San Francisco Jewish Film Festival - Part 2

Following up on my earlier comments on the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (7/31), here’s how the second half of the festival went for me.

There were three must sees:

• Under African Skies – A documentary celebrating one of the greatest albums ever recorded, Paul Simon’s “Graceland”. But not merely celebratory, this film delves into the genesis of the album and the controversy surrounding it – specifically Simon’s apparent violation of the U.N.’s cultural boycott of South Africa. Great film, great music, incredible performances, both then and now, but also a great deal to think about as Simon confronts the decisions he made at the time.

• Ameer Got His Gun – An amazing documentary chronicling Ameer, an 18-year old Arab-Israeli who volunteers for duty with the IDF (military service is not compulsory for Arab-Israelis; only a few hundred volunteer each year). How Ameer copes with reactions from both his Arab neighbors and his new IDF mates is a wonder to behold. And the ability of the filmmakers to get access to his IDF training and deployments provide a rare inside view of life in the Israeli Defense Force.

• Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir – Who is Roman Polanski? Gifted filmmaker (“Rosemary’s Baby”, “Chinatown”, “The Pianist”)? Sharon Tate’s husband? Fugitive from U.S. justice for statutory rape? My guess is his fugitive status is what most people think about today. In astonishingly candid interviews, Polanski tells his life story, the whole story. Especially poignant is learning how his own life experiences in Poland informed “The Pianist”, perhaps his greatest film. See this documentary and decide for yourself who Roman Polanski really is.

As in my previous post, if not absolute must sees, what follows are outstanding films that you should see if you can:

• God’s Fiddler – The story of Jascha Heifetz, one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, who none other than Itzhak Perlman, when describing a conversation with Heifetz said, “I’m talking to God.”

• One Day After Peace – The story of an Israeli mother and activist seeking closure after her son was killed by a Palestinian sniper while on active IDF duty. Originally from South Africa, she travels back there to learn about apartheid forgiveness and whether the South African lessons can be applied to current day Israel.

• Hava Negila (The Movie) – The history of everyone’s favorite wedding and Bar Mitzvah song. Fun.

• Kaddish for a Friend – Combining Jewish/Arab relations, generational differences and the plight of Muslim immigrants in Germany, this is a compelling drama with top-notch performances by the two leads.  

• The Day I Saw Your Heart – A bitter sweet film about family relationships with enough Jewishness, enough Paris and enough Melanie Laurent (“The Round-Up”, “Inglorious Bastards”) to make it good.

• Restoration – Any film starring Sasson Gabai (“The Band’s Visit”) is worth seeing. He is incredible! This film won Best Screenplay at Sundance and 11 Israeli Film Academy Award nominations.

For more information on these films as well as a number of films I didn’t mention go to the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival’s website (www.sfjff.org). 

By the way, one film I didn't mention is Glickman, the story of Marty Glickman the athlete and legendary sportscaster. Unfortunately, my travel schedule is causing me to miss this film. My guess is, based on what I've heard about it as well as my own experiences growing up with Marty Glickman as a New York Football Giants fan in the '50's, this would be on my "must-see" list. Hopefully Netflix or American Experience will come through. 

I’m off on a business assignment starting tomorrow (8/5) for two weeks so might not be posting frequently. Hopefully you’ll miss me.