San Francisco Jewish Film Festival 2014

[Chris Knipp]

July 24-August 10, 2014

This will be the second year I have written about the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, in its 34th year, but I won't be reviewing as many films this year, being a lot more selective. There are, I believe, 48 films, including shorts, and I only plan to review five or six, unless I get lured into watching more.

Filmleaf Festival Coverage thread for SFJFF 2014 begins HERE.

SFJFF's own website home page: http://www.sfjff.org/ All schedules, slate, and info on the films begin here.

For to a lot of information about the films and coverage of the SF Jewish Film Festival go to the SFJFF PRESS KIT.

PRESS RELEASE:

34th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Palo Alto and San Rafael

San Francisco, CA (June 24, 2014) - The 34th edition of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival returns to the Bay Area July 24-August 10, 2014 at the Castro Theatre and Rayco Photo Center in San Francisco, the CinéArts Theatre in Palo Alto, the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, The California Theatre in Berkeley, and the Grand Lake Theater and The New Parkway Theater in Oakland. The first and still the largest of its kind, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival SFJFF) continues to present year after year the very best in independent Jewish cinema--offering a full complement of films, festivities, special discussion programs and international guests that highlight 5773 years of culture. For ticket information, please contact the box office at 415.621.0523 or visit the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival online at www.sfjff.org.

The opening night is the explosive documentary THE GREEN PRINCE, about a young Palestinian, son of a founder of Hamas who is disgusted by the brutal tactics it uses in prison and its many suicide bombings and is turned by Shin Bit and spies for Israel. "Mosab agrees to spy for Israel. For him, there is no greater shame. For his Shin Bet handler, Gonen, there is no greater prize: "operating" the oldest son of a founding member of Hamas." This was opening night film at Sundance and won the world documentary prize there.

[Johann]

Chris, you continually amaze us. We are blessed.

[Chris Knipp]

You exaggerate. But thanks.

The first two are ANYWHERE ELSE, a film about an Israeli woman working on a PhD in Berlin who is followed to Tel Aviv by her German boyfrriend when she takes a quick trip back home; and EL CRITICO, an Argentine film about a movie critic so snobbish he thinks in French, who detests rom-coms, and then his own life turns into one.

[Chris Knipp]

July 24-August 10, 2014

Anywhere Else (Ester Amrami 2014)

A film about an Israeli woman working on a PhD in Berlin who is followed to Tel Aviv by her German boyfrriend when she takes a quick trip back home/ Amrami tries to do too many things, but her picture of Israel from the point of view of an expat is devastating at times and the Israeli Jewish family, if stereotypical, is nonetheless amusing and telling.


Critico, El (Hernán Guerschuny 2013)

An Argentine film about a movie critic so snobbish he thinks in French, who detests rom-coms, and then his own life turns into one. The film strikes a balance between lighthearted and serious, nerdy and entertaining. You can have fun spotting the many allusions and contemplating the metafictional possibilities of a movie writer as well as critic who winds up starring in his own film.


God's Slave (Joel Novoa 2013)

The Muslim terrorist attacks on the Jewish community of Buenos Aires are seen through a contrasting focus on two fanatics: a Mossad agent and a highly trained young mole originally from Lebanon, long a mole in Caracas, who comes to Argentina to be a bomber. This is theoretically from the Jewish point of view, but it tends to show the futility of extremism on both sides of this seemingly endless conflict. A contemplative thriller with linguistic authenticity.

[Chris Knipp]

July 24-August 10, 2014

Holy Land (Peter Cohn 2014)

Cohn's short doc depicts hostilities and peacemakers, rabbis, settlers, a dedicated mayor and a rabid urban military trainer of American youths in Jerusalem among other vivid notes on life in the West Bank today.

[Chris Knipp]

July 24-August 10, 2014

Father and Son (Pawel Lozinski 2013)

A trip from Poland to Paris in a VW van edited as a seamless conversation about their past and relationship between Pawel, 50, and Marcel Lozinski, 70, who are both documentary filmmakers and have worked together as well as apart. The talk is searching and to the point, the encounter loving but brutally honest. There is another longer version (75 minutes vs. 54) by father Marcel, because finally they couldn't agree on a joint edit as planned.