‘Fiddler’ doc screening locally

South Floridians will have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge regarding the story behind the beloved Broadway musical “Fiddler on the Roof ” when the documentary “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” screens locally.

The film makes its Florida premiere at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at Miami Theater Center, 9806 NE 2nd Ave. in Miami Shores. The screening, presented by the Miami Jewish Film Festival, will feature a live performance of songs from “Fiddler on the Roof.” The documentary will be released in theaters across the country on Aug. 23. The Judy Levis Markhoff Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival will also present a screening at 1 p.m. Aug. 28 at the Adolph and Rose Levis Jewish Community Center’s Sandler Center’s Beifield Auditorim, 21050 95th Ave. South in Boca Raton.

“Fiddler on the Roof,” based on a series of stories by writer Sholem Aleichem, revolves around a Jewish milkman named Tevye living in a shtetl in czarist Russia. When the musical opened on Broadway in 1964, it explored themes of tradition, religion and anti-Semitism against a modern backdrop of radical social change that addressed gender roles, sexuality and race. The documentary explores the legacy of this longrunning, award-winning musical as it features rare performance footage and interviews with the musical’s lyricist Sheldon Harnick and past performers Chaim Topol and Austin Pendleton.

There is also commentary by admirers and Broadway luminaries like Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Itzhak Perlman and stars of the Broadway revival, among many others.

Max Lewkowicz, the film’s director, co-producer and co-writer, recalled meeting and hearing Harnick speak at a presentation in New York in 2015 when the show’s revival was being planned.

“I thought that was a great storyteller,” Lewkowicz said regarding his impression on Harnick that evening. “I realized how much I’ve loved ‘Fiddler on the Roof ’ since I was a kid, and I’m always in awe of people who are fantastic artists and musicians, so I asked Sheldon if I could do some interviews with him about the history of this show since he has such amazing stories, and he said absolutely. We started to go into this process, and then I began to realize that there was so much more than just a story about a Broadway show coming to life. As I started to film and started to dig and dig, I began to realize this was about everything that we see today in the news.”

The film focuses on three time frames – 1905, 1964 and today, and it explores a number of themes, all of which are present in each time frame. Lewkowicz describes this as a film that “celebrates what great art does.” He also said there are so many things audiences can take away from it.

Igor Shteyrenberg, MJFF’s executive director, said, “We’re thrilled to host the Florida premiere of ‘Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles,’ a profoundly moving and fitting tribute to one of the most important shows that’s inspired countless productions and generations of performers.”

Visit miamijewishfilmfestival.org or call 305-573-7304 to purchase tickets or for more information on the Miami Shores screening, which is free for festival members.

Visit levisjcc.org/culture/films/ or call 561-558-2520 for more information on the Boca Raton screening.

Check local listings or visit thefiddlerfilmtickets.com/, which will go live on Aug. 21 at 1 p.m., for information on theaters showing the film when it makes its theatrical release.