June 19 2018: SFJFF38 Academy Sidebar: Hands On/Hands Off Release

ACADEMY SIDEBAR: HANDS ON/HANDS OFF: ANATOMY OF A FEMINIST FILM MOVEMENT

6/19/2018

SAN FRANCISCO, June 19, 2018 - As part of a special initiative supported by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the wake of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements, and Jewish Film Institute (JFI) and the 38th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF38) will shine a spotlight on women behind and in front of the lens shaping today's social discourse and revolutionizing the way women are presented in film. This special Academy Sidebar will take place during the Festival which returns to the Bay Area July 19th and runs till August 5th.

Remarked JFI Executive Director Lexi Leban about the sidebar: "Filmmakers have been at the forefront of shaping the cultural conversation around sexual assault and harassment through groundbreaking documentary work. The revelations of the past year and the mass response with the #MeToo and Time's Up movements follows a body of work that has fundamentally redefined how we see issues of consent and self-determination. The films in Hands On / Hands Off advances the conversation further to address how these issues are being litigated in new ways in the online sphere and in the courts."

Additional funding for the sidebar came from the California Arts Council "Arts and Public Media" Grant which was presented to the Festival on June 12th. JFI was one of 16 grantees chosen for the Arts and Public Media program.

Films presented in this sidebar include:

NETIZENS, a profile of three powerful women (including Carrie Goldberg, a Jewish attorney who has launched a law firm specializing in internet privacy and sexual assault cases following her own cyber harassment) who, as survivors of cyber harassment, become the advocates they need to be to change laws and opinions around online privacy. The film will screen Friday, July 27th at 4:05PM at the Castro Theatre and Sunday, July 29th at 2:15PM at the Albany Twin Theatre in Albany with director Cynthia Lowen and subject Anita Sarkeesian in person for both screenings.

Nancy Schwartzman's ROLL RED ROLL which uncovers disturbing evidence on social media documenting the assault of a teenage girl by members of an idolized Ohio high school football team. Following its World Premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, the film will make its West Coast Premiere Saturday, July 28th at 12:30PM at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, and Sunday, July 29th at 12:00PM at the Albany Twin Theatre in Albany. Director Nancy Schwartzman will be present for both screenings.

Showing just how far the film industry has come in the conversation about female representation and empowerment, SFJFF38 will present the pre-Code, 1933 Hollywood film BABY FACE starring Barbara Stanwyck as a victim-turned-survivor, who exploits men in her climb to the top. The film will screen Thursday, July 26th at 11:30AM at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. The film will screen in 35mm.

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Entering its 38th year, the Festival is expecting an audience of over 40,000 moviegoers at the following theaters; the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, the Albany Twin Theatre in Albany, the Piedmont Theatre in Oakland, the CinéArts Theatre in Palo Alto, and the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael.

For general and ticket information, visit sfjff.org or email jewishfilm@sfjff.org. To contact the SFJFF Box Office directly, please email boxoffice@sfjff.org or call 415.621.0568. The full program for SFJFF38 will be revealed on June 19, 2018.   For Festival logos, photos and press materials, visit jfi.org/press or sfjff.org/press. To request interviews or screeners, contact Larsen Associates.

HASHTAGS: #SFJFF, #SFJFF38 and #SFJewishFilm

About the Jewish Film Institute 
The Jewish Film Institute (JFI) is the premier curatorial voice for Jewish film and media and a leading arts and culture organization in the Bay Area. Presenter of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, JFI catalyzes and inspires communities in San Francisco and around the world to expand their understanding of Jewish life and culture through film, media, and dialogue. Year round, the Jewish Film Institute promotes awareness and appreciation of the diversity of the Jewish people through multiple mediums - including original online programming that reaches a global audience of over 2 million views. All of these services, along with artists' support and educational initiatives, give audiences around the world even greater access to Jewish culture and the visionaries who shape it.

About the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF), presented by the Jewish Film Institute, is the largest and longest-running festival of its kind and a leader in the curation and presentation of new film and media exploring the complexities of Jewish life around the world. Presenting more than 65 films and 135 individual screenings, performances and events in five Bay Area cities (San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Rafael, Oakland, Berkeley), SFJFF attracts more than 40,000 filmgoers and industry professionals to its 18-day program.

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival 38 Sponsors

The Jewish Film Institute and San Francisco Jewish Film Festival wish to thank the 2018 Premier Festival Sponsors Sterling Bank & Trust and The Seligman Family Foundation.  

SFJFF38 wishes to thank its Premier Media Sponsors: the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGATE; its Grand Media Sponsors: J. the Jewish News of Northern California, KQED and The Forward; and its Major Media Sponsors: ABC7/KGO-TV, Berkeleyside.com and the SF Bay Times.  

The Festival wishes to thank its Business and Community Sponsors: Berkeley Film Foundation,
Britex Fabrics, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, Craig Harrison's Expressions of Excellence^TM,GoWatchIt, Ingeniux Web Experience Management, Schoenberg Family Law Group, Sinai Memorial Chapel Chevra Kadisha and Wareham Development and Where the Buffalo Roam.  

SFJFF38 also recognizes its Hospitality and Events Sponsors: Leftwich Event Specialists, Inc., Ba-Bite, Catch SF, Hagafen Wineries, the Hotel Carlton, Lagunitas Brewing Co., Landmark Theatres, L'Chaim Sushi, Frena Bakery, Little Star Pizza, Melons Catering & Events, Sullivan & Botello Party Rentals, Poesia, Salt & Honey, Saul's Restaurant and Delicatessen, Taste, Wise Sons and Zaytoon Mediterranean Restaurant & Bar.

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