenwriter: Rony Sasson Angel Editor: Vered Yeruham Cinematographer: Ran Aviad

A young Bedouin woman stands by the side of a deserted road, desperate for a ride. Zohara, an Israeli woman en route to a wedding, stops her car and offers the stranger a ride. As Zohara learns that her name is Neriman and her life is in danger, the women find themselves being pursued by another car. If they stop, Neriman will be killed. As the chase continues, it becomes clear that these two women, though from different worlds, share a longing to be free: free from their families and free to define themselves for who they really are. —Joshua Moore

16

United States, 2012, 38 min., English, Farsi w/Eng. subtitles

Director/Screenwriter: Mehrnaz Saeedvafa

Iranian filmmaker Mehrnaz Saeedvafa examines questions of identity utilizing a surprising metaphor: the comedies of Jerry Lewis. While a young girl in pre-revolutionary Tehran, Saeedvafa was fascinated by the spastic Jewish funnyman who was often dubbed into Farsi. Years later, she reconsiders all things Jerry in the light of an uncomfortable personal encounter. – Thomas Logoreci

www.sfjff.org

Blumenthal

Brave Miss World

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE

Director/Screenwriter: Seth Fisher

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Director: Cecilia Peck

Editors: Seth Fisher, Alex Kopit

Editor: Inbal B. Lessner

United States, 2013, 86 min., English

Cinematographer: Zak Mulligan Principal Cast: Seth Fisher, Laila Robins, Brian Cox

Italy, Israel, South Africa, United States, 2013, 92 min., English, Hebrew, Italian w/Eng. subtitles

Saturday, August 3

6:30 pm

CASTRO

Wednesday, July 31

4:45 pm

CALIFORNIA

JCCSF GRANDLAKE

Friday, August 9

CO-SPONSORED BY SINAI MEMORIAL CHAPEL CHEVRA K ADISHA

The presence of famed New York playwright Harold Blumenthal looms over everyone in the weeks following his unexpected death, but life goes on for his family. His nephew Ethan is a pharmaceutical rep with a gloomy disposition, aware that he is too irritable for his own good, but nevertheless indulging that flaw by pushing away his girlfriend.

Ethan’s father Saul, in addition to suffering from severe constipation, seeks an elusive trophy of his brother Harold’s that he feels he rightly deserves. Saul’s wife Cheryl, an actress preparing for an audition, finds her confidence shaky and contemplates cosmetic surgery. As they work through their issues, an affable dog walker and a woman with a mysterious connection to Harold enter their orbit and affect their choices. In addition to costarring, Seth Fisher makes a confident feature debut as writer and director with this comedy about family, romance, aging, resentment and gastric dysfunction. Emmy winner Brian Cox (Manhunter, Adaptation) appears as the deceased writer in snippets from a Charlie Rose–like show, his insights providing commentary on the action in this charming, low-key New York City tale. —Dave Burnce

Cinematographer: Uri Ackerman

Sunday, August 4

3:30 pm

2:00 pm

SPONSORED BY ROSELYNE C. SWIG

Linor Abargil was 18 years old when she won the title of Miss Israel and was selected to represent her country in the Miss World competition.

Just weeks before the contest where she would be crowned Miss World, she was brutally raped by her Israeli travel agent while on a modeling assignment in Italy. A decade later, Abargil decided she must go on a mission to share her story and to reach out to rape survivors everywhere in the hopes of breaking the deep silence around rape and sexual assault.

These all too common crimes shatter victims’ lives and keep them living in fear, shame and isolation. This captivating documentary traces Abargil’s personal journey as she meets rape survivors around the globe—from young South African girls to college students on campuses in the United States to well-known celebrities—and, finally, as she confronts her past.

Through Abargil’s own words, interviews with her family and friends and the survivors’ stories, director/producer Cecilia Peck (Shut Up and Sing) documents Abargil’s courageous efforts to raise awareness and to heal herself and others. The result is a powerful story of hope, resilience and the undeniable strength of the human spirit. –Alissa Chadburn Producer/editor Inbal B. Lessner in person in Berkeley.

PRECEDED BY

That Woman United Kingdom, 2012, 12 min., English

Director: Ed Dick

Thirty-something Londoner Danny is sitting shiva, consumed by grief.

No one’s died—just his latest romantic relationship has ended. In a bold attempt to get him out of his funk, Danny’s mother sets him up on a blind date with Monica Lewinsky… yes, that woman. – Joshua Moore

415.621.0523

17

Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy

United States, 2012, 90 min., English

Closed Season

Director/Screenwriter: Michael Kantor

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE

Editor: Martin Burga Cinematographer: Mead Hunt

CASTRO

Sunday, July 28

12:00 pm

CO-SPONSORED BY LINDA AND FRANK KURTZ AND DORIS AND GEORGE KREVSK Y

“You won’t succeed on Broadway if you don’t have any Jews,” jokes the lyric from Spamalot by Monty Python’s Eric Idle in the opening of this highly entertaining documentary. From Rodgers and Hammerstein to the Gershwins to Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim the roll call of composers who defined a particular American cultural genre known as musical theater might read like a synagogue board of directors list.

Except for Cole Porter, this film asserts, it was a Jewish club. Drawing on the theatrical roots of Yiddish theater and the musical roots of klezmer, the early 20th century was fertile ground for a burgeoning art form that explored stories of outsiders finding their way in. Not specifically Jewish, these stories nevertheless paralleled the American Jewish experience.

And while the musical style was not specifically Jewish either, immigrant and first generation American composers drew from their Jewish roots, even transforming phrases from liturgical music into great American song. Irving Berlin, an immigrant whose first memory was hiding in a ditch during a pogrom, wrote hit after hit, including “God Bless America,” making an indelible imprint on American popular music. Broadway offered Jewish songwriters a chance to make it in America, and they, in turn, fashioned an America of their own. –Aaron Davidman

Germany, Israel, 2012, 104 min.

German, English, w/ Eng. subtitles

Principal Cast: Christian Friedel, Brigitte Hobmeier, Hans-Jochen Wagner

Sunday, August 4

CALIFORNIA RAFAEL

Cinematographer: Bernd Fischer

Saturday, August 3

CINEARTS JCCSF

Director/Screenwriter: Franziska Schlotterer Editor: Karl Riedl

4:40 pm

Tuesday, August 6 Monday, August 12

8:40 pm

8:25 pm 8:20 pm

SPONSORED BY LIKI AND JOE ABRAMS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE GOETHE-INSTITUT

Bruno, a young German entomology student, travels to an Israeli kibbutz, but he is not seeking a romantic experience in the young Zionist state, nor will he make any scientific discoveries. Before her death, Bruno’s mother told him to deliver a letter to Avi, a German-born Jewish member of the kibbutz. Reluctantly, Avi shares his story with the young man.

During the war, while fleeing to Switzerland to escape the Nazis, Avi was saved by the brutish, hard-working peasant Fritz, a man as remote as the mountains of the Black Forest he calls home. Against his wife Emma’s wishes, Fritz invites the Jew to hide and work at his farm. But Fritz has other things on his mind. He and his wife are unable to have children, and he proposes that Avi father a child with his wife. Inevitably, the erotically charged situation leads to unexpected complications. Spare but sumptuous cinematography captures the passion, desire and jealousy waiting to explode. This searingly intimate film will stay with you long after you leave the theater. The undeniable talents of director Franziska Schlotterer mark her as someone to watch; in her first narrative feature she has created an intense, nuanced examination of the awkwardness of human relationships. —Erica Marcus Note: Adult Content Official selection 2013 Berlinale.

18

www.sfjff.org

Commie Camp

The Cutoff Man

WORLD PREMIERE

Director/Screenwriter: Katie Halper

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Director/Screenwriter: Idan Hubel

United States, 2013, 69 min.

English

Editors: Negin Farsad, Sarah Friedland, Jay Sterrenberg

Israel, 2012, 76 min.

Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Editor: Nimrod Eldar

Cinematographers: Adam Barton, Orlando Richards GRANDLAKE

Sunday, August 11

Cinematographer: Itay Marom Principal Cast: Moshe Ivgy, Naama Shapira, Tom Yefet

2:20 pm

Is McCarthyism still alive and well on the airwaves? Commie Camp opens with Rush Limbaugh blasting Obama’s nominee for the Bureau of Labor Statistics for sending her kids to a “politically left-wing Jewish summer camp with Communist roots.” The camp is Camp Kinderland, and filmmaker and comedian Katie Halper is concerned about its future. She is a third generation Kinderlander and was a camper and counselor there for 13 years. She returns to Kinderland, this time to make a film. Commie Camp focuses on four delightfully articulate nine-year-olds from the first to the last day of camp during a recent summer. We learn that there is no archery, horseback riding or swimming pools here as campers wait for the bus to take them from the Big Apple to the Berkshires. The bunks don’t have numbers, letters, or fake Native American tribal names.

Instead the kids stay in bunks with names like Shalom Aleichem, Harriet Tubman, Anne Frank and Roberto Clemente. This humorous personal documentary explores the history of the camp as a community created by Yiddish-speaking socialists who had been labor union activists in Europe.

The film shows us the Kinderland of today, an inclusive, multiethnic, antiracist community dedicated to making the world a better place.

Education or indoctrination? You decide. —Lexi Leban

JCCSF

Saturday, August 3

CINEARTS

Monday, August 5

PIEDMONT

Monday, August 12

2:10 pm 6:10 pm 8:55 pm

Gabi (the great Moshe Ivgy) is an unemployed family man who takes a job severing the water pipes of customers who don’t pay their bills. Old ladies plead with him and young punks threaten him, but his demoralizing job allows him to pay for things like his beloved son’s goalie gloves. The Israeli landscapes of worn apartment blocks, sun-scorched fields and grassy medians strewn with litter are a fitting backdrop for Gabi’s descent into quiet anguish, the stuff of broken dreams. Director Idan Hubel unfolds this story patiently, capturing authentic moments of silence and lingering with Gabi as he breaks down in front of a vending machine while sending his gangly teenager off to the army. Gabi visits a local bar to escape with arak and card games and slips into a kind of trance, until his devoted wife Nava comes to break the spell. There is no redemption here, but there is a gentle suggestion that family makes life worth living. —Hagar Scher Official selection 2012 Venice Film Festival PRECEDED BY

After

Director Katie Halper in person.

United Kingdom, 2012, 7 min.

English

Director: Lukasz Konopa

From sunrise to sunset we witness the daily routines of preparing Auschwitz for visiting tourists fascinated by the former concentration camp. The beauty of the natural surroundings and the triviality of the tasks at hand are in sharp contrast to the horrors that once filled its grim walls. —Joshua Moore

415.621.0523

19

Dancing in Jaffa

Esther Broner: A Weave of Women

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Director: Hilla Medalia

WORLD PREMIERE

Director: Lilly Rivlin

United States, Israel, 2013, 84 min., English, Arabic, Hebrew, w/ Eng. subtitles

Screenwriters: Hilla Medalia, Philip Shane

United States, 2013, 62 min., English

Editor/Cinematographer: Jonathan Marx

CALIFORNIA

Thursday, August 8

CASTRO

RAFAEL

Editors: Philip Shane, Bob Eisenhardt

Friday, July 26

CALIFORNIA CINEARTS

Cinematographer: Daniel Kedem

3:45 pm

Friday, August 2

Tuesday, August 6

SATURday, August 10

6:55 pm 2:00 pm

12:00 pm

CO-SPONSORED BY CRAIG HARRISON’S EXPRESSIONS OF EXCELLENCE! TM AND RICHARD NAGLER AND SHEILA SOSNOW

World champion ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine has a dream: to see Jewish and Palestinian Israeli children dance together. A passionate man with humble beginnings in Jaffa, he returns 30 years later to attempt what seems to be an impossible feat: teaching grade-school children ballroom dance in a deeply divided society. This proves to be a far greater challenge than he had ever imagined. Focusing on Dulaine’s dedicated and tireless work, this inspiring documentary follows several children as they slowly overcome their fears: first, of dancing with a member of the opposite sex (a difficult proposition in any culture at the awkward age of 11), and later, of dancing with someone who comes from a very different background. But Dulaine perseveres with his belief in the power of dance to build self-esteem and social awareness. Director Hilla Medalia intimately captures Dulaine and the Jaffa children’s amazing journey as they are partnered with a Jewish or Palestinian boy or girl they had never met before from another school to compete in a dance contest.

Filled with warmth, courage and lighthearted humor, Dancing in Jaffa demonstrates the power of dance to transform both individuals and communities, offering hope that for a new generation Dulaine’s dream will become reality. —Alissa Chadburn

1:50 pm

Prolific writer, passionate activist, dedicated scholar and pioneering feminist, Esther Broner indelibly shaped modern Jewish history, and yet, most people have never heard of her. In the mid-1970s, as the women’s rights movement was vastly changing society’s views on gender and equality, Broner created a radical new Haggadah (the book of readings for a Passover seder service) for a new era, one that, while maintaining Jewish culture and rituals, shifted the focus onto women, transforming the traditional Passover service into a powerful reclamation of women’s lives and stories. What followed in 1975 was the first feminist women’s seder, which began as a small gathering to celebrate Passover with Broner as their leader and would blossom into a movement. One of the founding members of the seder, director/producer Lilly Rivlin (Grace Paley: Collected Shorts, SFJFF 2010) documents Broner’s rich and engaged political and spiritual life with archival photos, video footage from the seders themselves and interviews with Broner’s closest friends and original “seder mothers” such as Ms. magazine founder Gloria Steinem and congresswoman Bella Abzug. Woven together with Broner’s own moving words, this documentary is both an inspiring portrait of a feminist trailblazer and a testament to her legacy which has helped empower generations of Jewish women around the world.

—Alissa Chadburn

Director Lilly Rivlin in person

Official selection 2013 Tribeca Film Festival Producer Diane Nabotoff in person in San Francisco.

20

www.sfjff.org

First Cousin Once Removed

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE

Gideon’s Army

Director/Editor: Alan Berliner

United States, 2013, 96 min., English

Cinematographer: Ian Vollmer

United States, 2013, 78 min., English

Director: Dawn Porter Cinematographer: Chris Hilleke Editor: Matthew Hamachek

6:25 pm

CASTRO

Monday, July 29

CALIFORNIA

Saturday, August 3

12:00 pm

CINEARTS

Sunday, August 4

12:00pm

RAFAEL

Sunday, August 11

2:00 pm

SPONSORED BY GALE MONDRY AND BRUCE COHEN

Alan Berliner, this year’s Freedom of Expression Award recipient, is known for creating original, personal and highly inventive documentaries that utilize home movies, found footage and probing interviews. He has mined his family history, from his exotic and mysterious grandfather (Intimate Stranger, SFJFF 1992) to his pugnacious and endearing father (Nobody’s Business, SFJFF 2001). In this new film, the family subject is a bit more distant: his mother’s first cousin, Edwin Honig. Not only was he a mentor to the filmmaker but Honig was an accomplished poet, a literary critic, a noted translator who was knighted by the king of Spain and a professor at Brown University. For the past several years Honig has been living with Alzheimer’s, and Berliner has been chronicling his visits over many years to create a profound study of memory. Their conversations are filled with seemingly unwitting insights, compassion and a strong dose of humor yet the film doesn’t shy way from Honig’s failures, traumas and demons. Berliner’s playful, incisive and provocative style produce sublime moments, such as when he asks his cousin if there is anything he would like to tell the viewers, and Honig responds, “Remember how to forget . . . no more.” This master filmmaker’s latest gem is a must see. —Jay Rosenblatt

CASTRO

Friday, July 26

GRANDLAKE

Saturday, August 10

6:50 pm

3:55 pm

SPONSORED BY CARL AND GAY GRUNFELD

Gideon’s Army takes the first word of its title from Gideon vs.

Wainwright, the landmark US Supreme Court decision that gave every citizen the fundamental right to legal representation in a criminal case even if he or she cannot afford it. The “Army” in the title refers to the tenacious public defenders that have shouldered the burden for this representation for the past 50 years, handling 80 percent of the staggering 12 million criminal cases a year that are tried in the US. In this powerful and moving, award-winning documentary, lawyer turned filmmaker Dawn Porter follows Travis Williams, Brandy Alexander and June Hardwick, three young, idealistic public defenders in the Deep South as they struggle to represent their indigent clients while working in understaffed, underfunded offices. Clearly, the promise of the Gideon vs. Wainwright decision has not been fulfilled. These foot soldiers of justice toil long hours for low pay. They shoulder impossible caseloads of over 100 clients at one time, often at great personal sacrifice. Many of their clients have been improperly charged and have no option but to accept a plea bargain because they do not have the financial resources to adequately investigate charges. Porter shines a much deserved light on these unsung civil rights heroes of our time. —Janet Leban Official selection 2013 Sundance Film Festival Director Dawn Porter invited.

Grand Prize, IDFA, Amsterdam Director Alan Berliner will accept his Freedom of Expression award prior to the screening of the film in San Francisco.

415.621.0523

21

Hannah Arendt

Here One Day

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE

Director: Margarethe von Trotta

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Director: Kathy Leichter

Screenwriters: Margarethe von Trotta, Pamela Katz

Germany, 2012, 109 min., German, English, w/ Eng. subtitles

Editor: Pola Rapaport

Cinematographer: Caroline Champetier

United States, 2012, 76 min., English CASTRO

Thursday, August 1

Editor: Bettina Böhler Producers: Bettina Brokemper, Johannes Rexin Principal Cast: Barbara Sukowa, Axel Milberg, Janet McTeer

CASTRO

SUNDAY, JULY 28

2:05 PM

SPONSORED BY THE LASZLO N. TAUBER FAMILY FOUNDATION

German director Margarethe von Trotta beautifully turns invisible passion for thought into an immersive, taut drama. This urbane take on the life, career and loves of German Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt (1906– 1975) shines a light on one of the most celebrated independent thinkers of the 20th century. A refugee from Germany, Arendt surfaces in an Upper West Side apartment and in classrooms of the New School where she taught. Already a successful writer, New Yorker magazine sends her to Jerusalem in 1961 to witness and write about the trial of Adolph Eichmann, one of the architects of the Nazis’ genocidal “final solution.”

Transfixed and agitated, Arendt begins to formulate her now famous concept, “the banality of evil,” that opens up a flood of controversy that changed her life forever. Using black-and-white footage from the actual Eichmann trials and weaving a narrative that spans three countries, this stunning biopic features legendary German actress Barbara Sukowa, brilliant as Arendt, the philosopher who embodied self-assurance and the capacity for love, the implacability of thought and the deep need for friendship in equal measure. Among the leading characters are philosopher Martin Heidegger, New Yorker editor William Shawn, and author Mary McCarthy, a close friend and confidant (played by twice Oscar nominated Janet McTeer). —Janis Plotkin

CALIFORNIA CINEARTS

Cinematographer: Kirsten Johnson

Friday, August 2

1:30 pm

Wednesday, August 7

12:30 pm

12:00 pm

In 1995, Nina Williams Leichter, the brilliant wife of a New York state senator, committed suicide by jumping from the 11th floor of her apartment building.

Though she had struggled with manic depression, Williams had always been an energetic figure who tried to bring public attention to mental health issues. Her suicide shattered the lives of her family: her husband and two children, Josh and Kathy. Sixteen years later, Kathy Leichter, now a filmmaker, returns to stay in her parents’ apartment. Amid the collected letters, clothes and empty medication bottles, Leichter makes a discovery.

In a plastic case, she finds dozens of audio cassettes made by her mother, emotional often rambling messages attempting to understand the madness overwhelming her. Over time, Leichter begins to chronicle, then come to terms with the full depth of her mother’s mental anguish. Here One Day is a powerful personal statement, threading together the disparate strands of Williams’ sorrow, ultimately becoming a moving evocation of life itself.

–Thomas Logoreci

Director Kathy Leichter in person in San Francisco and Berkeley.

PRECEDED BY:

I Think This is the Closest to How the Footage Looked Israel, 2012, 9 min., Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Directors: Yuval Hameiri, Michal Vaknin

A grieving son attempts to overcome a lingering trauma. On the day of his mother’s death, Dad recorded Mom’s final moments with a Hi-8 camera.

But during the night, the son rewinds the tape which Dad accidentally erases the next morning. The filmmakers attempt to reproduce those lost moments. —Thomas Logoreci

22

www.sfjff.org

Honorable Ambassador

In the Shadow

UNITED STATES PREMIERE

Director: Jonathan Paz

Israel, 2012, 60 min., Hebrew, English, French, Cameroonian, w/ Eng. subtitles

Cinematographer: Rotem Yaron

JCCSF

Saturday, August 3

Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, 2012, 106 min., Czech, German w/ Eng. subtitles

Editors: Shimon Spector, Kathy Diakova

Screenwriters: Marek Epstein, David Ondˇricˇek, Misha Votruba Editor: Michal Lansky Cinematographer: Adam Sikora

CINEARTS

Wednesday, August 7

PIEDMONT

Monday, August 12

Principal Cast: Ivan Trojan, Sebastian Koch, Sona Norisova

12:20pm

2:00 pm 4:45 pm

CO-SPONSORED BY BILL FALIK AND DIANA COHEN

Mickey Arbel, Israel’s magnetic ambassador to Cameroon, has worked tirelessly to fulfill his mission to bring Israel’s leading drip irrigation system to the rural villages of the impoverished West African nation. But something is not right: The farmers are not adopting the new technology, despite the fact that it would greatly improve their crops and thus, their livelihoods.

The ambassador sets out himself to solve the mystery with surprising, unexpected and at times comical results. Equal parts travelogue, detective story and anthropological study, director Jonathan Paz’s humorous documentary follows Arbel on a journey of discovery that takes him from the lush jungles to the rugged desert terrain of Cameroon’s vast landscape.

—Alissa Chadburn PRECEDED BY:

Auschwitz on My Mind Israel, United Kingdom, Poland, 2012, 16 min., Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Director: David Ondˇricˇek

Director: Assaf Machnes

JCCSF

CALIFORNIA CINEARTS

Saturday, August 3

Sunday, August 4 Monday, August 5

4:10 pm 8:55 pm 8:10 pm

At the beginning of this stylish film noir, set in Prague in 1953, hardworking Czech police detective Hakl notices something fishy. His investigation of a run-of-the-mill jewelry store heist has suddenly been taken over by the state secret police. Now, the rival in charge is an East German who specializes in exposing Jews for criminally running aid to Israel. Hakl doesn’t buy it, and his persistence starts to turn up clues that set him on a collision course with his superiors and with an entire Sovietinfluenced security network, possibly imperiling his livelihood, his family and his life. In the Shadow—which was the official Czech entry to the 2013 Academy Awards—is primarily a gripping detective thriller. Its muted palette, moody score and rain-soaked Prague locations create a strong atmosphere of foreboding. But the context is unique, evoking a period in Cold War Europe when Stalinist advisors used show trials, intimidation and secret state terror for political gain. Detective Hakl’s dilemma—like that of all good film noir heroes—is what price he is willing to pay to buck a corrupt system intent on subverting the truth. —Peter L. Stein

While on a school trip to Poland to visit concentration camps, an Israeli teen has more than history on his mind. He wants to get laid. As sparks start to fly between two horny teens they find themselves torn between the tragic past and their obsession with sex in the most unlikely of places.

—Joshua Moore

415.621.0523

23

Inside Envelopes

Joe Papp in Five Acts

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

Director/Producer: Shelly Kling

Israel, 2013, 50 min., English, Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Cinematographers: Shelly Kling, Jonathan Ofek

CASTRO

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1

Editor: Itay Kohav

11:00 AM

SPONSORED BY THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF ISRAEL , PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION

Two dancer sisters and two musician brothers come together to create a performance piece called Envelopes. This probing documentary offers viewers a glimpse into their creative process, replete with fiery arguments and moments of wordless beauty. Shelly King, a former dancer, has made a stirring, intimate portrait of acclaimed choreographer Keren Levi, a former member of the Kibbutz Dance Company and Batsheva and longtime resident of the Netherlands. Inside Envelopes leaves you wanting more, just like the artists it celebrates. —Hagar Scher Director Shelly Kling in person.

PRECEDED BY:

Let’s Dance!

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE

Directors: Karen Thorsen, Tracie Holder

United States, 2012, 84 min., English

Cinematographer: Toshiaki Ozawa

CASTRO

SATURDAY, JULY 27

CALIFORNIA CINEARTS

Editors: Brad Fuller, Deborah Peretz, Sam Pollard Co-Producers: WNET, American Masters, and ITVS. 2:35 PM

Saturday, August 3 Wednesday, August 7

1:55 pm 6:00 pm

SPONSORED BY HANNAH KRANZBERG IN LOVING MEMORY OF ESTHER K ARTIGANER, SPIRITED THEATER ENTHUSIAST; THE ‘CONSCIENCE OF 60 MINUTES’, SHE WAS A SENIOR PRODUCER, BROKE NEW GROUND AND WON MULTIPLE EMMYS.

Born Yosel Papirovski in Brooklyn to immigrant parents in the 1930s, Joe Papp grew to become not only the creator of an entirely new nonprofit American theater, but also the most powerful producer on Broadway.

From 1954 until his death in 1991, Joe Papp brought more theater to more people than any other producer in history. In this moving in-depth portrait, Papp launches the Public Theater with a passion to present Shakespeare for free to the people of New York City and goes on to redefine a specifically American theater of the 20th century. He introduced interracial casting, nurtured countercultural plays such as Hair and transformed commercial theater with the Broadway smash hit A Chorus Line. A proud member of the Communist Party, vigorous defender of the underdog and civic activist, Papp was an advocate for culture that was meaningful and enriched peoples lives. A complicated and at times isolated man, Papp was a father figure to a generation of theater artists whom he nurtured and who speak here eloquently in interviews including James Earl Jones, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Martin Sheen, Dave Rabe, Ntozake Shange, David Hare and many others. This film is a must see for anyone who loves the theater. —Aaron Davidman Director Tracie Holder in person in San Francisco.

Subject Martin Sheen invited.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE

Director: Gabriel Bibliowicz

Israel, 2012, 52 min., Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Editor: Gal Muggia

Screenwriter: Efrat Amit Cinematographer: Ofer Dori

This vibrant documentary tells the fascinating story of Israel’s innovative dance history, bringing its world-renowned dance talent to center stage.

Through insightful interviews with leading choreographers, Let’s Dance! traces Israeli dance back to its roots—from the hora circles of the kibbutz fields to the influences of Martha Graham and the avant-garde—and explores how dance has become a vital form of expression in Israel today. Packed with archival footage, unforgettable performances and an infectious soundtrack, Let’s Dance! will make you want to get up and . . . dance! —Alissa Chadburn

24

www.sfjff.org

Kenny Hotz’s Triumph of the Will

UNITED STATES PREMIERE

Directors: Kenny Hotz, Sebastian Cluer

Canada, 2011, 90 min., English

Cinematographer: Matt Marek

The Lab

Editor: Marco Porsia Screenwriter/Principal Cast: Kenny Hotz

JCCSF

Saturday, August 3

8:45pm

The irreverent and hilarious Kenny Hotz (former South Park writer and creator and star of the hit television series Kenny vs. Spenny and cult hit Testees) has a bold new creation: Kenny Hotz’s Triumph of the Will.

Yes, make no mistake, that is the correct title. Winner of the Best Comedy Series in Canada, Triumph of the Will is a hysterically audacious showcase where Hotz aspires to be a better person and quite possibly make the world a little better too. Always provocative and unpredictable, a tad crude, but never without heart, Hotz stops at nothing to succeed in a series of Herculean tasks. In one episode, Hotz tries to land his 75-yearold widowed mother a boyfriend and for safe measure, introduces her to the world of vibrators. In another he throws out an olive branch by organizing Jews to help build a mosque for Muslims. In yet another installment, after vowing never to return to Paris, Hotz attempts to finally reconcile with the French. Can he succeed? Will he ever really become a mensch? Find out and hear it first hand from the man himself as Kenny Hotz presents his new series at this year’s festival in a comedy event not to be missed! —Joshua Moore Director/actor Kenny Hotz in person.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: Yotam Feldman

Israel, France, Belgium, 2013, 58 min., Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Cinematographer: Philippe Bellaiche

CASTRO

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31

CALIFORNIA CINEARTS

Editors: Ron Goldman, Tal Shefi

11:10 AM

Monday, August 5 Tuesday, August 6

6:30 pm 4:00 pm

SPONSORED BY DAN WOHLFEILER IN HONOR OF STEPHEN TERET

How does a small country like Israel become the world’s third largest weapons manufacturer and exporter? And how does the never-ending fighting in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank help Israel invent, develop and test its military products and innovations before selling them to the highest bidder? The answers to these questions, and many others, are presented in this chilling investigative documentary. Director Yotam Feldman sets on a surreal journey into the unbelievable world of arms dealing and security exporting. With a wry sense of humor and unprecedented access to some of Israel’s biggest arms dealers, all of them retired army generals, he depicts a troubling reality in which the weapons deployed today on the battlefield (like the gun designed to shoot around corners as used by Angelina Jolie in Salt) will be tomorrow’s best-selling products. The film raises important moral issues, and describes with remarkable skill, the system that turns wars into profit and conflicts into billions of dollars. — Noam Eshel PRECEDED BY:

Rainbow Israel, 2012, 30 min., Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Director: Eliran Elya

A young Israeli officer positions his squadron in an inhabited Palestinian house in Gaza. Tension rises as he has to deal simultaneously with the needs of the Palestinian family and a rebellious military photographer.

Rainbow, Eliran Elya’s impressive debut film, is based on his military service in the Givati Brigade. — Noam Eshel

415.621.0523

25

The Last Sentence

The Last White Knight

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE

Director: Jan Troell

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Director/Cinematogapher/Writer: Paul Saltzman

Screenwriters: Jan Troell, Klaus Rifbjerg

Editor: David Ransley

Sweden, 2012, 124 min., Swedish w/ Eng. subtitles

Editors: Jan Troell, Ulrika Rang

Canada, United States, 2012, 78 min., English CASTRO

Wednesday, July 31

Cinematographer: Mischa Gavrjusjov Principal Cast: Jesper Christensen, Pernilla August, Björn Granath

CASTRO CINEARTS

Monday, July 29

Tuesday, August 6

3:25 pm

Sweden’s western neighbors Norway and Denmark were invaded by the Nazis in 1940, while its eastern neighbor Finland was attacked by the Soviet Union. Fearing for the survival of Sweden as an independent nation, the country’s elites chose a policy of silence and compliance during World War II. Few Swedes dared to speak up against the evil around them. Among those who did, nobody was as loud and as uncompromising as Swedish anti-Nazi journalist Torgny Segerstedt. In the eyes of many of his countrymen, his pen was far more dangerous to Sweden than the Nazi sword. Amidst the political turmoil of the times, Segerstedt’s own personal life became chaotic and dramatic.

In mesmerizing dream landscapes, he reconnects with the dead women in his life, including his Jewish mistress. The film’s narrative is as spellbinding as its message is clear: Man has a moral duty to speak out against evil, an obligation that transcends time and geography.

Beautifully filmed in black-and-white, The Last Sentence by renowned Swedish director Jan Troell, (whose epic films The Emigrants and The New Land made him an international figure in the 1970s) is guaranteed to stay with audience members long after they have left the movie theater. —Patrik Nylund

26

Friday, August 2

CINEARTS

Saturday, August 3

RAFAEL

Sunday, August 11

1:10 pm

4:45 pm

12:00 pm 12:00 pm

8:00 pm

GENEROUS SUPPORT FOR THIS PROGRAM PROVIDED BY THE BARBRO OSHER PRO SUECIA FOUNDATION

Director Jan Troell in person in San Francisco.

CALIFORNIA

On a spring day in 1965, civil rights activist Paul Saltzman was headed into a courthouse in Greenwood, Mississippi, a Southern heart of darkness notorious for its segregationist policies. Suddenly surrounded by four white supremacists, Saltzman was punched in the head, but he managed to make his escape. After pressing charges, Saltzman learned just how lucky he had been. The 18-year-old delinquent who had assaulted him was none other than Ku Klux Klansman Delay de la Beckwith, the son of Byron, the man convicted of putting a bullet in the back of NAACP leader Medgar Evers. Now, 43 years later, Salztman returns to the same courthouse steps to meet de la Beckwith face to face. The unrepentantly racist Klansman sits down for a remarkable conversation that is often chilling, yet bracing in its honesty about the state of race relations in the United States. Mississippi transplant Morgan Freeman and singer/activist Harry Belafonte comment on that ugly time, not so long ago.

—Thomas Logoreci

Director Paul Saltzman in person in San Francisco, Berkeley and Palo Alto.

PRECEDED BY:

The Basketball Game Canada, 2012, 5 min., English

Director: Hart Snider

In wonderfully vivid animation, director Hart Snider revisits his first time at Jewish summer camp where a cultural mixer with a group of Gentiles raised with anti-Semitic attitudes turns into a basketball game of epic proportions. A poignant tale of tolerance mixed with humor in the face of stereotypes. —Joshua Moore

www.sfjff.org

The Lesson

Lies in the Closet

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director/Writer: Anat Yuta Zuria

Israel, 2012, 90 min., Hebrew, Arabic w/ Eng. subtitles

Cinematographers: Dror Lebendiger, Ido Soskolne

Israel, 2012, 60 min., Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

CALIFORNIA

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7

CASTRO

Director/Cinematogapher: Shirly Berkovitz

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Editors: Lev Golster, Miki Barlev

2:05 PM

CALIFORNIA

How do you do justice to a story that is infinitely complicated? One approach is to make a documentary that reveals as much as it leaves hidden. Layla, a regal Egyptian-born Muslim who immigrated to Israel in 1968 with her ex-husband, now lives in Jerusalem, cut off from her siblings across the border and from her children, who have integrated into Israeli life and turned their back on their mother. Layla has lost so much, and now harbors a simple yet seemingly unattainable dream for herself: To obtain a driver’s license. After 200 driving lessons, she finally meets Mr. Nimar, a soft-spoken driving instructor who vows to help her overcome her fears and attain this small symbol of independence.

Filmmaker Anat Yuta Zuria (Purity, SFJFF 2003) unveils Layla’s dramatic life story piecemeal by documenting her conversations with Nimar, who takes an active interest in the circumstances of his student’s life. She also captures intimate scenes of Layla’s interactions with her daughter, a free spirit who struggles to support her mother’s growing religious identity while also falling in love with a Jewish musician. This original documentary serves as a stirring reminder that in the Middle East, nothing is simple, and heartbreak is everywhere. —Hagar Scher

Editor: Daniel Sivan

Sunday, July 28

Saturday, August 3

9:50 pm

9:15 pm

SPONSORED BY KESHET AND A WIDER BRIDGE

Twenty two-year old Or, the son of a conservative Israeli family, has a secret. He tells his parents that he got accepted into Oxford and asks them to write a check for his expenses abroad. Little do they realize that he is lying and actually plans to go to Thailand to use the money for gender reassignment surgery. While conducting his deceitful activities, Or enlists filmmaker Shirly Berkovitz to document his painful journey from man to woman as well as his attempt to reconcile with his family after the fact. Lies in the Closet, like Or’s path, is definitely unusual, yet it captures the audience’s attention and empathy. As Or says, justifying his shameful actions that would pave the way to his personal redemption, “Friends and family who know me as what I’m not, don’t truly know me.

How can I call them family, Mom and Dad, if they don’t really know me?”

—Donny Inbar PRECEDED BY:

Summer Vacation Israel, 2012, 22 min., Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Directors: Michelle Posse, Tal Granit

Sun, beach, bungalows and a dreamy island retreat add up to the perfect family vacation. But innocent childish games in the sand and an accidental savior turn this getaway into a series of revelations of family secrets and an unexpected love triangle. Starring Yiftach Klein (Fill the Void). —Donny Inbar Official selection 2013 Sundance Film Festival

415.621.0523

27

Life According to Sam

My Awkward Sexual Adventure

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Directors: Andrea Nix Fine, Sean Fine

United States, 2013, 93 min., English

Editor: Jeff Consiglio

Screenwriter: Jonas Chernick

Cinematographer: Sean Fine

Editor: John Gurdebeke

Canada, 2012, 103 min., English

Director: Sean Garrity

Cinematographer: Gavin Smith CASTRO

CALIFORNIA CINEARTS RAFAEL

Saturday, July 27

Friday, August 2

Saturday, August 3 Sunday, August 11

2:40 pm

2:15 pm 3:55pm

SPONSORED BY DENIS BOUVIER

The clock is ticking for all of us, but it is ticking faster for Sam Berns.

Sam has progeria, an extremely rare age-accelerating disease. When we first meet Sam, he is 13 years old but looks 70. He is a precocious middle school student interested in music and sports, though his ability to participate is limited by his fragile body. Fortunately, Sam’s parents are both doctors. His mom, Dr. Leslie Gordon, is a genetic researcher and is on a crusade to get approval of a drug that will extend Sam’s life as well as those of other children with the disease beyond the average life expectancy of 13–14 years. It is a race against time for Gordon to get her drug trial results published in a reputable medical journal. Sam talks about his mortality but does so with a lack of anger or self pity. Yet like any teenager he has goals for himself, the most pressing of which is to play drums in his high school marching band. Academy Award–winning directors Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine have created an emotionally uplifting chronicle of determination and optimism in the face of terrible odds with Sam being one of the most inspirational documentary subjects in recent memory. —Jay Rosenblatt Official selection 2013 Sundance Film Festival Subject Dr. Scott Berns in person in San Francisco

28

Principal Cast: Jonas Chernick, Emily Hampshire, Sarah Manninen

12:00 pm

CASTRO

Saturday, July 27

GRANDLAKE

Saturday, August 10

9:50 pm 8:45 pm

The raunchy yet surprisingly sweet romantic comedy My Awkward Sexual Adventure is one part Judd Apatow and two parts Farrelly Brothers, with a dash of Woody Allen thrown in for good measure.

Jordan, a nerdy Winnipeg accountant (writer/actor Jonas Chernick), is so unimaginative in bed that his exasperated girlfriend has begun to nod off during sex. When the desperately codependent Jordan proposes marriage to his frustrated partner she breaks up with him and cancels their carefully planned vacation to Niagara Falls. Jordan decides to get away and goes to Toronto, and after a drunken night on the town wakes up on the couch of a wise and charming stripper, Julia (the lovely Emily Hampshire). Julia, as hopeless at finance as Jordan is in the sack, strikes a bargain where she agrees to be the accountant’s sexual Yoda in exchange for getting her books in order. Sensual massage, bondage and cross-dressing ensue, leading to a hilarious, unexpected reunion between Jordan and his childhood rabbi. As Jordan’s ex connives to take him back, Julia finds herself falling for the bumbling accountant immediately after he demonstrates his new-found sexual prowess on a hollowed out cantaloupe. Definitely not for the easily embarrassed, this smart and sexy indie comedy was an audience favorite at the Toronto Film Festival. —Thomas Logoreci Note: Adult Content

www.sfjff.org

My Father and the Man in Black

Canada, 2013, 90 min., English

Neil Diamond: Solitary Man

Director/Writer: Jonathan Holiff

United Kingdom, 2010, 60 min., English

Cinematographer: Rene Ohashi

CALIFORNIA CINEARTS

Tuesday, August 6 THURSDAY, AUGUST 8

Director: Samantha Peters

UNITED STATES PREMIERE

Editors: Rob Ruzic, Nick Harauz

4:00 pm

CASTRO

1:40 PM

CINEARTS

Tuesday, July 30

CALIFORNIA

In My Father and the Man in Black director Jonathan Holiff goes searching for meaning after his father Saul’s suicide left him with unanswered questions and a newly discovered stash of diary notes and audio recordings. A businessman and music lover, Saul Holiff was the longtime manager of Johnny Cash, partnering with the music legend from 1960 to 1973, a prolific period in the artist’s career that included the famed live recordings at Folsom and San Quentin prisons, before dissolving the relationship with bitter resentment. Utilizing an impressive array of found footage, recreations, letters and audio-taped journals from his late father, Holiff reconstructs his own forgotten childhood memories while making sense of some little-known behind-the-scenes stories during Cash’s career and the toll it took on his own family. Exposing flawed characters on both sides, Holiff’s poignant examination of the fruitful, yet tumultuous relationship between Johnny and Saul not only sheds light on the life of the man behind the man, but also exorcises relationship issues between an austere father who could not escape from the shadow of the star, and a son who could never measure up to the challenges of adulthood.

—Julia Barbosa

Monday, August 5 Tuesday, August 6

2:20 pm (free)

2:30 pm (free)

2:20 pm (free)

FREE MATINEES ARE GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY THE BERNARD OSHER JEWISH PHILANTHROPIES FOUNDATION

He’s sold 130 million albums. He’s written tons of top ten smashes including several number one hits covered by other artists (“I’m a Believer” for the Monkees and “Red Red Wine” by UB40). He’s a charismatic live performer who has filled countless stadiums, nightclubs and casinos, becoming the most profitable touring act in the 1990s. He’s adored by his dedicated fans, most especially the ladies, who are still drawn to his unique blend of soul and sensitivity. He’s Neil Diamond, the focus of British director Samantha Powers’ doc about the reticent son of a Brooklyn dry goods salesman who transformed himself into the legendary “Jewish Elvis.” His crucial years of personal crisis produced some of his most introspective work, culminating in the 1972 career defining concerts at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Chock full of concert footage, television appearances, screen tests and home demos, this affectionate portrait proves that Neil Diamond is much more than the man who penned “Sweet Caroline.” —Thomas Logoreci PRECEDED BY:

Paddle-Ball Israel, 2012, 6 min., Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Director: Avi Belkin

Walk on any Israeli beach and you’re sure to find at least a dozen people playing paddleball. The game has swept the nation, and beaches will never be the same! This delightful short comes from the International Documentary Challenge, a filmmaking competition where filmmakers have only five days to make a short. —Joshua Moore

415.621.0523

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Out in the Dark

Israel, United States, 2012, 96 min., Hebrew, Arabic w/ Eng. subtitles

CASTRO

CALIFORNIA CINEARTS

Poor Consuelo Conquers the World

Director: Michael Mayer

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director: Peter Friedman Cinematographer: Jerry Risius

Cinematographer: Ran Aviad

United States, 2011, 90 min., English, Spanish w/Eng. subtitles

Principal Cast: Nicholas Jacob, Michael Aloni, Jameel Khouri

GRANDLAKE

Friday, August 9

Screenwriters: Michael Mayer, Yael Shafrir Editor: Maria Gonzales

Monday, July 29

9:00 pm

Friday, August 2

8:55 pm

Thursday, August 8

6:35 pm

SPONSORED BY FREDERICK HERTZ

When sweet and handsome grad student Nimr sneaks away from his Palestinian family one night to dance with friends in a Tel Aviv gay nightclub, he knows he is courting danger on both sides of the separation barrier. His sexuality must be kept hidden at home, while his nationality makes him illegal in Israel. The stakes get perilously higher when he meets Roy, a charming Tel Aviv lawyer, and they begin a secret, ardent cross-border affair. First-time feature director Michael Mayer sets his taut drama of dangerous love against a backdrop of increasingly hostile relations between Israelis and Palestinians, but the politics never upstage the heartfelt human story of two likeable young men trying to forge a connection against all odds. Living inside the bubble of gay-friendly Tel Aviv, Roy is blithely confident he can “fix everything” with a few phone calls to a human rights attorney. But the machinery of legal protections may not move quickly enough to shield Nimr from the suspicions of his militant brother or from the pressures of the tenacious Israeli security police. As the tension mounts, both men must confront what they are willing to sacrifice to overcome their differences. In politics as well as in love, it is the burning, unresolved question.

Editor: Catherine Mabilat

2:40 pm

All over the world, millions of viewers are devotees of their favorite soap opera or telenovela. Millions watched All My Children in college and dressed up for the weddings. Millions more sat with grandma to have coffee and crullers while watching Days of Our Lives. In the 1960s, Mexican telenovela director Miguel Sabido concluded that this kind of content would be a perfect way to bring about social change. Way before the Internet, he was convinced that the masses could solve major global issues. He claims that his first soap series, about an elderly man wanting to finish elementary school by any means necessary, encouraged half a million adults to complete a government education project. Other popular series followed, and in Poor Consuelo Conquers the World, Sabido and other experts speak about the factors that contributed to these radical interventions. Sabido refined his formula until it became a scientific methodology that spread globally and resulted in a new field called entertainment-education. So while Sabido was busy directing a media entertainment empire, he was also creating a dynamic new model for socially sustainable development. Like Sabido’s work, director Peter Friedman’s Poor Consuelo Conquers the World is a wildly entertaining documentary that also provides a new blueprint for real social change.

—Peter L. Stein

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www.sfjff.org

The Producers

United States, 2005, 134 min., English

Rafea Solar Mama

Director: Susan Stroman

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Directors: Jehane Noujaim, Mona Eldaief

Screenwriter: Mel Brooks, Thomas Meehan

Denmark, Egypt,United States, 2012, 75 min., Arabic w/ Eng. subtitles

Editors: Jenny Golden, Jean Tsien, Esteban Uyarra

CASTRO

Friday, July 26

Editor: Steven Weisberg Cinematographers: John Bailey, Charles Minsky Principal Cast: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman GRANDLAKE

Sunday, August 11

11:30 am

All the singing, dancing, glitz and glamour of the Broadway musical with all the slapstick and one-liners from the comedies of yesteryear are effortlessly infused into The Producers (featured in this year’s Broadway musicals: A Jewish Legacy) . Five-time Tony-winning choreographer Susan Stroman gets behind the camera and transforms an already outrageously written comedy into something just as hilarious and memorable as Mel Brooks’s source material. Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) is a Broadway producer with a reputation for consistently churning out flops. Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick) is a nebbish accountant hired to go over Max’s books. Soon after these two meet Leo plants the idea of embezzlement in Max’s head. Before they know it, their get-rich-quick scheme is hatched. All they have to do is put together the granddaddy of all flops and they’ll be rolling in dough. However, making a disaster isn’t as easy as it seems. Whether you’re drawn to the resiliency of friendship, the devastating caricatures of Nazis or the thrill of watching a star-studded supporting cast (Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell in two of their most overlooked and funniest roles) one thing’s for sure: You will leave the theater having had your daily dose of hearty laughs. Now if you can only stop whistling “Springtime for Hitler.” —Adam Cuttler

415.621.0523

CALIFORNIA

Cinematographer: Mona Eldaief

12:00 pm

Monday, August 5

2:30 pm

SPONSORED BY THE ALL VOICES WELCOME FUND

Can an illiterate grandmother from Jordan become a solar engineer?

Rafea says, “Yes!” She is a Bedouin woman who lives with her four daughters in one of Jordan’s poorest desert villages on the Iraqi border.

Rafea is given a chance to travel to India to attend the Barefoot College, a unique program where illiterate grandmothers from around the world are trained in six months to be solar engineers. If Rafea succeeds, she will be able to electrify her village, train more engineers and provide for her daughters. Rafea gains skills and self-confidence, but her optimism and tenacity are not enough. Two months into the program, her husband threatens to divorce her and take her children away if she doesn’t return home immediately. Seeing no real choice in the matter, Rafea goes back to her village to try to convince her husband and other family members that her successes will benefit the entire community. Her real challenges have only just begun. Will she find support for her new venture? Will she be able to inspire the other women in the village to join her and change their lives? And most importantly, will she be able to rewire the traditional minds of the Bedouin community that stand in her way?

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Sleeping with the Fishes

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Director/Screenwriter: Nicole Gomez Fisher

United States, 2012, 94 min., English

Editor: Carlos Berrios Cinematographer: Raoul Germain Principal Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Steven Strait, Ana Ortiz

GRANDLAKE

Saturday, August 10

6:05 pm

Alexis Fish’s life is a mess: Her cheating husband has died and left her penniless, her once successful party planning business is no more and her job dressing up as cartoon characters for a burger joint isn’t paying the bills. Bitter and depressed, the only things keeping her going are her anti-anxiety pills, self-help books and a dartboard with her ex-husband’s photo. When an aunt in New York dies, Alexis grudgingly returns home for the funeral and has to face her highly critical, ever-disapproving mother and her well-intentioned but overzealous big sister. With her father’s encouragement, Alexis reluctantly takes on a party planning gig for the bat mitzvah of a family friend’s daughter and stays in New York a little longer. Along the way, Alexis (Gina Rodriguez, Sundance 2012 breakout star of Filly Brown) learns that in order to put her life back on track, she must first make peace with her past, and, most of all, her tough-loving mother. A heartwarming tale of a young woman’s trials and tribulations with family and love as she tries to find her way in the world, writer/ director Nicole Gomez Fisher’s delightful debut brings this quirky story of a dysfunctional yet loving Latino Jewish family to uproarious life.

—Alissa Chadburn

Director Nicole Gomez Fisher and producer Courtney Andrialis in person.

Soldier on the Roof

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Director/Writer/Cinematographer: Esther Hertog

Israel, Netherlands, 2012, 80 min., English, Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Editor: Danniel Danniel

CASTRO

Thursday, August 1

CALIFORNIA CINEARTS

Saturday, August 3 Sunday, August 4

3:50 pm 4:00 pm

4:00 pm

CO-SPONSORED BY RON ABILEAH AND MARLENE WINOGRAD

Who wants to live where they aren’t wanted? Where one’s personal safety can only be guaranteed by the presence of a military battalion and a series of checkpoints at which fellow residents are constantly subjected to spot searches? Those are some of the questions viewers are asked to contemplate as they watch Soldier on the Roof, a compelling documentary set among the several hundred Jewish settlers in Hebron on the West Bank. At the site of Abraham’s tomb, the tension encapsulates the larger struggle between Muslims and Jews for land sacred to both faiths. Filmmaker Esther Hertog spent three years living with the settlers, and her film provides us with a sense of the militant faith that fueled their efforts to create their own community amid Hebron’s 120,000 Palestinian residents. We see the settlers in their homes, at play and at prayer. We also see them as they direct their hatred toward their Arab neighbors, derision toward peace organizations and adoration to the young soldiers who protect them 24 hours a day. Soldier on the Roof doesn’t point the viewer toward any potential path of peace and reconciliation. Instead it serves as a poignant reminder of the long, hard road that faces both Israelis and Palestinians committed to peaceful coexistence. —Mark Valentine Best Documentary, First Appearances, 2012 IDFA, Amsterdam Director Esther Hertog in person.

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www.sfjff.org

The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich

Director/Screenwriter: Antonin Svoboda

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

Cinematographer: Martin Gschlacht

CASTRO

Tuesday, July 30

Principal Cast: Klaus Maria Brandauer, Julia Jentsch, Jeanette Hain

Monday, August 5

CINEARTS

Thursday, August 8

RAFAEL

Sunday, August 11

Director/Editor/Cinematographer: Jason Hutt

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

Editor: Oliver Neumann

Austria, 2012, 111 min.

English

CALIFORNIA

Sukkah City

United States, 2013, 82 min..

English CASTRO

CALIFORNIA

8:35 pm

CINEARTS

8:45 pm 6:00 pm

Austrian filmmaker Antonin Svoboda spent several years in research producing a documentary on the controversial Jewish psychoanalyst and experimental scientist Wilhelm Reich. The director was so fascinated by Reich that he began writing a fictional biopic while still in the process of finishing his doc. Svoboda brilliantly cast legendary actor Klaus Maria Brandauer (Mephisto, Out of Africa) whose commanding presence makes him the perfect choice to play the embattled Reich. The filmmaker focuses most of the story on Reich’s later years, an incredibly dramatic time when the doctor faced criminal charges which ultimately led to his mysterious death in a Pennsylvania prison in 1957. A victim of Cold War paranoia, Reich suffered intense persecution for his seemingly radical theories which posited that sexual repression could lead to spiritual, even physical harm. Reich unwisely chose to defend himself in court while government agents burned his books and writings. Svoboda’s film has a tense, cumulative power perfectly matched by Brandauer’s understated performance. Even a nearly silent scene (Reich attempting to get a misdiagnosed schizophrenic to merely breathe) is enormously moving.

The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich vividly brings to life the work of the doomed Reich, a visionary who could never have imagined the power his ideas would continue to have on generations to come. —Thomas Logoreci

Tuesday, July 30

4:00 pm

12:05 PM

SUNDAY, AUGUST 4

11:45 AM

Monday, August 5

4:10 pm

SPONSORED BY RAYMOND LIFCHEZ

Consider the humble sukkah. Intended to be used for only a few days as a symbolic shelter from the elements while observing the harvest holiday of Sukkot, sukkahs are by their nature designed to be built and disassembled quickly. As a consequence, little thought is given to aesthetics. New York–based journalist Joshua Foer and his colleague Roger Bennett sought to radically shift the perception of what constitutes a sukkah by staging an international architectural competition. Their goal? To stun the sensibilities of their fellow New Yorkers by erecting a temporary sukkah city in New York’s Union Square. Sukkah City chronicles the process under which the entrants were judged and the drama that ensued as the winning design teams shifted from concept to construction. Featuring luminaries such as Michael Arad, designer of the World Trade Center Memorial; Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for the New Yorker; celebrated author and artist Maira Kalman; and the venerable Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Sukkah City invites you to walk with the 200,000 people who wandered through Union Square one weekend in September 2010 to marvel at sukkahs made from a dizzying array of materials including cardboard signs, wire, twine, tree trunks, reeds and glass. Once you watch Sukkah City you’ll never look at a sukkah the same way again. —Mark Valentine Director Jason Hutt invited.

Subjects Ron Rael and Virginia San Fratello in person in Berkeley.

415.621.0523

33

The Trials of Muhammad Ali

We Are Not Alone

CALIFORNIA PREMIERE

Director: Bill Siegel

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Director/Screenwriter: Lior Har-Lev

United States, 2013, 92 min., English

Editor: Aaron Wickenden

Israel, 2011, 90 min Hebrew w/ Eng. subtitles

Screenwriter: Izhar Har-Lev

CASTRO

Sunday, July 28

PARKWAY

Friday, August 2

Sunday, August 11

Cinematographer: Andy Black

Editor: Michal Cohen Cinematographer: Shai Goldman

RAFAEL GRANDLAKE

7:15 pm

Saturday, August 10

Principal Cast: Ohad Knoler, Efrat Ben Yaakov

7:00 pm

6:00 pm

JCCSF

4:35 pm

GRANDLAKE

Friday, August 9

9:35 pm

RAFAEL

Sunday, August 11

8:15 pm

CO-SPONSORED BY FERN TIGER AND MICHAEL PYATOK

No, Muhammad Ali is not Jewish. But, certain films when placed in a Jewish context inspire truly Jewish conversation. In the early 1960s, Ali threw off what he called his “slave name,” Cassius Clay, joined the ranks of the Nation of Islam and refused to serve in the Vietnam War. His transformation into conscientious objector is legendary. The “poet became pariah” and his religious awakening led to a battle with the US government that culminates at the Supreme Court after the superstar risks going to jail rather “drop bombs and bullets on brown people”.

Bill Siegel’s documentary, a favorite at Tribeca, tackles some of the greatest themes of our time: power, race, faith, identity and freedom from the legacy of slavery. The Trials of Muhammad Ali is not a boxing documentary, but rather a fresh perspective on a volatile time in our nation’s history. We are guided through rare archival footage of Ali’s journey featuring Malcolm X, Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis. The film features compelling current interviews with those who were there, including Ali’s family members, Robert Lipsyte, one of the first journalists to recognize Clay’s new name, and the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan. Like its articulate subject, Siegel’s doc “floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.” —Lexi Leban

Sunday, August 4

8:55 pm

The world is ending in one week. At least, it is for Eddy (Ohad Knoller, Yossi and Jagger), the endearing, socially awkward shopping mall security guard. He firmly believes that the apocalypse is imminent and he’s the only one with the key to survival. As he prepares for the end of humanity he floats through a hazy reality of compartmentalized relationships in the belly of the mall, never really connecting, and never really being seen. Eddy exists just outside of normal, desperately believing that he’s destined for a life greater than this. That is, until he responds to a security call and meets the troubled Maya, a rebellious young woman with a questionable past. Eddie finds himself fascinated by her unpredictability and flair for the dramatic, even though she behaves as if she could care less about life or about him. Maya becomes drawn to his simple sweetness and the two discover that they each may just have what the other is searching for. Eddy must choose between his dream of living another life or taking a chance on someone in this one. What would you do if the world was ending in a week, and the most fascinating person to ever come into your life does so at that moment? —Rachel Aloy

Official selection 2013 Tribeca Film Festival Director Bill Siegel in person in San Francisco.

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www.sfjff.org

Within the Eye of the Storm

Co-Presenters Each year SFJFF invites community organizations to help spread the word about the Festival and films of interest to a wide range of audiences. We thank them for their invaluable support.

2013 co-presenters

A Wider Bridge

JCCSF Adult Program

Anti-Defamation League, Central Pacific Region

Jewish Community Library

Arts and Ideas at the JCCSF

Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay

Israel, 2012, 68 min Hebrew, Arabic w/ Eng. subtitles

Director/Cinematographer: Shelley Hermon

Be’Chol Lashon

Jewish Federation of the East Bay

Editor: Kobi Netanel

Bend the Arc

Jewish Music Festival

CASTRO

Friday, July 26

Brooklyn Film and Theater Co. Building Jewish Bridges

Jewish Partisan Education Foundation

California Film Society

Jimena

Cartoon Art Museum

Keshet

Center for Asian America Media, CAAM

KlezCalifornia

Congregation Kol Emeth, Palo Alto

Marin Hadassah

Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills

Moishe House

CALIFORNIA

Monday, August 5

1:45 pm 4:20 pm

CO-SPONSORED BY DEBORAH BLANK AND MICHAEL EHRENZWEIG

Bassam, a Palestinian, served seven years in an Israeli prison. Rami, an Israeli and son of a Holocaust survivor, fought in three wars. But the former steadfast fighters share a tragic common bond: Both of their daughters were killed in acts of senseless violence at the hands of their enemies. Within the Eye of the Storm follows the daily lives and personal struggles of these two unlikely activists, who in the wake of unspeakable loss seek to break the cycle of retribution by engaging in meaningful dialogue. With quiet grace, director Shelley Hermon documents Bassam and Rami’s deep friendship, their complicated relationships to their homelands and their thought-provoking conversations. A powerful example of forgiveness and empathy in the face of decades of division and conflict, this moving documentary allows its subjects to share their distinct yet parallel stories, revealing the profound truth they have learned: that it is possible to forge a path to peace by opening hearts and minds, one conversation at a time.

Congregation Beth Israel Judea, San Francisco Congregation Beth Sholom, San Francisco

Diablo Valley Hadassah East Bay International Jewish Film Festival Fair Trade Judaica Film Noir Foundation Frameline Goethe-Institut, San Francisco Hazon Idelsohn Society InterfaithFamily.com

Pacific Arabic Resources

San Francisco Cinematheque

Contemporary Jewish Museum

Just a child when her family was forced to flee to Israel, 20-year-old Mariam (mesmerizingly portrayed by writer/director Pascale Abou Jamra) returns to her native land and struggles to make sense of her contested identity in this haunting and meditative film, beautifully shot on location in southern Lebanon. –Alissa Chadburn

Oakland Underground Film Festival

Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, San Francisco

PRECEDED BY:

Director: Pascale Abou Jamra

New Israel Fund

Peninsula Beth El, San Mateo

—Alissa Chadburn

Lebanon, 2012, 20 min.

Arabic, French, Hebrew, w/ Eng. subtitles

Mechanics Institute

Congregation Kol Shofar, Tiburon

Congregation Sherith Israel, San Francisco

Behind Me Olive Trees

Lehrhaus Judaica

Reboot San Francisco Documentary Film Festival San Francisco Film Society San Francisco Hadassah San Francisco Public Defender Shalom Bayit Temple Isaiah of Lafayette Temple Sinai of Oakland The Israel Center The Kritzer/Ross Émigré Program of the JCCSF The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences

J Street

The Young Adult Experience of Congregation Emanau-El

JCC East Bay

Underground Film festival

JCC Maccabi Experiences San Francisco

Urban Adamah Women’s Film Festival

JCC San Francisco

415.621.0523

35

Special Events and Live Music!

Opening Night Post-Film Bash

Art/Tech: Multiplatform Storytelling

Thursday, July 25, from approximately 9 -11pm Swedish American Hall 2174 Market Street, between Church and Sanchez $65 members | $75 general public

Tuesday, July 30, 8pm | R ayko Photo Center 428 Third Street, San Francisco 21 + older | $10 admission (includes 2 drinks)

See page 4.

Closing Night San Francisco All attendees at the closing night film will receive a very special gift bag. $22 members | $25 general public mezzanine Dinner | $100

See page 5.

Berkeley Big Night Saturday, August 3, immediately following afternoon delight the david brower center , 2150 allston way, berkeley $22 members | $25 general public

This year’s Berkeley celebration all new and bigger and better than ever! SFJFF is very proud to announce our new party location at the David Brower Center in downtown Berkeley, one of the Bay Area’s most advanced green buildings. Join us and our visiting filmmakers and guests for an evening of drinks, noshes and conversation just a minute away from the California Theatre. A combination work and programming space designed for nonprofits, the center is beautiful, filled with art, light and the energy of people working for a better future!

Stories of Change: Repairing the World, One Film at a Time PANEL DISCUSSION: Lights, Camera , Take Action Friday July 26, 5:15pm | the castro | FREE

Can a movie change the world? There is a new generation of filmmakers who say yes, and they are telling stories in very new ways -- to the people formerly known as the audience. How do films empower social movements? Join us for a stimulating panel discussion moderated by Wendy Levy (Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Senior Consultant and Director of New Arts AXIS). Hear filmmakers and community engagement experts share their inspiring success stories.

Hannah Arendt: An Extended Discussion Sunday July 28 | Congregation Sha’ar Z ahav 290 Dolores Street, San Francisco The discussion will begin at 4:30’ish | free

Following the screening of Hannah Arendt at the Castro, join Ron Feldman PhD, Visiting Scholar, Graduate Theological Union and editor of two collections of Arendt’s essays on Jewish topics for a post film discussion. Feldman also helped to recover the texts, The Jew as Pariah (1978) and The Jewish Writings (2007). Congregation Sha’ar Zahov is a progressive reform synagogue led by Rabbi Camille Shira Angel for people of all sexual identities and welcoming friends and family from all cultural backgrounds

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Art/Tech is an exploration of multi-platform storytelling—As the digital age changes our means of media production, artists and filmmakers are exploring ways to bring art and stories to more people in more ways than ever before. Filmmakers Theo Rigby (Perfect Mother, SFJFF30) and Liz Nord (Jericho’s Echo: Punk Rock in the Holy Land, SFJFF25) showcase their innovative techniques for expanding the art of storytelling into the modern age.

Leveraging short films, online platforms, geolocative mobile apps and more, Art/ Tech is an exciting introduction to the future!

SFJFF at Art Murmur Friday August 2, 7pm New Parkway Theater |474 24th St, Oakland The Trials of MuhammAd Ali $8 general admission

SFJFF is partnering with Broaklyn Film and Theater Co., an Oaklandbased organization that amplifies the stories and traditions of ethnically rich communities across the world, for a special screening at The New Parkway Theater during Oakland’s Art Murmur—a monthly First Friday Art Walk evening event. Relax on one of the theater’s couches and share some delicious food, beer or sangria, while participating in Oakland’s largest monthly arts and culture event.

Films + Concerts

Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came To Dingle w/ Crystal Monee Hall Wednesday, July 31, 8:45pm | Castro Theatre $15 members | $18 general public

Crystall Monee Hall (currently the front woman for the Mickey Hart Band) will lead a band exploring Amy Winehouse’s influences and connecting her stunning musical gifts to the present.

Awake Zion w/ Doctor Israel & Dub Gabriel Friday, August 9, 7:00 pm Grand L ake Theatre $15 members | $18 general public

Stick around after the film for a Q&A with the director, and a LIVE dub/reggae show—featuring the Bay Area’s Dub Gabriel and Brooklyn based Doctor Israel as they explore the musical connections between Rastafarians and Jews.

www.sfjff.org

Castro Theatre

JCCSF

San Francisco / July 25 – August 1 415.621.6120 429 Castro Street (at Market Street), San Francisco

San Francisco / August 3 – 4 415.292.1233 3200 California (at Presidio), San Francisco

TIME

TITLE

PAGE NO.

T h u rs day, J u ly 2 5 6:30pm The Zigzag Kid (Opening Night) Opening Night Bash (at Swedish American Hall) 9:00pm

4 4

Fr i day, J u ly 2 6 12:00pm Rafea Solar Mama 31 1:45pm Within the Eye of the Storm with Behind Me Olive Trees 35 20 3:45pm Dancing in Jaffa 3 5:20pm Lights, Camera, Take Action Panel (free) 21 6:50pm Gideon’s Army 13 8:55pm American Commune S at u r day, J u ly 27 12:00pm Life According to Sam Joe Papp in Five Acts 2:35pm Arab Labor: Season 4 5:05pm Red Flag: Spotlight on Alex Karpovsky 7:15pm 9:50pm My Awkward Sexual Adventure S u n day, J u ly 2 8 10:00am An American Tail 12:00pm Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy 2:05pm Hannah Arendt 4:35pm From Prisoners of War to Homeland:

The Art of Adaptation 7:15pm The Trials of Muhammad Ali 9:50pm Lies in the Closet with Summer Vacation Mo n day, J u ly 2 9 11:20am Aya with Wherever You Go 1:15pm Before the Revolution with Jerry and Me 3:25pm The Last Sentence 6:25pm First Cousin Once Removed preceded by a conversation

with Alan Berliner (2013 Freedom of Expression) 9:00pm Out in the Dark T u e s day, J u ly 3 0 12:05pm Sukkah City 2:20pm Neil Diamond: Solitary Man with Paddle Ball (free) 4:00pm The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich 6:15pm The Attack (centerpiece) 8:55pm Aftermath W e d n e s day, J u ly 31 11:10am The Lab with Rainbow 1:10pm The Last White Knight with The Basketball Game 3:30pm Brave Miss World 6:15pm American Jerusalem: Jews and the Building of

San Francisco with Shanghai Strangers

8:45pm Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came to Dingle

(with live performance) T h u rs day, Au g U S T 1 11:00am Inside Envelopes with Let’s Dance!

1:30pm Here One Day with

I Think This is Closest to How the Footage Looked 3:50pm Soldier on the Roof All In 6:10pm 8:30pm Rue Mandar (Closing Night)

415.621.0523

28 24 15

TIME

TITLE

PAGE NO.

S AT U R DAY, AUGU S T 3 12:20pm Honorable Ambassador with Auschwitz on My Mind The Cutoff Man with After 2:10pm In the Shadow 4:10pm 6:30pm Blumenthal with That Woman 8:45pm Kenny Hotz’s Triumph of the Will

23 19 23 17 25

S u n day, Au g U S T 4 12:00pm The Art of Spiegelman with 15

Every Tuesday: A Portrait of the New Yorker Cartoonists 1:40pm 50 Children: The Rescue Mission Mr. & Mrs. Kraus with 10

The Real Inglorious Bastards 4:40pm Closed Season 18 12 7:00pm Aliyah 34 8:55pm We Are Not Alone

8 28

14 18 22 8 34 27

16 16 26 21 30

33 29 33 6 11

25 26 17 13 9

24 22

Rayko Photo Center San Francisco / July 30 415.495.3773 428 Third Street, San Francisco TIME

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Smith Rafael Film Center San Rafael / August 10 – 12 415.454.1222 1118 4th Street, San Rafael TIME

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S at u r day, Au g u st 10 12:00pm Dancing in Jaffa 2:00pm American Commune 4:05pm Arab Labor: Season 4 6:00pm The Trials of Muhammad Ali

8:10pm Rue Mandar S u n day, Au g u st 11 12:00pm The Last White Knight with The Basketball Game 2:00pm First Cousin Once Removed 3:55pm Life According to Sam 6:00pm The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich We Are Not Alone 8:15pm

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26 21 28 33 34

Mo n day, Au g u st 12 4:30pm The Art of Spiegelman with 15

Every Tuesday: A Portrait of the New Yorker Cartoonists 6:10pm The Zigzag Kid 4 18 8:20pm Closed Season

32 12 5

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California Theatre

Oakland Art Murmur

Berkeley / August 2—8 510.848.0620 2113 Kittredge Street (between Oxford & Shattuck), Berkeley

New Parkway Theater 510.658.7900 474 24th Street, Oakland

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Fr i day, Au g u st 2 12:30pm Here One Day with

I Think This is Closest to How the Footage Looked 2:40pm Life According to Sam 4:45pm The Last White Knight with The Basketball Game 6:55pm Dancing in Jaffa 8:55pm Out in the Dark S at u r day, Au g u st 3 12:00pm First Cousin Once Removed 1:55pm Joe Papp in Five Acts 4:00pm Soldier on the Roof Afternoon Delight (Berkeley Big Night) 6:30pm Lies in the Closet with Summer Vacation 9:15pm S u n day, Au g u st 4 11:45am Sukkah City Brave Miss World 2:00pm Arab Labor: Season 4 4:45pm The Attack 6:40pm 8:55pm In the Shadow Mo n day, Au g u st 5 2:30pm Rafea Solar Mama 4:20pm Within the Eye of the Storm with

Behind Me Olive Trees 6:30pm The Lab with Rainbow 8:35pm The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich T u e s day, Au g u st 6 2:20pm Neil Diamond: Solitary Man with Paddle Ball (free) 4:00pm My Father and the Man in Black 6:15pm The Zigzag Kid 8:25pm Closed Season

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Fr i day, Au g u st 2 7:00pm The Trials of Muhammad Ali

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Grand Lake Theater Oakland / August 9 – 11 510.452.3556 3200 Grand Avenue, Oakland TIME

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Fr i day, Au g u st 9 2:40pm Poor Consuelo Conquers the World 4:45pm Blumenthal with That Woman 7:00pm Awake Zion (with live performance) 9:35pm We Are Not Alone

30 17 9 34

S at u r day, Au g u st 10 11:00am Annie Before the Revolution with Jerry and Me 1:45pm 3:55pm Gideon’s Army 6:05pm Sleeping with the Fishes 8:45pm My Awkward Sexual Adventure

14 16 21 32 28

S u n day, Au g u st 11 11:30am The Producers 2:20pm Commie Camp 4:35pm The Trials of Muhammad Ali American Commune 6:40pm 8:45pm Red Flag

31 19 34 13 8

29 29 4 18

W e d n e s day, Au g U S T 7 2:05pm The Lesson 27 15 4:15pm The Art of Spiegelman with

Every Tuesday: A Portrait of the New Yorker Cartoonists 5:55pm 50 Children: The Rescue Mission Mr. & Mrs. Kraus with 10

The Real Inglorious Bastards 8:45pm Rue Mandar

5 T h u rs day, Au g U S T 8 1:50pm Esther Broner: A Weave of Women 4:00pm After Tiller 6:30pm Aftermath 8:45pm Aliyah

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Mo n day, Au g u st 12 2:50pm The A Word 4:45pm Honorable Ambassador with Auschwitz on My Mind

6:35pm All In 8:55pm The Cutoff Man with After

10 23 12 19

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www.sfjff.org

Cinearts@Palo Alto Square Palo Alto / August 3 – 8 650.493.0218 3000 El Camino Real Bldg. #6, Palo Alto TIME

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S at u r day, Au g u st 3 12:00pm The Last White Knight with The Basketball Game 2:15pm Life According to Sam 4:20pm American Jerusalem: Jews and the Building of

San Francisco with Shanghai Strangers 6:30pm Rue Mandar

8:40pm Closed Season S u n day, Au g u st 4 12:00pm First Cousin Once Removed 1:50pm The Zigzag Kid 4:00pm Soldier on the Roof

6:15pm All In 8:35pm Aftermath Mo n day, Au g u st 5 2:30pm Neil Diamond: Solitary Man with Paddle Ball (free) Sukkah City 4:10pm 6:10pm The Cutoff Man with After In the Shadow 8:10pm T u e s day, Au g u st 6 12:10pm The A Word 2:00pm Dancing in Jaffa 4:00pm The Lab with Rainbow 6:05pm Arab Labor: Season 4 8:00pm The Last Sentence W e d n e s day, Au g U S T 7 12:00pm Here One Day with

I Think This is Closest to How the Footage Looked 2:00pm Honorable Ambassador with Auschwitz On My Mind 3:50pm Before the Revolution with Jerry and Me 6:00pm Joe Papp in Five Acts 8:00pm Aliyah

26 28 13 5 18

21 4 32 12 11

29 33 19 23

10 20 25 15 26

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The best in independent film, right in your living room.

16 24 12

T h u rs day, Au g U S T 8 12:00pm The Art of Spiegelman with 15

Every Tuesday: A Portrait of the New Yorker Cartoonists 1:40pm My Father and the Man in Black 29 3:45pm 50 Children: The Rescue Mission Mr. & Mrs. Kraus with 10

The Real Inglorious Bastards 30 6:35pm Out in the Dark 33 8:45pm The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich

Mondays at 10pm kqed.org/indienow

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Support SFJFF: Join the Jewish Film Forum Today Joining the Jewish Film Forum can save you money on year-round and Festival screenings while also supporting the mission and programs of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, the world’s premier advocate for independent Jewish cinema.

Membership Levels and Benefits $50 supporter Exclusive discounts on Festival tickets and passes (some limits may apply) Festival catalog mailed early to your home Early ticket-buying privileges Subscription to JFF E-News $100 associate All benefits at the Supporter level PLUS: Acknowledgment in the Festival Catalog Invitations to donors-only sneak previews Advance notification of year-round screenings Discounts at select partner screenings/events $250 friend All benefits at the Associate level PLUS: Two tickets to SF Closing Night film and festivities One 4-Flix card for four free Festival admissions Invitations to post-screening Festival party $500 patron All benefits at the Associate level PLUS: One premiere All-Festival Pass which includes one admission to SF Opening Night and Closing Night One additional SF Opening Night and Closing Night ticket Invitation to private VIP Festival Preview

$2,500 executive producer All benefits at the Associate level PLUS: Three premiere All-Festival Passes which include three admissions to SF Opening Night and Closing Night One additional SF Opening Night and Closing Night ticket Invitations to private VIP Festival Preview, the Filmmaker Dinner, and Shabbat Dinner DVD of SFJFF’s New Jewish Filmmaking Project and SFJFF’s Curator’s Choice Opportunity for a shared personal film dedication in the Festival catalog Two seats to your dedicated film in all venues $5,000 director All benefits at the Associate level PLUS: Four premiere All-Festival Passes which include four admissions to SF Opening Night and Closing Night Invitations to private VIP Festival Preview, Filmmaker Dinner, and Shabbat Dinner DVD of SFJFF’s New Jewish Filmmaking Project and SFJFF’s Curator’s Choice Recognition in the Visionary Circle Opportunity for an exclusive personal film dedication in the Festival catalog Four seats to your dedicated film in all venues Opportunity to host private party in SFJFF screening room Onsite access to the SFJFF film archive

$1,000 producer All benefits at the Associate level PLUS: Two premiere All-Festival Passes which include two admissions to SF Opening Night and Closing Night Invitations to private VIP Festival Preview and the Filmmaker Dinner

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www.sfjff.org

SFJFF Year-Round Events SFJFF Is More Than a Summer Film Festival This past year we expanded our year-round offerings with special screenings at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life in Berkeley. We co-presented a China/Israel Film Festival at the Great Star Theater in Chinatown, a special screening of the Oscar-nominated Israeli hit doc The Gatekeepers and dozens of other co-presentations at Bay Area festivals and events. Check out our website sfjff.org for screenings year-round.

SFJFF Filmmaker Residency We believe in nurturing talented emerging filmmakers working with themes that are relevant to Jewish communities. Yael Luttwak was awarded the first ever SFJFF Filmmaker in Residency to begin postproduction on her new film My Favorite Neoconservative in our collaborative office spaces at the Ninth Street Independent Film Center in San Francisco.

Do you have a film in your future? The Call for Entries opens for the second round June 26, 2013 for a residency beginning October 2013 that goes through March 2014.

The New Jewish Filmmaking Project The New Jewish Filmmaking Project produced by Citizen Film is our hands-on filmmaking and new media program for teens and college-age adults. The media of the NJFP has been viewed by more than 300,000 people to date through exhibition on public television broadcasts, in classrooms and at community art spaces in the US and Europe, ranging from the Contemporary Jewish Museum of SF to the Warsaw Cinematheque.

This year, we invited more than 100 teen artists to reinterpret the guidelines for building a sukkah: a temporary dwelling that invites Jews to consider the balance between rootedness and impermanence, as well as the relationship between constructed and natural environments. View the NJFP’s Built: Virtual Sukkah Project on Facebook at facebook.com/pages/Built-Virtual-Sukkah-Project/327803017299926.

SFJFF @ JCCSF SFJFF and the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco are proud to present SFJFF’s JewTube. If you are craving more television after the Festival, check out Mother’s Day, Mice and Kathmandu. Join us for a minifestival of Israeli TV Sunday, October 27. Could one of these shows be the next Homeland?

SFJFF @ The Magnes The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life at UC Berkeley has teamed up with SFJFF on several first Thursdays of each month at 7:00pm, October–May to present exciting new works. The screenings are followed by discussions led by noted scholars.

SFJFF Online SFJFF expands the Festival beyond the theater and into the realm of online media. You can peruse a searchable archive of Jewish film, watch a free new online short each month and get access to additional content on our new blog.

With over 1.3 million views and counting, these favorites are right at your fingertips. Log onto sfjff.org, where you will find a link to the monthly short. The site also offers a wealth of online resources for the over 1,300 films exhibited in our 33 years.

Mitzvah Series With generous support from the Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropy Foundation SFJFF’s Mitzvah Series takes our Festival programming on the road to senior centers. The program is provided at no charge to Bay Area senior centers and nursing homes whose residents do not otherwise have access to independent Jewish-themed films and discussions.

from the short Threadbare

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Thank You The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival extends a heartfelt thanks to all of our generous donors.

Gifts of $100 or more received between May 16, 2012 and May 15, 2013 are listed below. For information on how you can support SFJFF, please contact the development department at 415.621.0556, x205 or kerri@sfjff.org

Presenting Sponsors

Individual Donors

Opening Night Sponsor Wells Fargo Freedom of Expression Sponsor Gale Mondry and Bruce Cohen Spotlight Sponsor Lela and Gerry Sarnat Closing Night Sponsor The Bonnie and Marty Tenenbaum Foundation

Business and Community Sponsors Consulate General of Israel, Pacific Northwest Region Craig Harrison’s Expressions of Excellence!TM Epos Film Art Fest 4 George Krevsky Gallery Goethe-Institut Hebrew Free Loan The Israel Center of the Jewish Community Federation Keshet Osterweis Capital Management Schoenberg Family Law Group Sinai Memorial Chapel Chevra Kadisha Sterling Bank and Trust / The Seligman Family Foundation A Wider Bridge

Media Sponsors KQED Public Broadcasting Berkeleyside KGO-TV / ABC 7 Flixster KDFC San Francisco Bay Guardian East Bay Express Yelp

In-kind Sponsors Les Anis de Flavigny Anita Bowen Photography Arabica Bisou Bistro Bistro Liaison Bolani East & West Gourmet Food Broaklyn Film & Theater Co. Café Du Nord / Swedish American Hall Catch Chantal Guillon Dante’s Table David Brower Center Delicate Productions, Inc. Dolby Eureka Restaurant & Lounge FedEx Food Should Taste Good

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Frames Per Sound Galleria Park Hotel Grand Bakery Hagafen Cellars of Napa Valley Hotel Carlton Hotel Rex JJardine Catering & Events Joie de Vivre The Lagunitas Brewing Company Landmark Theaters The Laurel Inn Leftwich Event Specialists Inc Martin Lawrence Galleries Philo Television Poesia Italian Restaurant Rayko Photo Center San Francisco Honda Ted Boerner Inc. Tonic Beverage Catering

In-kind Contributors Back to Earth Organic Catering Bi-Rite Market Ciao Bella Cosecha Cafe, Oakland DVD Copycat Extreme Pizza Fabrique Délices Food Should Taste Good House of Bagels, San Francisco La Boulange Max’s Market Memphis Minnie’s Barbeque Joint Peet’s Coffee & Tea Saul’s Restaurant & Delicatessen Shorty Goldstein’s

Foundation and Government Support Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropies Foundation Blank Family Foundation David R. Stern Fund of the Common Counsel Foundation Fohs Foundation Gaia Fund George Wasserman Family Foundation Grants for the Arts / San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund Grossberg Abrams Foundation Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund Jewish Federation of the East Bay Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund Alexander M. and June L. Maisin Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund National Endowment for the Arts Tides Foundation Walter & Elise Haas Fund William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Visionary Circle: Benefactors All Voices Welcome Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation Steven and Bunny Fayne Meredith J. Goldsmith Sasha and Irina Kovriga Raymond Lifchez Gale Mondry and Bruce Cohen Miriam Mondry Lisa and John Pritzker Lela and Gerry Sarnat Laszlo N. Tauber Family Foundation The Bonnie and Marty Tenenbaum Foundation Visionary Circle: Directors Anonymous Liki and Joe Abrams Sandee Blechman and Steven Goldberg Denis Bouvier Amy and Mort Friedkin Phyllis Friedman Linda and Sanford Gallanter Diana Grand and Jon Holman Annelise Goldberg and Aaron Roland Carl and Gay Grunfeld Frederick Hertz Lorraine Honig Hannah Kranzberg Alvin and Rosanne Levitt Moses and Susan Libitzky Susan and Jay Mall Janet Schneider and Andrew Kahn Roselyne C. Swig Executive Producers Anonymous (2) Ronald Abileah and Marlene Winograd Deborah Blank Carolyn Cavalier Rosenberg and Sanford Rosenberg Susie Coliver and Bob Herman Michael Ehrenzweig Nancy and Stephen Grand Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow George and Doris Krevsky Linda and Frank Kurtz Richard Nagler and Sheila Sosnow Orli and Zack Rinat Richard and Barbara Rosenberg Fern Tiger Dan Wohlfeiler

Producers Anonymous Robert and Judy Aptekar Michael Bien and Jane Kahn Ms. Lee K. Bevis Shosh Blachman and Joel Biatch Sharon and Theodore Block Richard and Victoria Burt Daniel Cohn William Dickey Irwin and Concepcion S. Federman Carol and Howard Fine Anne Germanacos Helen M. Z. Harwood and Alvaro A. Garcia Terry and Carol Hutner Winograd Virginia King Wendy and Howard Kleckner Donna A. Korones Terri Kwiatek Steve and Maribelle Leavitt Lexi Leban and Helga Sigvaldadóttir Adrienne Leder-Schriner and Kyle Schriner Mr. and Mrs. David Levine Charles and Helene Linker Alan Ramo and Leslie Rose Sue Reinhold and Deborah Newbrun Hilary and Jonathan Reinis Paul Resnick and Joan Karlin Emily Rosenberg Alan and Susan Rothenberg Scott Rubin Toby and Robert Rubin Harry and Carol Saal Derby-Salkin Family Fund Peter Samis and Mary Ratcliff Joan Sarnat and David A. Hoffman Joelle Steefel Vera and Harold Stein Janet Traub Patrons Anonymous (2) Jack and Betty Adler Robert Book Larry Burgheimer Bonnie Burt and Mark Liss Emily Campbell Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Caston Lisa and Matthew Chanoff Sanford and Jean Colen Hal Fischer Bruce Fodiman Helena R. Foster Jameson Goldner and Geri Rossen Penelope A. Goldsmith Rick Goldsmith and Lauren Moreno Andy Kivel and Susan Goldstein Dan Granoff Sara Grunstein and Rob Waters Natalie Gubb and David Arpi Howard Herman and Claudia Bernard Beth Harris Hoenninger

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James J. and Bethany S. Hornthal Esther and Mark Hudes David Jadeson Elisa and Jack Klein Abbott and Janet Leban Mark Levine Owen Levin and Hagar Scher Galina and Lev Leytes Roger and Victoria Low Dawn and Sanford Margolin Rudolf Moos Laura Murra Dr. Raquel H. Newman Doug Okun Jan Platt and Jeff Ross Rabbi Stephen S. Pearce, Congregation Emanu-El Harry Pollack and Joanne Backman Roger Ritland Martin and Edis Robinson Eileen Ruby Alice and Bill Russell-Shapiro Danny Scher Dalia Sirkin Peter L. Stein Laura Tow Ellen Ullman and Elliot Ross The Sarah Wall Memorial Fund Robert T. Weston Diane Wexler and Bruce Beron Friends Clara Basile Alan Burckin and Carol Olmert Sheri and Charles Cohen Irene P. Cohn Dana Doron Shelley Friedman and Tania Lowenthal Gary A. Greenfield and Reesa Tansey Ralph and Marsha Guggenheim Nancy Igdaloff Spencer Jarrett Alan Kates Joshua Langenthal Warren and Barbara Levinson Elaine Leitner Allie Light - For Irving Carrie and Ronald Ludwig David Malman Barbara Meislin Isadore and Ruth-Ann F. Mendel Ron Merk Suzanne Meyer Susan Moldaw Sara Newman Laura Rice-Hall and Timothy Hall Maureen and Paul Roskoph Scott Seaman Frances A. Von Lukanovic and Andrea S. Brown Mayumi Warkel Ruth White and Robert White Connie Wolf Sue and Richard Wollack

415.621.0523

Associates Anonymous (8) Marcia and Matthew Allen Ann Gabor Arancio and Remo Arancio Charna Ball Cantor Roslyn Barak Dan Barki Kenneth Baron Wendy Bear Elaine and Herman Binger Judy and Leon Bloomfield Susan Borkin Suzanne and David Broad Eleanor Bronner Micah and Janet Broude Martin and Geraldine Brownstein Arthur Brunwasser Jerome and Gloria Burke Susan Cable Lynn Caffrey Debra Chasnoff Sol and Kate Coffino Richard J. Cohen, M.D. and Sandra N. Cohen, Ph.D Helen Cohen and Mark Lipman Susan David Glenn Davis and James Takagi Shevlin de la Roza Eleanor Drey Kathryn and Dan Edelman Adam Eilath Elliott Eisenberg Elayne and Elliot Grossbard Trish Elliott Judi Elman Harris Janet Falk Netta Fedor Darlene Feldstein Saul Fenster Richard Fikes and Barbara Blatner-Fikes Nancy Fishman and Nina Haft Michael and Victoria Freeman Nancy Friedman and Terry Eli Hill Velia and Philip Frost Jack Gardner Ewa and Moshe Gavrielov Marjorie Gelb and Mark Aaronson Michal Goldman Randall Goldstein Naomi Granoff Sheldon and Judy Greene Alayne and Alan Greenwald Sheryl Hausman and Jack Maslow Helen Hertz Annette Insdorf Lois and Jerome Jacobs Donna Jaffe Carole Joffe and Judith Joffe-Block Rose Malinowski Juan Alice and Morrie Kahn Susan Karp Janie Kass and Eric Silverman Nancy Kates Tobye and Ronald Kaye, M.D Erwin Kelly Toni King Steven Kotz

Judi Kramer Felix Kramer and Rochelle Lefkowitz Terry Kraus Ken Krug Janet Linder and Elena Moser Rivka Livni Arlene Lurie Marshall Meyer Leslie Miessner Deborah Mintz L. Lloyd Morgan Andrew Moss Carol Nathan Stephen Naventi Patricia Needle Stephen and Laura Olson Cindy and Raoul Ostroff Steven and Anne Padover Billie Parker Ruth Phillips Enid Pollack Jane and Michael Rice Gary and Joyce Rifkind Susan Roane Steven and Carrie Rosenberg Polly Rosenthal Penny Rosenwasser Esther Rosha-Stadtler and Jason Rosha Sylvia Sabel and Joel Rubinstein Lola and David Safer Monica Salusky Katherine Sanstad Barbro Sasson Dorothy R. Saxe Karen Schiller Ursula Schulte Joshua Schwartz Denise Selleck Robert Shelley Paul and Joan Sher Scott Silver Joanie Silverstein Judith Singer Barry Sitkoff Arthur Slepian John Solomon Steven Speier Lisa Spiegel Joel Spolin and Margot Parker Gary F. Stein Bert Steinberg Lidia Szajko Sanford and Selma Tandowsky Renee and Steven Turman Myrna Vidor Harriet Weiss Diane Wolf and Frank Hirtz Karen Zeldin Jon Zimman

The Future Starts Now One powerful way to express your values long into the future is to make a planned gift to SFJFF’s Future Focus Fund. To discuss planned giving opportunities confidentially, please contact the development department at 415.621.0556, x205 or kerri@sfjff.org

Future Focus Fund

Anonymous (4) Dan Barki Deborah Blank Jaklyn Brookman Susie Coliver Dana Doron Michael Ehrenzweig Ronald Feldman Nancy K. Fishman Jack Gardner Craig Harrison’s Expressions of Excellence!™ Fredrick Hertz Nancy Igdaloff Spencer Jarrett Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow Wendy and Howard Kleckner Sasha Kovriga Abbott and Janet Leban Lexi Leban and Helga Sigvaldadóttir Adrienne Leder-Schriner Owen Levin Gale Mondry and Bruce Cohen Richard Nagler and Sheila Sosnow Sara J. Newman Doug Okun Janis Plotkin Jay Rosenblatt Peter Samis Janet Schneider and Andrew Kahn Peter L. Stein Dan Wohlfeiler

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Acknowledgements Michael Amerikaner Rabbi Camille Angel Armstrong & Armstrong: Todd Armstrong Rod Armstrong Art with Impact: Cary McQueen Morrow, Jennifer Tipton Moshe Arzt Atlanta Jewish Film Festival: Kenny Blank Gidi Avivi Vincent Bal Jocelyn Berger Alan Berliner Berlin International Film Festival: Wieland Speck Berlin Jewish Film Festival: Nicola Galliner Susan Berrin Rachel Biale Bistro Liaison: Todd Kneiss Mary Bitterman Bleiberg Entertainment: Nick Donnermeyer Boston Jewish Film Festival: Sara Rubin Anita Bowen Heather Bradley California Film Institute: Zoë Elton, Mark Fishkin, Richard Peterson, Janis Plotkin, Dan Zastrow Laura Callanan Lori Campbell Castro Theatre: The Nasser Family, Mark Gantor, Gary Oliver, Brian Collette, Richard Blacklock Center for Asian American Media: Stephen Gong, Kar Yin Tham Alissa Chadburn Cinephil: Philippa Kowarsky, Ori Bader, Assaf Mor Citizen Film: Sam Ball, Sophie Constantinou, Kate Stilley Steiner, Emma Bailey Cohen Media Group: Gary Rubin, Donna Dickman, Bill Thompson Common Counsel Fund: Larisa Casillas Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest: Dr. Andy David, Gideon Lustig Contemporary Jewish Museum: Dan Schifrin, James Leventhal, Stacey Silver, Daryl Carr, Gravity Goldberg Phyllis Cook Aaron Davidman Ari Davidovich Morgan Davis Ninfa Dawson Stephen Dobbs Dolby Labs: Ioan Allen, Tom Bruchs, Laura Duran, Julie Morgan Julie Dorf & Jenni Olsen Dragoman Films: Ravit Turjeman Jeannette Etheredge Everett Middle School: Ruben Urbina Ed Feldman Epos Film Festival

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The Film Arcade: Andy Bohn Film Movement: Mallory Jacobs Films Transit International, Inc.: Diana Holtzberg Debbie Findling Nancy Fishman Foundation for Jewish Culture: Elise Bernhardt, Andrew Ingall Frameline: K.C. Price, Desiree Buford Alison Geballe Global Film Institute: Santhosh Daniel Go2 Films: Hedva Goldschmidt, Rena Sherbill Sasha Goldberg Nancy Grand Haifa Film Festival: Pnina Blayer Tim Hanlon HBO: Nancy Abraham Laure Hendrickx Robert Herman Frederick C. Hertz Kenny Hotz Israel Film Fund: Katriel Schory IsraeliFilms: Dov Gil-Har ITVS: Claire Aguilar Anita Jaffe JCC Manhattan: Isaac Zablocki, Carole Zabar Jerusalem Cinematheque: Lia van Leer, Gilli Mendel, Avinoam Harpak Jewish Community Center of San Francisco: Barry Finestone, Lenore Naxon, Brett Metzger, Dan Wolf, Brian Garrick, Nathaniel Bergson-Michelson Jewish Community Center of the East Bay: Sally Flinchbaugh, Samantha Young Jewish Community Endowment Fund: Mark Reisbaum Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco: Jennifer Gorovitz, Julie Golde, David Katznelson, Ilana Kaufman, Donny Inbar Jewish Community Relations Council: Rabbi Doug Kahn, Abby Michelson Porth JMT Films: Jean-Michel Treves Beth Kanter Alex Karpovsky Deborah Kaufman & Alan Snitow Keshet: Ran Tellum & Limor Gottesdiner David Kwok Landmark Theatres: Steve Indig, Chris Hatfield Janet & Abbott Leban Christopher H Lee Sam Leftwich John Ley Wendy Levy Thomas Logoreci Tom Luddy Yael Luttwak Deanna MacLellan Erica Marcus Menemsha Entertainment: Neil Friedman, Heidi Bogin Oshin Pamela Meskin

Elizabeth Seja Min Greg Minshall Jennifer Morris Music Box Films: Ed Earentz, Susanne Fedak NAMAC: Jack Walsh National Center for Jewish Film: Sharon P. Rivo, Lisa Rivo Mateo Natividad NBC Universal: Paul Ginsburg New Israeli Foundation for Cinema & TV New Israel Fund: Jason Bernstein New York Jewish Film Festival: Aviva Weintraub, Richard Peña Sara Newman Ninth Street Independent Film Center: Skye Christensen, Adam Ashworth, Brian Schulz, Jamie Gaard Norma Productions: Assaf Amir Richard J Okiuye Liz Payne Frances Phillips Philo TV: Lenny Lieberman, Evan Stewart, Rose Duignan Julie Pippert Janis Plotkin Cheryl Polk Progeria Research Foundation: Michelle Fino Pola Rapaport Stephanie Rapp Rayko Photo Center: Stuart Kogod Reel Café Bakery: Sharon Dinkin Righteous Persons Foundation: Rachel Levin, Tal Gozani Holly Roach Ella Rosenblatt Jessica Rosner Alan Rothenberg Ruth Diskin Films: Ruth Diskin, Tal Shanny, Hila Gersenfeld Sam Salkin Sam Spiegel Film & Television School: Renen Schorr, Noa Ron San Francisco Public Library: Joan Jasper, Everett Erlandson Lela Sarnat Emma Sarnat Hagar Scher Tiffany Schlain Kary Schulman Harvey Schwartz Ellie Shapiro Helga Sigvaldadóttir & Sóla Helgudóttir Leban Kim Simon Sinai Memorial Chapel Chevra Kadisha Chris Smith Jill Soloway Stanford Humanities Center: Marie-Pierre Ulloa Stanford University, Jewish Studies Center: Vered Shemtov Donna Steger Peter L. Stein David Stoten

Sundance Film Festival: John Cooper, Caroline Libresco, David Courier, John Nein Sundance Film Institute Documentary Fund: Cara Mertes, Kristin Feeley Lidia Szajko Martin Tannenbaum Tel Aviv University Film Department: Noa Chen, Rachel Wallach Karen Topakian Transfax: Karine Benzur, Marek Rozenbaum UK Jewish Film Festival: Judy Ironside, Daniela Boban Mark Valentine Washington Jewish Film Festival: Susan H. Barocas Tim Watts Aviva Weintraub Melissa Weintraub Cara White Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan Dan Wohlfeiler Rebecca Gholdston Wright Chi-hui Yang Year of Civil Discourse Initiative: Randi Fields, Rachel Eryn Kalish Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: Ken Foster, Joel Shepard Caveh Zahedi Zeitgeist Films: Clemence Taillandier

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The ultimate cine matic experience

For avid moviegoers, a film festival is a momentous event. For filmmakers, it is a venue for captivating vie we rs with the ir cre ativevision.

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IS PROUD TO SUPPORT THE SAN FRANCISCO’S NEWLY-RENOVATED HIDDEN GEM Receive 15% OFF when you book online at jdvhotels.com/galleriapark with promo code SFJFF. 191 Sutter Street (at Kearny) 415.781.3060 jdvhotels.com/galleriapark GALLERIA PARK HOTEL IS A JOIE DE VIVRE HOTEL

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Open 7 days a week Saturday & Sunday brunch Extensive wine list, full bar Walking distance to the theater 10% off food for San Francisco Jewish Film Festival ticket holders 1849 shattuck at hearst 510 849-2155 ¡ liaisonbistro.com

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Welcomes Jewish Film Festival Attendees Morning, noon and night Come for a nosh, stay for a meal Authentic Italian pizza, pasta, salads, and more Full Bar – Garden Dining 544 Castro Street Between 18 & 19th Streets

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Tickets

Staff

REGUL AR PROGR AMS Jewish Film Forum (JFF) Members

$10.00

General Public

$12.00

Seniors (65 and older) / Students w/ID

$11.00

MATINEES

(Mon–Thurs, through 4pm)

JFF Members General Public

$9.00 $10.00

For Special Program pricing, including Opening and Closing Nights and special events, please go to www.sfjff.org/tickets OPENING NIGHT SCREENING/PART Y

Opening Night 2013 will be held on Thursday, July 25, 2013. Festivities will begin with the Opening Night Screening, followed by the Opening Night Bash. Box Office will be open at the Castro Theatre for ticket pick-up. Please allow extra time for Will Call on Opening Night.

FESTIVAL PASSES ALL-FESTIVAL PASS (MEMBER PRICE)

$245.00

ALL-FESTIVAL PASS (General Public)

$275.00

All Festival Pass is good for all shows at all theatres – including special programs and parties except the Mezzanine Dinner. Early-entrance line is reserved for pass holders.

Pass holders MUST ARRIVE and be in line 20 minutes prior to show time. Passes do not guarantee seating. Please note: SF Opening Night is a ticketed event, pass holders will receive tickets for the film and must bring those tickets for admittance— the pass alone is not sufficient.

YOUNG ADULT PASS (35 YRS OLD AND YOUNGER ONLY WITH ID)

$30.00

The Young Adult Pass is good for all shows except SF Opening, SF Closing, Berkeley Big Night and the Mezzanine Dinner.

DISCOUNT 10 -FLIX VOUCHERS JFF Members (limit 2 per member) General Public

$90.00 $100.00

The 10-Flix Voucher is good for 10 regular priced tickets to any 10 programs of your choice (not good for Special Programs). Share with family and friends, fully transferable. Great for gifts! 10-Flix Vouchers cannot guarantee tickets to sold-out shows, so redeem early to ensure ticket availability.

HOW CAN I BUY TICKETS?

Online: www.sfjff.org Phone: 415.621.0523 | Monday–Friday, 10am -5pm Box Office Opens June 25 for members only.

General sales begin June 28, 2013 For Questions and/or information please email: boxoffice@sfjff.org, Due to high call volume, not every call can be answered. Please leave the Box Office a message and they will return your call shortly.

RUSH LINE Last minute tickets—rush tickets—may be available just before showtime when advance tickets have sold out. A rush line will form outside the venue usually one hour before showtime. Approximately ten minutes prior to the screening, empty seats are counted and will be sold on a first-come, first served basis to those in line. Rush tickets will only be sold to those actually waiting in line.

For complete ticket information including full policies, pricing , delivery options, and limitations please go to www. sfjff.org/ tickets

415.621.0523

Executive Director Lexi Leban

Materials Coordinator Jeff Ross

Administrative Director Owen Levin

House Manager, SF & Berkeley Brad Robinson

Program Director Jay Rosenblatt

House Manager, Palo Alto Gino Caputi

Development Director Kerri Gawryn

Technical Director Hal Rowland

Associate Programmer Joshua Moore

Ticketing Services Box Cubed Ben Armington Betty Tweedy Mitch Vaughn

Marketing & Communications Coordinator Luis Mamayson Development & Membership Associate Patrik Nylund Production & Hospitality Coordinator Natalia Guecheva

Copy Editor Miguel Pendás Print Traffic Coordinator Chris F. Powell Print Traffic Assistant Joëlle Touïtou

Bookkeeper John Valte

Print Broker Donna Steger

Community Outreach Coordinator Myra Feiger

Pre-Screeners 2013 Andy Abrahams-Wilson Jennie Adler Margot Breier Yael Bridge Bonnie Burt Alexander Collins Alex Dixon Gail Evenari Myra Feiger Ruth Gummit Maria Judice Natalie Kaniel Nancy Kates Vivian Kleiman Jan Krawitz Valerie Lapin Ganley Sarah Lefton Alexis Lezin-Schmidt Laurie Lezin-Schmidt David Liu Judy Montell Shevi Rosenfeld-Loewinger Emmy Scharlatt Marcia Schneider Jarmel Schneider Ken Schneider Renate Stendhal Susan Stern Janet Underwood Mark Valentine Diane Wolf

Marketing Consultant Pat Kilduff Festival Publicists Karen Larsen Vince Johnson Interns Hila Abraham Adam Cuttler Noam Eshel Gerardo Leon Zoe Pressman Melinda Rosenberg Noam Rosenthal Joëlle Touïtou Volunteer Coordinator Sarah Simonds Volunteer Coordinator Assistant Hila Abraham Special Events Partner Leftwich Event Specialists Inc 2013 SFJFF Trailer Eleven, Inc. Aryan Aminzadeh Edward Feldman Mike McKay Sara Worthington 2013 SFJFF iPhone App Frames Per Sound Talia DeVault Matt Ozer Jay Ozer Sponsor Reel K Sato Hospitality Assistants John Bouvier Brian Freeman David Gutierrez Texas Starr

Creative Direction and Design Caroline Van Remortal Additional Copywriting Miguel Pendás Additional Graphic Design K Sato

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PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID San Francisco, CA Permit No. 5

145 Ninth Street, Suite 200 San Francisco, CA 94103

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iPHONE APP

Frames Per Sound is proud to sponsor the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival iPhone application for the second year!

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Download it for FREE from the App Store.

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