One of the Bay Area’s top cinema events is back – the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF), running from July 18 to August 4. The SFJFF is the world’s oldest and largest Jewish film festival, and the program offers over 60 films from Israel, Palestine, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, the US and the UK.
This year’s festival (the 44th!) expands to eighteen days and six Bay Area venues. Films will screen at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts, Vogue and Roxie, and Oakland’s Landmark Piedmont Theater, as well as additional programming at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.
The SFJFF is a major Jewish cultural event held against the backdrop of current events in Israel and Gaza, and the SFJFF is leaning right into what would otherwise be the elephant in the room.
At SFJFF44, JFI is dedicated to maintaining a respectful environment for filmmakers and audiences from diverse cultures and perspectives to reflect on the current climate through the lens of domestic and international filmmakers, including Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers and collaborative projects.
Over the last 44 years, SFJFF has presented many groundbreaking films that probe the unexpected and nuanced corners of history, identity, and artmaking to create opportunities for audiences and artists alike to look closely at the complexity all around them. At SFJFF44, JFI is dedicated to maintaining a respectful environment for filmmakers and audiences from diverse cultures and perspectives to reflect on the current climate through the lens of Israeli, Palestinian, and domestic/international filmmakers. Audiences are invited to ask questions, find solidarity in community, and experience multiple programs (to be announced) which will exist in dialogue with one another to explore the past and present complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
I’ve been covering the SFJFF since 2016, I’m not Jewish and I can attest that this attitude is nothing new. I’ve seen SFJFF films with Palestinian voices, by Palestinian and Israeli Arab filmmakers, and about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
My favorite film at this year’s SFJFF is Mediterranean Fever, from Israeli Arab director Maha Haj, whose story glimpses into the day-to-day life of Israeli Arabs – and middle-class Israeli Arabs at that. It’s a character-driven dark comedy, and I’ll be writing about it on Thursday.
At previous SFJFFs, I’ve found very strong documentaries: What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael, Satan & Adam, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, The Mossad, Levinsky Park, Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me, Charm Circle and Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy.
This year, the SFJFF presents a strong menu of comedies, including Mediterranean Fever. The Centerpiece Narrative is Between The Temples, starring Jason Schwartzman as a cantor experiencing a crisis of faith and Carol Kane as his childhood music teacher and adult Bat Mitzvah student. Between the Temples generated buzz at its premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Kane (Hester Street, Annie Hall, The Princess Bride) is a force of nature, and Dolly De Leon (Triangle of Sadness) sparkles as a relentlessly determined Jewish mother.
I’ll be posting my SFJFF recommendations on Thursday. Peruse the program and purchase tickets at SFJFF. Here’s the festival trailer.