The 37th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival returns July 20 – August 6, 2017 in San Francisco, the East Bay, Palo Alto and San Rafael. More information is available at www.jfi.org/sfjff37 and sfjff.org.
In Marin, SFJFF will return to the Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, August 4 – 6.
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF), presented by the Jewish Film Institute, is the largest and longest-running festival of its kind and a leader in the curation and presentation of new film and media exploring the complexities of Jewish life around the world. SFJFF attracts more than 40,000 filmgoers and industry professionals to its annual three weeks of inspiring films, events, panels and parties.
PLEASE NOTE: Rafael passes, CFI Fast Passes or CFI members’ discounts are not valid for these screenings. The Rafael will not sell advance tickets, and any remaining tickets will be available on day of show.
SFJFF37 MARIN PASS
Get into every screening at the Rafael between August 7-9 for $120 – $100 for JFI Members! SFJFF Passes will be available for purchase beginning Tuesday, June 20.
CLICK HERE to become a JFI Member
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4
FUTURES PAST
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 • 1:40
The high-stakes world of futures trading is the backdrop for this moving documentary about a filmmaker who returns home to better understand his famous and inscrutable father, the former chairman of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Director: Jordan Melamed. (US 2016) 91 min.
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PARADISE
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 • 3:50
Three lives fatefully intersect after a Russian countess is arrested for sheltering two Jewish boys in Nazi-occupied France. A compelling tale of loss and redemption, this bold drama won the Venice Film Festival’s Silver Lion award. English Subtitles. Director: Andrei Konchalovsky. (Russia 2016) 130 min.
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PERSONAL AFFAIRS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 • 6:30
Director Maha Haj doesn’t shy away from the messiness of family ties, moving deftly amongst members of a Christian/Arabic family in Nazareth perfectly encapsulating the different paths family members often take. In Arabic with English subtitles. (Israel 2016) 90 min.
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PLANETARIUM
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 • 8:35
Two young and luminous séance-conducting sisters from America (Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp) meet an enchanting French film producer who vows to capture their communions with the dead on his own cinematographic medium. English subtitles. Director: Rebecca Zlotowski. (France 2016) 106 min.
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SATURDAY, AUGUST 5
THE 90 MINUTE WAR
SATURDAY, AUGUST 5 • 12:05
In this sharp-edged political mockumentary, a century of intractable conflict between Israel and Palestine is going to be settled once and for all . . . on the soccer field. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Director: Eyal Halfon. (Israel 2016) 83 min.
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THE YOUNG KARK MARX
SATURDAY, AUGUST 5 • 2:05
Activist director Raoul Peck’s finely crafted period drama vividly brings to life events surrounding the August, 1844 meeting between Friedrich Engels, the rebellious son of a wealthy factory owner and the radical philosopher Karl Marx. English subtitles. (France/Germany 2017) 118 min.
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FANNY’S JOURNEY
SATURDAY, AUGUST 5 • 4:35
Riveting from the first frame to the last, this is the true story of a 13-year-old girl who is separated from her parents in Nazi-occupied France and leads a group of Jewish children to safety during WWII. In French with English subtitles. Director: Lola Doillon. (France 2016) 94 min.
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KEEP THE CHANGE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 5 • 6:45
Under the guise of a New York romantic comedy, Keep the Change does something quite radical: In a refreshingly honest, poignant and funny way, it portrays two adults on the autism spectrum trying to have a relationship. Director: Rachel Israel. (US 2017) 94 min.
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MR. PREDICTABLE
SATURDAY, AUGUST 5 • 8:55
In this endearing comedy, Adi is such a steady and reliable husband and father that everyone in his life takes him for granted—until he’s misdiagnosed with cancer and told that he has only weeks to live. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Director: Roee Florentin. (Israel 2016) 103 min.
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 6
HARMONIA
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 • 12:00
This understated, moving backstage musical drama is a modern-day adaptation from the Book of Genesis and centers around an enigmatic Palestinian musician who offers to have a child for an Israeli harpist and her orchestra conductor husband, Abraham. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Director: Ori Sivan. (Israel 2016) 97 min.
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1945
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 • 2:10
August, 1945. The arrival of two Orthodox Jews in a rural Hungarian village sets off a spate of paranoid rumors that speak to the collective guilt and anti-Semitism of postwar Hungary in this evocative and nuanced drama. In Hungarian with English subtitles. Director: Ferenc Török. (Hungary 2017) 91 min.
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BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 • 4:15
Hedy Lamarr was a sex symbol for the ages and achieved top stardom in Hollywood in the 1930s. But she wanted to benefit mankind, and her inventions were the predecessors of wi-fi, bluetooth and cell phones. Director: Alexandra Dean. (US 2017) 90 min.
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BYE BYE GERMANY
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 • 6:20
“After WWII approximately 4,000 Jews stayed in Germany. Later, none of them could explain to their children why,” we learn in Sam Gabarski’s Bye Bye Germany. This stylized, humor-laced drama devotes itself to answering this question. In German with English subtitles. (Germany 2017) 101 min.
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HOME PORT
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 • 8:35
Aharon, who drops anchor in his old hometown to head up the local port’s Marine Department, immediately butts heads with unscrupulous strongman Azulay, ultimately threatening Aharon’s safety and that of his loved ones. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Director: Erez Tadmor. (Israel 2016) 95 min.
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