San Francisco Jewish Film Festival Coverage Introduction
Tonight marks the kick-off of the 33rd San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, and with the fest’s advancing age comes a cinematic expansion of sorts. This year’s theme is “Life Through a Jew(ish) Lens”, the idea being that the films included this year aren’t all necessarily focused squarely on the core Jewish experience. It’s a fun, inclusive, theme that informed atypical festival selections like director Bill Siegel’s documentary The Trials of Muhammad Ali, exploring of the social and political climate of the 1960’s through the eyes of “The Greatest”, and Dawn Porter’s Gideon’s Army, which highlights a trio of public defenders from the Deep South.
The festival runs from July 25th to August 12th, so if you’re in the Bay Area, there are plenty of chances for you to come out to one of the many festival venues spread out across the Bay, take part in this giant celebration of Jewishness, and most importantly, watch some exciting independent films by some talented directors. You can come out to say hi to me as well! Join me, gentle readers, on a journey of Jew-lightenment and Jew-scovery! Sorry…I um…sorry.
It all starts tonight with the Bay Area premiere of The Zigzag Kid, a family friendly coming-of-age story about a mischievous 13-year-old boy named Nono who embarks on a quest to find a famous singer (Isabella Rossellini).
For the full lineup and ticket info, visit sfjff.org
Stay tuned to Way Too Indie over the next couple weeks for reviews, interviews, and photos from the festival. For now, check out the festival’s hilarious trailer to whet your appetite: