No doubt the 44th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival arrives during a particularly unnerving time in part to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its fallout. But festival presenters remain resolute in their commitment to present a diverse range of perspectives in the program’s features, shorts, documentaries and events.
This year’s 67 films from 16 countries run from July 18 to Aug. 4 in San Francisco (Palace of Fine Arts, Vogue Theater, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, Roxie), Berkeley (Urban Adamah) and Oakland (Landmark’s Piedmont Theatre).
The opening night selection— the Bay Area premiere of the documentary “Shari & Lamb Chop” at the Palace of Fine Arts —follows the same trajectory as last year’s well-received opener, Ron Frank’s “Remembering Gene Wilder,” with a focus on an iconic and cherished late Jewish performer. Director Lisa D’Apolito’s film peers into the life and career of the children’s TV legend. D’Apolito will attend the 6:30 p.m. July 18 screening, along with Shari Lewis’ daughter Mallory, and special guest, sock puppet Lamb Chop. “Shari & Lamb Chop” also screens at 3:30 p.m. July 31 at the Piedmont.
The closing night selection—Sandi DuBowski’s “Sabbath Queen”—provides a thought-provoking look into the life of trailblazing queer rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie and his cabaret show alter ego Hadassah Gross. It screens at 8 p.m. July 28 at the Palace of Fine Arts (DuBowski and Lau-Lavie planning to attend) and again at 1 p.m. July 30 at the Piedmont.
In addition to screenings, the Jewish Film Institute will bestow a coveted honor, the Freedom of Expression Award, to filmmaker Julie Cohen. It’s well-deserved recognition for the director of the documentaries “Every Body,” “RBG” and “My Name Is Pauli Murray,” who sheds needed light on influential people who have moved the needle on conversations regarding gender and justice. All three documentaries are worth streaming. The presentation takes place at 6 p.m. July 27 at the Palace of Fine Arts.
Here are more SFJFF recommendations:
Cringe comedies are tough to do right. Nathan Silver’s funny, even endearing, “Between the Temples” does make you uncomfortable in, specifically, one agonizing family-and-friends dinner scene that devolves into disaster. But he tempers squirm-inducing moments with genuine emotion and two lead, eccentric characters you can’t help but fall for — from afar. Jason Schwartzman is a pack of jittery neuroses as Ben Gottlieb, a cantor who can’t sing after the death of his wife. Enter his quirky former music schoolteacher Carla Kessler (a delightful Carol Kane) who wants Ben and only Ben to work with her on her goal to have a bat mitzvah. Carla’s significantly older than Ben, but the age gap doesn’t matter as they slowly realize they just might be soulmates, a discovery that doesn’t sit well with Ben’s moms (Dolly De Leon and Caroline Aaron) and others who put zero faith in their relationship. The Schwartzman-Kane pairing couldn’t be better. “Between the Temples,” the fest’s narrative centerpiece, is at 6 p.m. July 20 (with Silver in attendance) at the Palace of Fine Arts and Aug. 3 at the Piedmont.
Speaking of cringeworthy comedies, Rachel Wolther’s “The French Italian” at 6:30 p.m. July 25 at the Roxie is exceptionally so, with its self-involved, nails-on-the-chalkboard annoying New York leads Doug (Aristotle Athari) and Valerie (Catherine Cohen). The yuppie couple detest their noisy, amorous new neighbors but are stuck over doing anything about it, since their killer brownstone apartment is rent controlled. They hatch a cruel payback scheme to entice the unsuspecting actress-neighbor Mary (Chloe Cherry) to audition for a fake play they’re “staging.” Their ruse backfires, naturally. “The French Italian” is the Next Wave Spotlight selection; Cherry is slated to attend.
Brief but on point, Ferne Pearlstein’s 39-minute “XCLD: The Story of Cancel Culture” covers a lot of territory with humor and insight. The entertaining documentary focuses on various comedians — some who got canceled and others who have observed the phenomenon or been the focus of cancellation —because they said something someone found offensive. The local spotlight film at 8 p.m. July 27 at the Palace of Fine Arts should lead to a necessary conversation about cancel culture is being used and abused in an era where forgiveness isn’t a hot commodity. Pearlstein, who launched her career in film in the Bay Area, is slated to attend.
Dani Rosenberg’s kinetic, sweat-inducing direction powers “The Vanishing Soldier,” one of the best films in the lineup. As does Ido Tako’s anxiety-ridden performance as 18-year-old Shlomi, an Israeli soldier sent into the danger zone of Gaza. He doesn’t want to be there, desiring only to hang out with his sous chef girlfriend in Tel Aviv. He gets that wish, partially, when he flees from the battlefield, a brazen act that triggers a media frenzy when the army believes he’s been kidnapped. Rosenberg’s film works as a nervy thriller and powerful statement about war and how it swallows young people. The award-winner screens at 8:15 p.m. July 25 at the Vogue and 8:15 p.m. July 30 at the Piedmont.
For a full lineup of films and events and to order tickets ($20-$30 and $65 for opening night with party), visit jf.org/sfjff-schedule.
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