FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Join us on the red carpet this year as we celebrate our Bar Mitzvah, our 13th year!
With uplifting stories of activists, agelessness and women’s rights, this is a year you won’t want to miss….
OPENING NIGHT GALA
SAMMY DAVIS JR.: I’ve Gotta Be Me
Los Angeles Premiere!
Paying Tribute to the legendary entertainer and activist SAMMY DAVIS JR.
Sammy Davis Jr. was a giant in Hollywood. A member of the infamous rat pack. An award winning singer, dancer and actor. This first major documentary examines Sammy Davis Jr.’s vast talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America. Featuring interviews with such luminaries as George Schlatter, Billy Crystal, Jerry Lewis, Kim Novak and Burt Boyar, with never-before-seen photographs and excerpts from his electric performances, this film explores the life and art of a uniquely gifted entertainer.
- Introduction by Rabbi Jerry Cutler
- Q&A with Davis’ friends George Schlatter (creator of “Laugh-In”), comedian Tom Dreesen and Manny Davis (Sammy Davis Jr.’s son), moderated by Stan Taffel (Sammy Davis Jr. archivist)
- Reception sponsored by Chef Josette and Legacy Entertainment
- In Partnership with Creative Arts Temple
- Wednesday, April 25
7:15 pm doors open for red carpet
8:00 pm show & tribute begins
Reception upon arrival
Ahrya Fine Arts Theater, Beverly Hills
Film will screen a second time:
Sunday, April 29, 5:00 pm
Laemmle’s Town Center, Encino
“Homage to Jewish émigrés”
Celebrating Austrian director Max Reinhardt with
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
One of the most important directors of the 20th Century, Max Reinhardt had an impact in theatre and film reaching from Europe to America. In 1920, he launched the renowned Salzburg Festival. After fleeing the Nazis, he continued his visionary work as an émigré in Hollywood. There he directed his only film in America, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While it was nominated for four Oscars, it was banned in Germany, and became a symbol of resistance against Fascism. This masterpiece screens for the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Max Reinhardt’s death.
- Introduction by Consul General Andreas Launer
- Pre-film discussion with Reinhardt experts, Ms. Helga Rabl-Stadler, President of the Salzburg Festival, Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, Stan Taffel, President of Cinecon, moderated by Gert Korentschnig, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Kurier
- Sponsored by the Austrian Consulate General Los Angeles
- Co-Sponsored by Pamela & Randol Schoenberg
- Thursday, April 26
6:00 pm reception
7:00 pm program begins
Landmark Regent, Westwood
CENTERPIECE PROGRAM
Never Again!
Hal Linden will be honored with the Marvin Paige Hollywood Legacy Award followed by the World Premiere of
THE SAMUEL PROJECT
Eli (Ryan Ochoa), a teenager gets to know his grandfather Samuel (Hal Linden) for the first time when he makes him the subject of a senior year animated art project. With dreams of becoming a professional artist, Eli discovers that his grandpa was heroically saved from Nazi capture in Germany by a young woman when he was a boy. After hesitating, Samuel agrees to tell the story he hasn’t told in over 75 years. To his dismay, Eli is assigned to complete his project with an eccentric classmate Kasim, an electric guitar wielding school misfit.
- Q&A with Hal Linden, Ken Davitian, Ryan Ochoa and cast moderated by Danielle Berrin, senior writer at Jewish Journal!
- Sponsored by the Goldrich Family Foundation & LA Museum of the Holocaust
- Saturday, April 28, 8:00 PM
Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills - Appropriate for age 12+
Film will screen a second time:
Monday, April 30, 7:30, Laemmle’s Town Center, Encino
“SHEROES”
Whether it’s the #MeToo movement, ‘time’s up’ or expressive art, women are taking control of their lives in society. These heroic women are forging their way into the future, exposing the obstacles that women encounter in their daily lives, personally and professionally. Refusing to be silenced, they are creating transformative social change.
HEAVEN IS A TRAFFIC JAM ON THE 405
2018 Academy Award winner for Best Short Documentary
In this intimate documentary, LA artist Mindy Alper, exposes a lifetime of struggle with mental illness and family secrets. Her remarkable yet revealing work, expresses how she has emerged from a life of darkness to trust and love.
- Q&A with the director Frank Stiefel & Mindy Alper.
- Community Partners: International Documentary Association & MorningStar Commission
- Sunday, April 29, 3:00 pm
Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills
SEEING ALLRED
GLORIA ALLRED in PERSON !
Gloria Allred is one of the most effective and fearless women’s rights attorney in America. In this important film, Allred’s 40-year devotion to asserting, protecting and expanding the rights of women is unwavering.
- Q&A with filmmakers Roberta Grossman and Sophie Sartain
- Producers in attendance Marta Kauffman and Robbie Rowe Tollin
- Sponsored by Temple Israel of Hollywood
- Sunday, April 29, 7:00 pm
Temple Israel of Hollywood
HEATHER BOOTH: Changing the World
Heather Booth, a renowned organizer and activist, began her remarkable career when civil and women’s rights were under attack. This film is an inspiring look at how social change happens.
- Q&A with Vivian Rothstein, community organizer and founder of the Chicago Women’s Liberation Union, one of the first feminist organizations of the 1970’s. She currently works with the L.A. Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), an advocacy organization working to lift standards for workers in the region’s major low wage industries.
- Sponsored by City of West Hollywood
- Community Partner: International Documentary Association
- Tuesday, May 1, 7:00 pm
West Hollywood City Council Chambers
ISRAEL AT 70!
What better way to celebrate Israel on her 70th birthday than with these two uplifting films about how love transcends our Jewish homeland.
LAND OF MILK & FUNNY
Avi Liberman is an American stand up comic who has been taking fellow American comedians of different backgrounds to Israel to entertain a nation battered by terrorism.
- Q&A with Avi Liberman and comedian Wayne Federman, moderated by Cantor Kenny Ellis
- Thursday, April 26, 7:30 pm
Laemmle’s Town Center, Encino
HEADING HOME: The Tale of Team Israel
Family friendly film for all ages!
Team Israel finally ranks among the world’s best in 2017, eligible to play in the international tournament. Their lineup included a dream team of several Jewish American Major League players like Ike Davis and Cody Decker. The team discovers the pride of representing Israel on the world stage.
- Q&A with Jenn Decker, wife of Cody Decker and former journalist for Sports Illustrated
- Sponsored by Shirley and Phil Sniderman, Susan and Mike Vizvary & Brad and Andrea Sniderman
- Sunday, April 29, 2:30 pm
Laemmle’s Town Center, Encino
David Suissa will be honored with the Visionary Award
followed by the North American premiere of
COMMANDMENTS (Kipat Barzel)
TV series (2 episodes)
We’re honored to host the first screening outside of Israel of this controversial and fascinating glimpse into the world of the Haredim and the IDF. Inspired by real-life young ultra-Orthodox men, this explosive new TV series tells the story of those who chose to serve in the IDF and why, despite the communal taboos.
- Q&A with series writers Ayelet Gundar Goshen and Yoav Shutan-Goshen, moderated by David Suissa, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief of Jewish Journal
- Sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel
- Sunday, April 29, 5:00 pm Laemmle’s Music Hall, Beverly Hills
AGE IS JUST A NUMBER
CLOSING NIGHT
IF YOU’RE NOT IN THE OBIT, EAT BREAKFAST
Celebrate long life and laughter!
Writer-comedian Carl Reiner at 95 tracks down several celebrated nonagenarians including Mel Brooks and Dick Van Dyke, and a few others over 100, to show how the twilight years can truly be the happiest and most rewarding.
- Q&A with composer Alan Bergman (Yentl, Tootsie), director Danny Gold (100 Voices), and producers, moderated by Michael Schlesinger, classic film and music expert
- Reception sponsored by Factor’s Famous Deli
- Wednesday, May 2, 7:30 pm Ahrya Fine Arts, Beverly Hills
