SJFF 2022 | THE ANCIENT LAW – Stroum Jewish Community Center of Greater Seattle

CENTERPIECE SCREENING:
STG + SJFF PRESENT “SILENT MOVIE MONDAYS” WITH A LIVE SCORE AT THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE

E.A. Dupont | Digitally Restored Silent Drama | Germany, 1923 | 128m German w/English subtitles
Featuring an original live score performed by composer/world-renowned klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals and composer/pianist Donald Sosin, with special guest clarinetist Laura DeLuca

In-Person: Monday, April 4 | 7 pm | Paramount Theatre

Film: The son of an Orthodox rabbi from a poor shtetl breaks with tradition to become an actor in this digitally restored silent film (1923) with an original score performed live by world-renowned klezmer violinist/composer Alicia Svigals, silent film pianist/composer Donald Sosin, and Laura DeLuca of the Seattle Symphony and Music of Remembrance. In partnership with STG, followed by a Paramount Theatre CineClub discussion.

Special Event + Guests: Pre-film introduction and post-film CineClub discussion in The Paramount Bar with SJFF Director Pamela Lavitt, composers/musicians Alicia Svigals and Donald Sosin, and film scholar Cynthia Walk of the Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts. Details >>

Buy Tickets through STG: Single tickets must be purchased directly from STG online (Ticketmaster fees apply) or in-person at STG box offices (no fees). Event Info + Tickets | STG Box Office FAQs. SJFF Passes include single admission (check-in at the SJFF table in the lobby – pass, VIP pack, or proof of purchase required). Tickets for the previously scheduled March 14, 2021, screening will be honored for entry.

Planning Your SJFF Experience? Read FAQ and Ticket Information

Full Film Details:
A silent precursor to THE JAZZ SINGER, this German film, directed by E.A. Dupont, tells the story of the son of an Orthodox rabbi from a poor shtetl who breaks with family tradition when he decides to become an actor. The film will be accompanied by an original live score, performed by world-renowned violinist/composer Alicia Svigals (a founding member of the Grammy-winning klezmer band, The Klezmatics), pianist/composer Donald Sosin, and special guest clarinetist Laura de Luca from the Seattle Symphony and Music of Remembrance. Digitally restored by the Deutsche Kinemathek in Berlin, the film’s restoration, live score, and performance are made possible by underwriting from the Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts. Presented in partnership with STG Presents. Download the PDF with in-depth information about the film and score.

Director Bio:
E.A. Dupont was a renowned columnist in Germany when he entered the motion picture industry as a screenwriter in 1917. Known as a pioneer of the German film industry, as a director, he was an outstanding proponent of the German expressionist style and one of the forces behind the development of sound film. As so many other film artists from Germany, Dupont, a Jew, was forced to abandon his homeland in 1933 with the rise of Hitler.  After a stint in Great Britain, he made films in Hollywood.  Most agree that his peak period was the silent and early sound era. At one point, the American trade journal Film Daily listed him as a nominee for one of the ten best film directors.  He had an up-and-down career.  His most well-known films are classics today:  VARIETY (1925), MOULIN ROUGE (1928), and PICCADILLY (1929). View on IMDB.