Take Action Day: Repairing the World One Film at a Time at the 37th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
6/20/2017
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The Jewish Film Institute (JFI) is pleased to present the fourth annual Take Action Day, a full day dedicated to community action as part of the 37th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF) which returns to the Bay Area July 20th to August 6th, 2017. SFJFF will screen these inspiring films on Monday, July 24th at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco.
Film, media and storytelling have played a critical role in the national conversation about the issues facing the 21st century world, and SFJFF is proud to present the work of filmmakers who are creating social justice media and see their work as part of a larger mission to inspire personal and societal transformation. Inspired by the Jewish value of tikkun olam, the films presented as part of Take Action Day aim to inspire viewers to help repair the world with their actions. Each film will be followed by a discussion of the issues and highlights the community organizations that are making a difference with their work.
HEATHER BOOTH: CHANGING THE WORLD - 12:15pm
Lilly Rivlin's look at activist Heather Booth, HEATHER BOOTH: CHANGING THE WORLD, will kick off Take Action Day. The film follows Booth's actions as an organizer who as been at the center of almost every social movement of the past 50 years. From registering Mississippi voters during the 1964 Freedom Summer to joining Elizabeth Warren in the fight against Wall Street banks, Booth has been a formidable force for change. Director Lilly Rivlin and subject Heather Booth will be present for the screening and post-‐film discussion moderated by Emmy-‐nominated filmmaker Susan Stern.
LITTLE STONES - 2:15pm
Director Sophia Kruz will be on hand for the screening of her film LITTLE STONES, a profile of four women working to help women around the world in unique ways. A Brazilian graffiti artist speaks out against domestic violence; a Senegalese hip hop musician educates young women about the perils of genital mutilation; a classically trained dancer in India helps heal victims of sex trafficking through movement therapy; and a young American finds high-‐end U.S. markets for poor Kenyan women's hand-‐sewn clothing. Susan Stern will be on hand to moderate a post film discussion with Kruz.
BENDING THE ARC - 4:45pm
An official selection of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, BENDING THE ARC is Keif Davidson and Pedro Kos' inspiring look at the doctors and activists who came together thirty years ago with the goal of providing health care for all, particularly in the developing world. This inspiring documentary charts the success of Partners in Health, an NGO that builds hospitals and delivers health care throughout the world as they work to bend the arc toward justice. Director Pedro Kos has been invited to attend the screening.
AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER (Local Spotlight) - 7:30pm
AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER, the highly anticipated sequel to AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, will screen as the final film on Take Action Day (also the Local Spotlight film) with local filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk in attendance. The film follows Al Gore's work as he continues to inform and educate about the catastrophic consequences of climate change.
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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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.