Next Wave at the 37th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival: Contemporary Stories
6/20/2017
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Next Wave at SFJFF37 showcases fresh stories and perspectives exploring contemporary life through a Jewish lens from around the globe. As part of the Next Wave program, SFJFF37 is pleased to present the Next Wave Festival Pass for $40. Film lovers ages 35 and under are eligible for the pass which includes access to special events, film screenings, artist talks and more at SFJFF and throughout the year.
The films featured in the Next Wave program will screen during the 37th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF) which returns to the Bay Area July 20th to August 6th, 2017.
Elvira Lind's multiple award-‐winner from the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival BOBBI JENE will make its Bay Area premiere at the festival. The documentary follows American dancer Bobbi Jene Smith in the aftermath of her decision to leave behind her prominent position at the world-‐famous Batsheva Dance Company in Israel and return to the U.S. As part of the presentation at the festival, SFJFF will present a rare performance from Bobbi Jene in partnership with ODC Dance in San Francisco. The performance will take place Wednesday, August 2nd at 8PM at ODC.
Zosia Mamet of GIRLS stars in Sophie Brooks' THE BOY DOWNSTAIRS, which will screen as the Next Wave Spotlight presentation. An official selection of the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, Mamet stars as Diana who has just returned to New York after living in London for three years trying to become a writer. She is forced to reflect on her first relationship when she inadvertently moves into her ex boyfriend's apartment building. The Next Wave Spotlight Reception for Next Wave Passholders will follow the film after the Saturday, July 29 screening at 6:25pm at the Castro Theatre. Director Sophie Brooks will be in attendance for the West Coast premiere of the film.
Director Neil Berkeley will be on hand for the West Coast premiere of GILBERT, his candid profile of the boundary-‐pushing comic Gilbert Gottfried. Featuring interviews with comics like Whoopi Goldberg and behind-‐the-‐scenes glimpses of Gottfried's performances, Gilbert separates the man from the act, and what emerges is unexpectedly tender.
HOUSE OF Z, Sandy Chronopoulos' examination of renowned fashion designer Zac Posen. Best known as a celebrity judge on Project Runway, Chronopoulos' shows how Posen began designing as a teen and with his family's support, enjoyed a meteoric rise.
Starring Natalie Portman and Lily-‐Rose Depp, PLANETARIUM follows two séance-‐ conducting sisters who meet a silver-‐haired French film producer who vows to capture their communions with the dead on his on cinematographic medium.
Maysaloun Hamoud's IN BETWEEN, a tale of three modern Palestinian Israeli women searching for friendship, love and independence.
SFJFF's two short film programs JEWS IN SHORTS (DOCS & NARRATIVES) will feature fascinating documentary subjects and complex narratives to highlight contemporary life through a Jewish lens.
In LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER, a modern-‐day retelling of the story of Romeo and Juliet, Arthur a bike messenger from a working-‐class Welsh mining town falls for Vida, a cellist and daughter of a wealthy Jewish family from London.
The Dutch romantic comedy MOOS follows lovable single woman Moos, a devoted daughter who is inspired to follow her own dreams when an old friend comes along.
MR. PREDICTABLE, the endearing Israeli romantic comedy about a father whose cancer diagnosis forces him to choose whether to stand up for himself or continue to let life push him around.
The Opening Night film of IDFA 2016, STRANGER IN PARADISE offers three takes on immigration in Europe from an aggressive right-‐wing tabloid, a more human liberal stance and finally, a classroom of real-‐life migrants who are told how their cases may be handled. Operating at the intersection of fiction and documentary, STRANGER IN PARADISE reflects on the power relations between Europeans and refugees in a candid fashion.
To kick off the East Bay screenings at the Landmark Albany Twin Theatre in Albany, SFJFF will launch with Raoul Peck's biopic THE YOUNG KARL MARX, which looks at the early years of Karl Marx. The film originally premiered at the 2017 Berlinale and will makes its Bay Area premiere at the festival. Following the East Bay screening of the film Thursday, July 27 at 7pm at the Landmark Albany Twin, the festival will celebrate the first night of East Bay screenings with a special Block Party with light refreshments and entertainment.
Entering its 37th year, the Festival is expecting an audience of over 40,000 moviegoers at the following theaters; the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, the Landmark Albany Twin in Albany, the CinéArts Theatre in Palo Alto, the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, and the New Parkway Theater in Oakland. For ticket information, please visit the Jewish Film Institute online at www.jfi.org or the Festival website at www.sfjff.org or contact the box office at 415.621.0568.
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Website: www.jfi.org / www.sfjff.org
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. 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. SFJFF attracts more than 40,000 filmgoers and industry professionals to its annual three weeks of inspiring films, events, panels and parties. Screenings take place at the historic Castro theatre in San Francisco and venues throughout the Bay Area during July and August.
Ticket Information, Festival Dates and Public Contact Numbers
The 37th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival will take place July 20th - August 6th, 2017. For more information, visit the SFJFF website at www.sfjff.org or contact jewishfilm@sfjff.org. For Box Office information, please contact boxoffice@sfjff.org or call 415.621.0568. The complete lineup of films will be announced on June 20, 2017 along with a full complement of discussion programs, international guests, awards, and celebrations.
The 37th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival is supported by: Premier Festival Sponsors - Sterling Ban & Trust and the Seligman Family Foundation; Premier Hospitality Sponsor - The Orchard Hotel; Grand Media Sponsors - The Forward, KQED, J. the Jewish News of Northern California and SF Weekly.