What to expect from the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Pictured is an image from the movie “A Classy Broad.”
Why messages on Post-its have meaning for the S.F. Jewish Film Festival this year
When organizers of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival were putting together the lineup for this year’s event, they found inspiration in an unusual object: the Post-it note.
Last fall, after the election of President Trump, an artist installed sticky notes on the subway wall of the 14th Street-Union Square station in New York, inspiring tens of thousands of bystanders to express in writing their feelings about what had just happened.
A potent symbol of positivity and community, the “Subway Therapy” project struck a national nerve.
“We were inspired by the outpouring of hope and inclusivity of this artistic endeavor that is so in line with the Jewish Film Insti-
tute’s own values,” said Lexi Leban, executive director of the festival, which runs Thursday, July 20, through Aug. 6.
Attendees should find comfort in the fact that these values will be on full display at the 37th annual festival. This year, women directed 41 percent of the films, including the opening- and closing-night features. The festival will continue to shine a light on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how the horrors of the Holocaust continue to have relevance. And the festival will embrace globalism, showcasing filmmakers who have delved into the populist and nationalist movements that are breeding anti-immigrant and antirefugee sentiment in Europe and America.
“Our biggest surprise in putting together this program was the fact that we were able to get so many important and groundbreaking works into the lineup,” said Leban. “The landscape for festivals is getting more challenging, and it is amazing that year after year we continue to bring the best works to the Bay Area.”
One of the best and most high-profile works of the festival will be “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” a follow-up to the seminal film “An Inconvenient Truth,” which changed the way many Americans think about global warming. Former Vice President Al Gore is back for the sequel, and he’s scheduled to attend the July 24 screening at the Castro.
The festival will open July 20 with “Keep the Change,” a romantic comedy about two people on the autism spectrum. The narrative centerpiece will be “1945,” a searing drama about a Hungarian village that gets turned upside down when two Jewish visitors arrive shortly after the end of the war. The closing night film will be “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story,” a documentary that reveals the life story — and genius — of the legendary pinup sensation of the 1930s.
“We have a large number of awardwinning films that premiered at some of the best festivals in the world, including Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca, Toronto and Cannes,” said Leban, who made sure that Post-it notes were prominent in the cover design of the festival guide.
“This lineup will appeal to diverse audiences across the Bay Area.”