THE 38TH SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL CENTERPIECE PROGRAMS INCLUDE WEST COAST PREMIERE OF "TO DUST" AND NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF "THE WALDHEIM WALTZ"
6/19/2018
SAN FRANCISCO, June 19, 2018 - The 38th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF38), presented annually by the Jewish Film Institute (JFI), is thrilled to host the West Coast Premiere of Shawn Snyder's TO DUST as the Centerpiece Narrative, and the North American Premiere of Ruth Beckermann's THE WALDHEIM WALTZ as the Centerpiece Documentary.
Centerpiece Narrative - TO DUST
SFJFF will present TO DUST as the 2018 Centerpiece Narrative. The film, which won the Audience Award at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival for Best Narrative, follows Shmuel (Géza Röhrig of Son of Saul), an Hasidic cantor in Upstate New York. Distraught by the untimely death of his wife, he struggles to find religious solace, while secretly obsessing over how her body will decay. He develops a partnership with Albert (Matthew Broderick), a local community college biology professor, and the two embark on a darkly comic and increasingly literal undertaking in the underworld. Director Shawn Snyder and actor Géza Röhrig will be in attendance for the San Francisco screening of the film Wednesday, June 25th at 8:30PM at the Castro Theatre. Additional screenings of the film will take place on Monday, July 30th at 8:30PM at the Albany Twin Theatre in Albany and Saturday, August 4th at 6:35PM at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael.
Centerpiece Documentary - THE WALDHEIM WALTZ
For the Centerpiece Documentary, SFJFF will present Ruth Beckermann's THE WALDHEIM WALTZ, winner of the top documentary prize at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival. Beckermann documents the process of uncovering former UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim's wartime past. Along the way Beckermann shows the swift succession of new allegations by the World Jewish Congress during Waldheim's Austrian presidential campaign, the denial by the Austrian political class, and the outbreak of anti-Semitism and patriotism, which finally led to his election. Director Ruth Beckermann will be in attendance for the first two screenings of the film Tuesday, July 24th at 6:10PM at the Castro Theater in San Francisco, and Wednesday, July 25th at 6:00PM at the CinéArts Theatre in Palo Alto. The Festival will host additional screenings Monday, July 30th at 6:00PM at the Albany Twin Theatre in Albany and Saturday, August 4th at 4:05PM at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael.
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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.
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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 ExcellenceTM,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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