Turning 21: Seattle Jewish Film Festival reaches maturity
“Drink up the culture!”
That’s the message from the organizers of the Seattle Jewish Film Festival (SJFF) as the longtime local cinematic event — presented by the Stroum Jewish Community Center — hits its milestone 21st year.
Between April 2 and 10, 25 films from a dozen countries will screen across three venues, including SIFF Cinema Uptown (511 Queen Anne Ave. N)., coupled with a bevy of special events, all designed to connect people with both Jewish and Israeli cinema and life.
Festival director Pamela Lavitt said that’s often something “we don’t have a lot of touch points for in our community.”
Community participation
To set the lineup, a group of about 25 community programmers, which Lavitt said span a wide range of demographics, sort through approximately 350 films each year. In previous years, professional programmers did that work, but by inviting the community to participate, Lavitt said it has increased not only enthusiasm and interest in the festival but ticket sales, as well.
“It’s great to have such a group of committed people,” she said, “and it’s made the festival better.”
Lavitt said the first film secured for this year’s festival was “Rosenwald,” about businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, who funded the construction of thousands of African-Americans schools in the South in the early 1900s. That screening (Sunday, April 3, at 4:30 p.m.) at AMC Pacific Place (600 Pine St.) will also honor filmmaker Aviva Kempner, the recipient of this year’s REEL Difference Award, while SJFF founding chair Deborah Rosen receives the REAL Difference Award.
Among the screenings taking place at SIFF Cinema Uptown is of “In Search of Israeli Cuisine,” on April 7, a documentary about Israel’s food scene through the eyes of James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Solomonov of Philadelphia’s Zahav. Solomonov will attend, and the ticket price includes a catered “Taste of Zahav” after the film.
Also playing at SIFF Cinema is “Surviving Skokie,” a documentary about an Illinois town that was home to 7,000 Holocaust survivors who witnessed a neo-Nazi uprising in the late 1970s. Director Eli Adler and his father, Jack, a subject of the film, will both attend the screening on April 4 at 6:10 p.m.
Meanwhile, the opening-night film, “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” is Natalie Portman’s directorial debut, of the adaptation of Israeli author Amos Oz’s autobiographical novel; it screens at AMC Pacific Place at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 2.
The festival will wrap up at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island on April 10 with a screening of “Baba Joon,” a film about three generations of Persian-Jewish immigrants struggling to manage a turkey farm, starring Navid Negahban of TV’s “Homeland,” who will also attend.
A dedicated buy-in
Lavitt also shed some light on the finances of the festival, noting that ticket sales cover approximately a quarter of the budget, while donors, foundations and entities like the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and 4Culture cover the rest. While many of the expenses aren’t flashy, they’re still necessities for the festival to run smoothly.
“Those are the things that aren’t so pretty and exciting, but foundations and grants help us accomplish that goal every year,” Lavitt said.
She also noted the contributions of about 40 community partners — nonprofits, schools and clubs, among others — that pay $350 to sponsor a film during the festival. Together, it all points to a dedicated buy-in from a wide swath of the community.
And as with other local film festivals, the SJFF helps broaden cultural understanding.
“We are the cultural mosaic of our communities, and film is an amazing and easy access medium to learn more about your neighbors, grow your awareness and be part of a global independent cinema, which is flourishing at this time,” she said.
For more information on the festival or to purchase tickets, visit www.seattlejewishfilmfestival.org.
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