MARCH 11 - 19, 2000

Seattle Jewish Film Festival 2000 Schedule

Saturday, March 11
7:30 pm	FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OPENING NIGHT GALA ...SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT	Yana’s Friends
See March 20, 21 below	Yana, a Russian refugee in Tel Aviv, her playboy Israeli roommate, and a wacky cast of characters make this sophisticated romantic comedy with a Seinfeldian plot a crowd pleaser.  Israel’s nominee for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards. Israel, 90 min, drama
Sunday, March 12
1:00 pm	Menelik
	Gripping documentary focusing on the life of Gadi Abaja, a young, resourceful Ethiopian living in the margins of Israeli society who yearns to find his true home. Israel/Ethiopia, 60 min, documentary
3:00 pm	Who’s the Caboose?
	A hilarious lampoon of Hollywood “show biz” seen through the eyes of a struggling Jewish comedian trying to get her big break during L.A.’s sit-com “pilot season.” USA, 93min, drama
7:30 pm	The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg...SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT	Aviva Kempner’s award-winning documentary about the remarkable career of 1930’s and ‘40’s baseball great “Hammering” Hank Greenberg, “the Moses of the Bronx.” USA, 90 min, documentary
Monday, March 13
	Free screening – UNIV. WASH., KANE HALL, ROOM 220
7:00 pm	I Miss The Sun  USA, 20 min, documentary
	Frank Iny     USA, 40 min, documentary
	These short films recount the history of two prominent Middle Eastern Jewish families from Iraq and Egypt - as told from the perspectives of their American-born grandchildren. CO-SPONSORED WITH the University of Washington’s Sephardic/Mizrahi Film series
Tuesday, March 14
7:00 pm	Children of Chabannes
	Inspirational story of a tiny French village that sheltered and saved over 400 Jewish refugee children during World War II. USA/France, 91 min, documentary
	Zyklon Portrait (short)
	Underneath the horrific story of how the Nazi’s transformed Zykon B gas into a genocidal weapon lies the beauty of reconciling the past and present. USA, 13 min, documentary
9:00 pm	Port of Last Resort
	Fascinating history of a Jewish refugee community established in an unlikely outpost - Shanghai, China USA/China, 79 min, documentary
	Vilna
	Impressionistic, lyrical meditation on the lost Jewish cultural capital of Vilna. USA, 3 min, experimental
Wednesday, March 15
	FREE FOR SENIORS MATINEE Non-seniors welcome too!  Seniors admitted free (no ticket required.) General admission prices apply for all others.
2:00 pm	Pastry, Pain & Politics
	Dark comedy about a cantankerous New Yorker and his wife, a survivor.  When he winds up in the hospital, she must confront past and presents conflicts.  Switzerland, 30 min, drama
	The Personals: Improvisations on Romance in the Golden Years
	Go behind the scenes with a Jewish senior-citizen’s theater group as they rehearse a play based on the personal ads they’ve written. USA, 37 min, documentary
	Shvitz
	This documentary goes into the last remaining Russian bathhouses in New York’s Lower East Side to record this fading sweaty subculture. USA, 47 min, documentary
7:00 pm	Antiracist
	Celebrates the proactive work of Swedish youth activists fighting bigotry in innovative and effective ways. Sweden, 25 min, documentary
	From Swastika to Jim Crow
	Untold story of German-Jewish “refugee professors” from war-torn Europe who find an unlikely new home at Southern black colleges during the Depression. USA, 60 min, documentary
Thursday, March 16
7:00 pm	Kadosh
	A complex and controversial drama examining the conflicts between romantic love and religious devotion in an orthodox marriage. Israel, 120 min, drama
9:00 pm	Hollywoodism
	9:00 pm  The founding fathers of American cinema were East European immigrants, the Zukors, Warner Brothers and Mayors, who transformed their personal dreams into Hollywood’s most celebrated celluloid moments, only to be ultimately called before the House Un-American Activities Committee.  Canada, 89 min, documentary
Friday,  March 17
	No Screenings
Saturday, March 18
	“EVERYONE’S A CRITIC” with film critics Lucy Mohl and Warren Etheredge
7:00 pm	Emporte-Moi
	A tender coming-of-age story following 13 year-old Hanna as she struggles with family tensions and her own burgeoning sexuality.  Discussion with critics to follow. France/Switzerland/Canada, 90 min, drama
	Sea Horses (short)
	A young boy performs a balancing act on the edge of his fire escape while his family life balances on the brink as well. Israel, 17 min, drama
9:30 pm	Meschugge: The Giraffe
	From the people who brought you “Run Lola Run,” this nail-biting thriller of mistaken identity will keep your tuchas on the edge of your seat. Germany, 100 min, drama
Sunday, March 19
	BAGEL & FILM BRUNCH  “FROM BIRTH TO BRIS AND BEYOND” – four shorts for the whole family
10:00 am	A World To Come
	Two child souls find out “what’s next.”USA, 5 min, animated
	L.A. Mohel
	Balancing incredible humor with heart-felt emotion, this documentary follows three popular ritual circumcisers, or mohels, working in Los Angeles. USA, 30min, documentary
	Purim
	An unusual portrait of Hasidic children in Boro Park, Brooklyn celebrating Purim, a topsy-turvy holiday where costumes and tom-foolery are de rigeur. USA, 5 min, documentary
	GOD@heaven
	What happens when a boy sends an E-mail to God?  A boy and his dog story for the computer age. USA/Israel, 20 min, drama
12:30 pm	Florentene II
	A hit at last year’s SJFF, Florentene follows a close-knit group of friends living in Tel-Aviv’s bohemian Florentene neighborhood.  Catch the next 5 episodes of the popular TV series that’s been called the Israeli version of “Friends" Israel, 2 hours & 30 minute, serial drama
2:30  pm	CHILDREN’S MATINEE
	Animated Anne Frank’s Diary
	Animated retelling of the classic Anne Frank story for the next generation.  France/ Ireland /UK /Netherlands /Luxembourg, 87 min, animated
	GOD@heaven (short)
	What happens when a boy sends an E-mail to God?  A boy and his dog story for the computer age.
4:00 pm	Delta Jews
	For over a century, the Mississippi Delta has been home to generations of Jews living in the heart of the Bible Belt.  Who knew? USA, 57 min, documentary
	Yidl In The Middle
	Weaving home movies, old photographs and interviews with family and friends, this personal documentary is filmmaker Marlene Booth’s honest memoir of growing up Jewish in Iowa. USA, 57 min, documentary
7:30 pm	CLOSING NIGHT
	After The End of The World
	A prodigal son returns to Bulgaria and reunites with his childhood sweetheart. They reminisce about the lost, idyllic Balkan world of their youth where Christians, Jews, Muslims and Romas lived side-by-side in peace. Bulgaria/Germany/Greece, 108 min, drama

FESTIVAL EXTENDED - YANA SCREENINGS ADDED!

SJFF has added additional screenings of "Yana's Friends" on Monday March 20 and Tuesday March 21 at the Loews Cineplex City Centre Theatre. Screening times are 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30pm. Prices are $7.50 adult, $4.50 senior, $5.25 child. Adult tickets are $4.50 before 6pm. SJFF is honoring passes for all full and half passholders who were unable to attend the March 11th screening. SJFF is not selling advance tickets for these screenings, tickets are available at the City Centre box office the day of the show.

Schedule Subject to change without notice.  All screenings at Loews City Centre unless otherwise noted.  We will be regularly updating this schedule with information about special guest speakers and community sponsors, so please check back with us.

Click for a printable Film List

For a listing of films screened at our 1999 Festival, visit our archive.