MARCH 11 - 19, 2000

FINAL - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 18, 2000

Seattle Jewish Film Festival hits a home run with 2000 line-up.  

The fifth annual Seattle Jewish Film Festival (SJFF) offers a "grand slam" line-up of smash hit films, from the new documentary profiling Jewish American baseball hero Hank Greenberg, to a full slate of dramatic international blockbusters. Presented by the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the film festival runs March 11-19 at Loews Cineplex City Centre Theatre in downtown Seattle and is sponsored by Starbucks Coffee Company.

Excitement is building for the festival, named by The Seattle Times' film critic John Hartl as one of Seattle's top two "big impact" film festivals. This year marks the fifth anniversary of SJFF, an annual celebration of the best in Jewish feature films, documentaries and shorts from around the world. Festival Manager Molly Sedlik promises a stellar line-up at the new Loews City Centre venue. "We've considered over 200 films for this year's festival before we chose the 25 best," explains Sedlik. "For the past two years, SJFF documentaries have gone on to win Academy Awards immediately following the festival, so we have a great track record. We feel that this year's films are, without exception, excellent and in keeping with the American Jewish Committee's mission of enriching Jewish life, promoting diversity and nurturing intergroup relations."

The hilarious "Yana's Friends" which swept the 1999 Israeli Academy Awards, kicks off SJFF 2000 at 7:30 pm Saturday, March 11. "Yana's Friends" is an irresistible romantic comedy about the trials and tribulations of Yana, a Russian refugee stranded in Tel Aviv, her playboy Israeli roommate, and a wacky cast of characters who become drawn together in a Seinfeldian plot. Director Arik Kaplun was recently named by Variety as one of their "Ten New Directors to Watch," and the film stars Kaplun's wife Evelyne as the Ally McBealish Yana. Opening Night tickets are $18 and include a dessert reception, hosted by Palomino restaurant immediately following the film in the lobby.

Foreign film fans will find a lot to love at SJFF 2000, which will feature the area premieres of over a half dozen internationally acclaimed feature films including "Kadosh," a complex and controversial Israeli drama that explores the conflicts of romantic love and religious devotion within an orthodox marriage. The Canadian "Emporte-Moi" is a moving coming-of-age story following a teen's dark struggles with family tensions and her own burgeoning sexuality. "LA Confidential" star David Strathairn headlines "Meschugge: The Giraffe," a nail biting thriller of mistaken identity, from the makers of "Run Lola Run." "Who's The Caboose?" is a light-hearted Gen-X look at Hollywood from the point of view of a Jewish comedian, and SJFF 2000 closes with "After The End of The World" an award-winning Bulgarian film that takes a bittersweet look back at a lost Balkan world where Christians, Jews, Muslims and Romas lived side-by-side in peace.

Sharing equal screen time with SJFF dramatic presentations is a roster of insightful documentaries offering both historical and personal perspectives on the Jewish experience. On Sunday, March 12 at 7:30 PM, SJFF presents the Seattle premiere of "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg." Sold out across the country, Aviva Kempner's award-winning documentary profiles the remarkable career of 1930s and '40s baseball great "Hammering" Hank Greenberg. A contemporary of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig, Greenberg courageously broke barriers and defied racial stereotyping both on and off the playing field.

Other riveting non-fiction offerings include: "Menelik: The Black Jewish Prince," a gripping film following the struggles of reggae DJ Gadi Abaja, a young Ethiopian living in Tel Aviv, "The Children of Chabannes," a celebration of the heroic French village that sheltered over 400 Jewish refugee children during World War II, and "Hollywoodism," a fresh look at the founding fathers of Hollywood, Eastern European immigrants who created some of the most memorable moments on the silver screen, only to be called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in a thinly veiled Semitic attack. SJFF documentaries also answer the question: what do China, Ohio and Mississippi have in common? All have been home to thriving Jewish communities and SJFF audiences will visit them through the magic of film. "Port of Last Resort" offers a look at the Jewish refugee community established in the unlikely outpost of Shanghai, China, while a double feature pairs "Delta Jews" about Levis on the levee and "Yidl in the Middle," Marlene Booth's intimate look back at her Jewish childhood in the midwest.

Special programs are a hallmark of the Seattle Jewish Film Festival, and this year, the festival has something for all ages. "From Birth to Bris and Beyond" is the theme of the annual Family Day Bagel & Film Brunch on Sunday, March 19 at 10:00 AM. This year's Brunch, with bagels provided by Noah's Bagels, features four family-oriented films that take viewers on a light-hearted journey through life. For those further along in life's journey, SJFF presents a "Free For Seniors Matinee" March 15 at 2:00 PM. And both young and old will enjoy a special Children's Matinee featuring an animated version of the classic "Anne Frank's Diary," March 19 at 2:30 pm.

General admission tickets to the Seattle Jewish Film Festival are $7.50 for adults and $4.00 for children under 13. Admission for Opening Night is $18.00 and tickets for the Bagel & Film Brunch are $12.00 for adults, $6.00 for children. For tickets, call the box office at 206-390-7791 or visit the website at www.ajcseattle.org.

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Contact: Cathleen O’Connell

PR Coordinator SJFF 2000

Tel: 206-622-6315

Fax: 206-622-3015

Email: PR_SJFF2000@hotmail.com