Looking for one of this year's festival films? A few may already be available on DVD-try an online video retailer such as amazon.com or Netflix first. If you can't find it, or if you are an organization seeking to arrange a screening of a film that appeared in our festival, please consult our Print Sources page to find contact information for the producers/distributors of all of this year's films.
Oy, where does the time go? Tonight will be our last night of Festival screenings, and your last chance to enjoy two wonderful Festival films: Tehilim and Emotional Arithmetic. Both screen at the Smith Rafael Film Center in Marin.
In Tehilim, a father’s mysterious disappearance throws his family into a personal and spiritual crisis in this engrossing, beautifully acted drama set in modern Jerusalem. The film screens tonight at 6:15pm.
In Emotional Arithmetic, a surprise visitor (Gabriel Byrne) triggers turbulent childhood memories of love and loss among war survivors (Susan Sarandon, Max von Sydow) in this achingly beautiful story set in modern Quebec. Co-starring Christopher Plummer. Emotional Arithmetic screens at 8:45pm.
There are over 40 clips comprising our Festival trailer this year. How many can you identify? Check out our trailer at http://sfjff.org/festival_2008/trailer/festival/ then send your best guesses to trailer@sfjff.org. The person who responds with the most correct answers will get two all-Festival passes to the 29th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, at a general admissions value of $225 each -- and a total value of $450 AND 2 Blockbuster cards good for 1 free rental per week for an entire year!
Hint: Trailer clips are almost entirely from features, documentaries and shorts that have been screened in past San Francisco Jewish Film Festivals.
E-mail your entries to trailer@sfjff.org along with your name, phone number, email address, and mailing address. Please format your entry in list form so that each film clip title is on a separate line. All entries must be received by August 11th, 2008. Contest winner will be announced August 31, 2008.
This year’s trailer was directed by Bay Area filmmaker Tiffany Shlain, founder of the Webby Awards and director of The Tribe (SFJFF 2006).
Good luck contestants, and happy viewing!
As one curtain lowers, another one lifts. Join us tomorrow evening at the Roda Theatre at the Berkeley Rep for our special Berkeley Opening Night Celebration. A delicious post-film reception in the courtyard of the Roda, catered by beloved Saul's Restaurant & Delicatessen, follows the 6:45 screening of Love Comes Lately.
Missed the fun at the Castro Theatre? Check out our Flicker page (link from our homepage) to see special highlights, including panels, guests and more.
Be sure to check out our raffle page at http://sfjff.org/festival_2008/raffle/ to find out more about how you could win fabulous prizes-- including premier Giants tickets, a rejuvenating week-long stay in Mexico, an amazing dine-around-town package and much, much more.
At $5 each or four for $18, tickets are a bargain! Tickets are on sale now through the end of the festival. For more info on our raffle, check out http://sfjff.org/festival_2008/raffle/
Advance purchase tickets have already sold out for a few films. Rush tickets may still be available. Sold out films include:
Emotional Arithmetic 8/5 at Palo Alto
Emotional Arithmetic 8/11 at Rafael
Emotional Arithmetic 8/2 at Roda
Love Comes Lately 8/9 at Rafael
Strangers 8/10 at Rafael
Rush tickets are sometimes available even when advance tickets have sold out. A line for rush tickets will form outside the venue up to one hour prior to show time. Available rush tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis to those in line. NO DISCOUNTS. CASH ONLY. Discount 10-Flix Cards cannot be used in the Rush line. Member, student, senior and group discounts do not apply to Rush tickets.
Enjoy scrumptious food and drink and swing to the fun tunes of local fave Gaucho tonight at the SF Opening Night Bash! Call now and get reserved seating for Strangers, one of the year's most acclaimed international dramas. See you there! For more info on the Opening Night Film and Party, go to: http://sfjff.org/festival_2008/event/opening/
View the trailer for Strangers at http://sfjff.org/festival_2008/film/553/#trailer
More films means more filmmakers and special guests, and we've got so many panels and events this year, we'd understand if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed. Here are a few important updates and special highlights to keep you in the loop --
In The Family - Filmmaker Joanna Rudnick will participate in a panel on hereditary cancer and genetic testing on August 10th following the San Rafael screening.
Volevo Solo Vivere - Director Mimmo Calopresti will no longer be able to attend the film's San Francisco screening. Liliana Segre, an italian survivor featured in the film, will still be present for a discussion following the screening.
Praying with Her Own Voice - Director Yael Katzir will be joined by Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center, for a special panel on women and Judaism following the Berkeley screening.
Other guests include:
Strangers - Lubna Ababal (Principal cast) and Erez Tadmor (Director); Emotional Arithmetic - Paolo Barzman (Director); Péter Forgács - Freedom of Expression Award recipient (Director); Saved By Deportation - Robert Podgursky (Producer); Arab Labor- Danny Paran (Producer); Bilin My Love - Shai Carmeli Pollak (Director); At Home in Utopia- Ellen Brodsky (Co-producer); Millicent Marcus - Head of the Italian Department at the Yale University; Sonya Sharp - Producer and representative from the USC Shoah Foundation, and much, much more!
For full details on guests, go to http://sfjff.org/festival_2008/directors/
Under 25? Buy a Reel Pass! At $40 a pop, they're a real bargain! One pass is good for all shows at all theatres -- including Opening and Closing Night films and other special programs.
For purchase information, go to http://sfjff.org/festival_2008/tickets/
This year the New Jewish Filmmaking Project is composing a series of documentary vignettes http://njfp.wordpress.com/category/holidaze-this-years-movie about the Jewish holidays. They're having so much fun sharing their holiday memories, they want to hear the stories lurking in your memory banks, so they're holding a contest. Share your holiday memories by July 30 on the NJFP blog and you may win some fancy prizes. For complete info: www.njfp.wordpress.com/join-the-contest/.
The New Jewish Filmmaking Project (NJFP) chronicles the experience of Young American Jews. Groups of teen storytellers in collaboration with an accomplished team of professional filmmakers, turn the camera on their families, friends and hangouts to consider the relevance of Jewish identity in their lives.
If we didn't have an outlet for our pre-festival excitement, we would all explode with eagerness on Opening Night, and trust me, it would be messy. That's why we're kicking the celebration off early with djs, booze, and booty-shaking along with a program of our most highly anticipated shorts, on Saturday, July 19th at the Space Gallery in San Francisco's Polk Village (1141 Polk Street).
This year's party should be double the fun because we're joining forces with the Hub. The Hub is a program of the JCCSF that promotes the revolution of Jewish identity through arts, culture and community, and they know how to throw one heck of a party.
We started throwing "Warehouse" parties back in the day – three years ago – when we held our first pre-party at bona fide warehouse. We've since moved on to other venues, but the moniker stuck, and this year our party will be at the Space Gallery, which is famous for its delicious Soju cocktails. You should join us!
Here are the essential details:
The Space Gallery
1141 Polk Street, San Francisco
Doors open at 8:30PM
Short films screen at 9:00PM
DJs at 10PM
Tickets are $10 at the door, and this is a 21+ event (sorry kids)
Bayflicks.net Preview of SFJFF08
Daily Californian previews the SFJFF
Festival Preview at Hell On Frisco Bay
Festival Preview at Jews Next Door
Festival Preview at the Examiner.com
JFF in the East Bay Express (Israeli film focus)
Out of Focus and Dancing Alfornso in Voice of Dance
San Francisco Bay TImes Festival Preview
San Francisco Chronicle on Opening Night
SF Bay Guardian on Italian Jews During Fascism
SF Bay Guardian reviews Anvil! The Story of Anvil
SF360 talks to Peter Stein and Nancy Fishman
SFGate on Olivia Thirlby (Love Comes Lately)
SFJFF on Life with Movies and Maxxxxx
The j. on Anvil! The Story of Anvil
The j. on Jerusalem Is Proud to Present and Praying in Her Own Voice
You may be eligible for invitations to special Festival Events! Email us at blog@sfjff.org for more information and to make sure we add you to our Blogroll.