SAN FRANCISCO - The Jewish Film Institute (JFI) announces the 39th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF) will open on Thursday, July 18th at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco with the West Coast premiere of Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles, Max Lewkowicz's documentary about the creative origins and long-lasting impact of the famed 1964 Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof. The director will be in attendance. Tickets are now on sale for the film and the Opening Night Bash, which will be held at the Contemporary Jewish Museum following the film. The complete lineup of films at the 39th edition of the Festival is announced today.
SFJF39F will open with Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles, director Max Lewkowicz's film about the inspiration behind the iconic 1964 Broadway Musical, Fiddler on the Roof, which held the record, for 10 years, as the longest-running musical on Broadway. This lively documentary is full of interviews with the musical's creators, performance clips from productions around the world (including the classic film version and the current popular Yiddish-language adaptation), and commentary from admirers like Stephen Sondheim and Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda. Fiddler on the Roof, despite its popularity, was established by a small team of Jewish-American musical theater artists. Composer Jerry Brock and lyricist Sheldon Harnick (Fiorello!, She Loves Me) joined forces with book writer Joe Stein and director/choreographer Jerome Robbins (né Rabinowitz, West Side Story) to turn Sholom Aleichem's stories into the Broadway phenomenon we all know today.
Following the screening, there will be an Opening Night Bash to celebrate the opening of SFJFF39 held at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St in San Francisco. This is a 21+ event. Food options come from Oren's Hummus, L'Chaim Foods, Wise Sons, and Taste Catering, as well as sweets from Cinderella Bakery and Fairytale Brownies.
Film & Party: $65 Members / $75 General
Film Only: $30 Members / $35 General
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Entering its 39th year, the Festival is expecting an audience of over 40,000 moviegoers at the following theaters; the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, various locations in the East Bay, the CinéArts Theatre in Palo Alto, and the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael. For general and ticket information, visit jfi.org/sfjff and 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 SFJFF39 will be revealed on June 18, 2019. 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, Albany), SFJFF attracts more than 40,000 filmgoers and industry professionals to its 18-day program.