Virtually Together Again! March 4-18
Comedian Howie Mandel launches Opening Night with documentary film and Zoom conversation featuring acclaimed director Barry Avrich
SEATTLE, Wash. – The Seattle Jewish Film Festival (SJFF) has announced its full line-up of streaming films for the 26th festival, running March 4-18, 2021.
SJFF features 19 films from around the world, including Germany, Poland, Argentina, Israel, and Norway. This year’s festival features comedies, love stories, and tales of triumph and overcoming adversity to joyously bring us virtually together again, even though we’re far apart.
The festival opens with the documentary film HOWIE MANDEL: BUT, ENOUGH ABOUT ME, a revealing and funny look at the Emmy-nominated comedian and game show host’s quirky career and struggles with mental health. The film will be available for streaming March 4-7; as with all films in the virtual line-up, it will be available for 72 hours. Howie Mandel will also join us, along with acclaimed documentary film director Barry Avrich, for a Zoom conversation.
Films also include WINTER JOURNEY, starring Bruno Ganz (WINGS OF DESIRE), delivering a sublime performance in his final role; the star-studded ON BROADWAY (a half-price matinee for seniors 65+) featuring Helen Mirren, Alec Baldwin, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, among others; THEY AIN’T READY FOR ME, a powerhouse profile of African American rabbinical student, mom, and Chicago community activist Tamar Manasseh; and the hilarious Argentinian comedy MY AMAZING FUNERAL to close out the festival. This year’s festival features two LGBTQ+ Spotlight films: SUBLET by acclaimed Israeli director Eytan Fox and romantic comedy KISS ME KOSHER, director Shirel Peleg’s brave debut.
“The films in this year’s virtual festival focus on light, levity, and laughter to brighten our spirits in dark, challenging times,” says Pamela Lavitt, SJCC Arts + Ideas and Festival Director. “Comics, romantic comedies, inclusivity, and triumphant gritty stories will bring everyone in your household together—even if virtually—to gather ‘round and laugh, cry, debate, and celebrate global Jewish and Israeli cinema in our hearts and homes.”
The two-week festival will also feature Zoom conversations with filmmakers and guests, delicious partnerships with culinary vendors, and engaging community events. Stay tuned for more announcements and additions to our website, http://www.SeattleJFF.org, in the coming weeks.
Tickets for SJFF are on sale now. Single household film ticket prices range from $12-20. Ticket packages include a 6-pack for $60-75 and Full Festival All-Access passes for $160-180. Discounts are available for seniors 65+ and students. While tickets and passes are per household, only one device can watch a film. Once you start playing a film, you must continue watching on the same device/location. All films are available for 72-hour viewing windows. All films can be viewed in Washington State and beyond, some nationally. We recommend reading our Streaming FAQ before purchasing tickets.
- Full festival schedule and online ticket sales at www.SeattleJFF.org
- For press credentials, additional high-res images, to preview any films, or arrange interviews with festival staff and guests please email John Shaffer at JohnS@sjcc.org.
- Explore the SJFF Media Kit or Films Press Kit
Full Festival Lineup
(alphabetical order)
For a list of all programs in schedule order, including streaming windows for each film, www.SeattleJFF.org
ADVENTURES OF A MATHEMATICIAN
Fascinating story of one of the greatest scientific minds of the 20th century, a Polish mathematician, humbled and haunted by his greatest achievement.
- Thor Klein | Drama | Germany, Poland, United Kingdom | 2019 | English, Polish w/English subtitles | 102m | PG
AMERICAN BIRTHRIGHT
A Jewish millennial embarks on a conversational journey with family, friends, and faith leaders as she grapples with her sister’s intermarriage as well as her own Israeli birthright and Jewish values.
- Becky Tahel | Documentary | USA | 2020 | English | 65m | G
- Includes Zoom conversation with filmmaker Becky Tahel
AULCIE
The rise, fall, and redemption of an American-Israeli basketball legend.
- Dani Menken | Documentary | USA, Israel | 2019 | English, Hebrew w/English subtitles | 74m | PG-13
BREAKING BREAD | Culinary Cinema
The first Muslim Arab to win Israel’s MasterChef makes social change through food.
- Beth Elise Hawk | Documentary | USA | 2020 | English | 86m | G
COMMON GOAL | Brunch Film
Almost half the players on the Israeli national soccer team are Muslim. Questioned by all sides, they try to guide the team through their biggest international tournament.
- Shuki Guzik | Documentary | Israel | 2020 | Hebrew, Arabic, English w/English subtitles | 52m | G
- Order Zylberschtein’s Brunch Kit – pick-up and delivery options available: click here
THE CROSSING
Adventurous 10-year-old Gerda and brother Otto discover two Jewish children hiding in their basement and embark on a courageous journey to reunite them with their parents.
- Johanne Helgeland | Drama | Norway | 2020 | Norwegian w/English subtitles | 90m | PG
FROM CAIRO TO THE CLOUD | Sephardic/Mizrahi Spotlight
In Cairo’s ancient synagogue, a vast treasure trove of cast-off documents revolutionizes our understanding of Jewish history now that these fragments have been digitally reunited.
- Michelle Paymar | Documentary | Canada, USA, Egypt, France, Israel, UK | 2018 | English | 94m | G
- Includes Zoom conversation with filmmaker Michele Paymar
GOLDEN VOICES | Israeli Night
Film-dubbing stars find quirky ways to make a living as Soviet immigrants in Israel.
- Evgeny Ruman | Comedy | Israel | 2019 | Russian, Hebrew w/English subtitles | 88m | PG-13
HOWIE MANDEL: BUT, ENOUGH ABOUT ME | Opening Night
A revealing and very funny look at the wildly creative veteran comedian, actor, Emmy-nominated TV game show host, and America’s Got Talent judge.
- Available starting Thursday, March 4, 7 pm (72-hour streaming window)
- Barry Avrich | Documentary | Canada | 2020 | English | 88m | PG
- Includes Zoom conversation with veteran comedian and film subject Howie and acclaimed director Barry Avrich.
IN YOUR EYES I SEE MY COUNTRY
Neta Elkayam and Amit Haï Cohen take a musical journey to bridge the dissonance of their fragmented, dual Israeli and Moroccan Jewish identities through song.
- Kamal Hachkar | Documentary | Morocco | 2019 | Hebrew, Arabic, French w/English subtitles | 72m | G
KISS ME KOSHER | Gay Gezunt! LGBTQ+ Spotlight
An endearing dual love story and romantic misadventure of clashing cultures and families. Can the couples build a future together without ignoring the past?
- Shirel Peleg | Romantic Comedy | Israel, Germany | 2019 | Hebrew, English, German, w/English subtitles | 106m | R
MY AMAZING FUNERAL | Closing Weekend
In this uproarious Argentinean slapstick comedy, a controlling Jewish mother fakes her own funeral to hastily reunite her far-flung family.
- Néstor Sánchez Sotelo | Narrative Comedy | Argentina | 2019 | Spanish w/English subtitles | 89m | PG
ON BROADWAY | Half-Price Senior 65+ Matinee
An all-star cast tells the inside story of Broadway’s (pre-pandemic) revival, from A Chorus Line to Hamilton.
- Oren Jacoby | Documentary | USA | 2019 | English | 85m | G
- Sunday Matinee: Seniors 65+ enjoy a “longevity” discount on admission ($7.50)
SCHOCKEN | Local Connections
Salman Schocken was much more than the king of department stores in Germany. The bibliophile and maverick modernist bought Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, founded Schocken Books, and standardized Hebrew type.
- Local Connections screening features global connections to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest
- Noemi Schory | Documentary | Israel, Germany | 2020 | Hebrew, German w/English subtitles | 75m | G
- Includes Zoom conversation: Joseph Schocken and Barbara Lahav of Seattle discuss their uncle Salman Schocken with filmmaker Noemi Schory.
SOROS
An unprecedented look at billionaire George Soros, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor, who is one of the most influential and controversial figures of our time.
- Jesse Dylan | Documentary | USA | 2019 | English | 86m | PG
SUBLET | Gay Gezunt! LGBTQ+ Spotlight
John Benjamin Hickey (The Good Wife) stars as a middle-aged American travel writer subletting an apartment from a handsome free spirit in Tel Aviv.
- Eytan Fox | Drama | Israel, USA | 2020 | English, Hebrew w/English subtitles | 89m | PG-13
THEY AIN’T READY FOR ME
Combating gun violence on the South Side of Chicago, African American rabbinical student Tamar Manasseh is a fearless community leader and force to be reckoned with.
- Brad Rothschild | Documentary | USA |2019 | English | 89m | PG
THOU SHALT NOT HATE
An endearing dual love story and romantic misadventure of clashing cultures and families. Can the couples build a future together without ignoring the past?
- Mauro Mancini | Drama/Thriller | Italy, Poland | 2020 | Italian w/English subtitles | 96m | R
WINTER JOURNEY
An intimate story of family secrets and a father-son interview, remarkably illustrated through archival images, footage, and actual conversations. Bruno Ganz (WINGS OF DESIRE) delivers a sublime and vulnerable performance as the father in his final role.
- Anders Østergaard, Erzsébet Rácz | Drama/Biographical Documentary | Denmark, Germany | 2019 | English, German w/English subtitles | 90m | PG
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About the Seattle Jewish Film Festival
Seattle Jewish Film Festival (SJFF) is one of the largest and longest-running film festivals in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest Jewish film festivals in the country. A cornerstone program of the Stroum Jewish Community Center (SJCC), SJFF brings people together from across Washington State—and virtually around the globe—to celebrate and showcase the vibrancy and diversity of Jewish and Israeli life through cinema. Year-round, SJFF and SJCC Arts + Ideas present film and performing arts programs that build connections, unlock perspectives, engage the community, and uplift the human spirit. Tickets and more information at www.SeattleJFF.org.
Media contact:
John Shaffer
Stroum Jewish Community Center Director of Marketing and Public Relations
johns@sjcc.org