That’s a Wrap on the
2023 Festival
Stay tuned for the
Audience Awards
FOR THE COMPLETE FILM LINE-UP
CLICK HERE
Or click on the “Film List” tab on the dropdown window
For all films and tickets CLICK HERE
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS!
OPENING NIGHT GALA!
World Premiere!
“REMEMBERING
GENE WILDER”
Thursday, May 18, 2023
7:00 pm red carpet & reception,
7:45 pm show begins
Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills
Featuring a tribute to the iconic actor with celebrities
Special in-person appearance by
MEL BROOKS
Q&A with director Ron Frank (When Comedy Went to School), Rain Pryor, Peter Ostrum (Original Charlie Bucket!) and others following the film
Watch trailer here
Gene Wilder, the prolific actor and screenwriter, is known all over the world for his endearing roles in classic films such as “The Producers”, “Young Frankenstein”, “Blazing Saddles”, “Silver Streak”, “The Frisco Kid”, and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” With rare never-before-seen home videos and hysterical, memorable scenes from our favorite Gene Wilder films, the documentary reveals intimate insights detailing his life and career with many astonishing surprises. Wilder’s closest friends share their love for his comedic genius including remarks led by the inimitable Mel Brooks, his wife, Karen Wilder, Alan Alda, Carol Kane, Henry Connick Jr., Mike Medavoy, Rain Pryor, Dick Cavett, Eric McCormack, Ben Mankiewicz, and the actor Peter Ostrum who played the young “Charlie” in one of Wilder’s most memorable roles, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. Sadly, the world lost this icon to Alzheimer’s Disease at age 83. June would mark Wilder’s 90th birthday.
CENTERPIECE PROGRAM
“KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONGS”
Monday, May 22, 2023
7:30 pm
Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills
Featuring Q&A with Charles Fox and director Danny Gold following the film
followed by an
Exclusive Live Performance by Charles Fox!
You know ALL the songs but don’t know his name….
NOW, you’ll never forget it!
“Killing Me Softly With His Songs” is a musical documentary about the life and work of composer Charles Fox, known for his classic songs such as “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” Jim Croce’s “I Got A Name,” and Barry Manilow’s “Ready To Take A Chance Again,“ and iconic television show themes for Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat and Wonder Woman.
Watch trailer here
The film follows Fox’s life and career from his Jewish roots in the Bronx to Paris to Hollywood in the 1970’s where he wrote scores for over 100 films and TV shows. His Grammy-winning “Killing Me Softly With His Song” was a global chart topper for Roberta Flack as well as the Fugees. Featuring performances and an array of entertainers—Rita Wilson, Jason Alexander, Paul Williams, Diane Warren, Alexandre Desplat and Henry Winkler to rapper-actor Common and more—this utterly engaging profile of a wildly talented yet humble artist showcases music’s unique ability to transcend languages, borders and genres.
World Premiere!
CLOSING NIGHT
“THE ASSEMBLY”
A New Musical Film by LA’s beloved
HERSHEY FELDER!
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
7:30 pm
The Wallis, Beverly Hills
Featuring Q&A with Hershey Felder and Moses Libitzky following the film
followed by a
Performance Concert by HERSHEY FELDER and student artists in the film
Eight diverse students, from the famed San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts travel back in time with their mentors to war-torn Europe. As the young artists find history, we find them, and in so doing, discover their stories of resilience, identity and music.
Watch trailer here
Sponsored by the Libitzky Family Foundation
In Partnership with the Wallis
Click on the name of a film below to learn about it
and to purchase tickets.
2023 Films in alphabetical order.
ISRAEL SWINGS FOR GOLD
(part of Celebrate Israel@75)
Sunday, May 21, 1 pm
KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONGS
(Centerpiece Program)
Monday, May 22, 7:30 pm
OUR (ALMOST COMPLETELY TRUE) STORY
Sunday, May 21, 4 pm
TRUST
Saturday, May 20, 8 pm
REMEMBERING GENE WILDER
(Opening Night Gala)
Thursday, May 18, 7 pm
Second screening REMEMBERING GENE WILDER
Saturday, May 20, 7:30 pm
THE ASSEMBLY
(Closing Night)
Wednesday, May 24, 7:30 pm
SOLD OUT
VISHNIAC
Tuesday, May 23, 7:30 pm
WHO ARE THE MARCUSES?
Sunday, May 21, 7:00 pm
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Watch the Q&As From Past Programs
Read the press below about
“AMERICA”
“If there are those people who falsely point at Israel to be a discriminatory apartheid state, well, the film AMERICA will prove them to be very wrong.”
~Nurit Greenger, NewsBlaze
Read the full article below
In partnership with the Consulate General of Israel and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Jewish Journal and Laemmle Theatres
Courtesy of Menemsha Films
In Case You Missed These Two Programs…In commemoration of
Holocaust Remembrance Day
“SCHÄCHTEN”
Q&A below with THOMAS ROTH
and ACTOR JEFF WILBUSCH
Moderated by HILARY HELSTEIN
Click on image below to watch the Q&A
Courtesy of Menemsha Films
LAJFF in partnership with the Fritz Ascher Society presented a Q&A about the film, As Seen Through These Eyes
Watch the full recorded discussion below
Click on image below to watch the Q&A
Watch trailer here:
HOLY HOLOCAUST
Watch the Q&A and film here.
Click on the Youtube link below.
“The War on Women’s
Reproductive Freedom”
We are officially in The Great Regression – a time in which on issue after issue, we are seeing decades of progress reversed.
Watch this critical Q&A below!
with activists
HEATHER BOOTH,
the founder of the Jane Abortion Collective and
SHEILA KATZ,
CEO of National Council of Jewish Women
MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN!
IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ACTION
AND GET INVOLVED
Help organizations who will help with funding of travel and support to safe states.
NCJW’s fund where 100% of the money will go to help people cross state line and fund abortions.
Send your support to: https://www.jewsforabortionaccess.org/fund
Many orgs. have helplines and funds.
For a list,CLICK HERE
In partnership with National Council of Jewish Women and Women Make Movies
Watch the Q&A here to
“FIDDLER’S JOURNEY to the BIG SCREEN”
Q&A took place at the Museum of Tolerance with Director Daniel Raim, Producer Sasha Berman, Co-Writer Michael Sragow and actress Michele Marsh (played Hodel in the original film!) Moderated by the Director of the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, Hilary Helstein.
Watch the Q&A of
“THE AUTOMAT”
Watch below the Q&A with director Lisa Hurwitz, moderated by Hilary Helstein of LAJFF
Alice Agneskirchner, director/producer
Tovah Feldshuh, actress
Dr. Michael Berenbaum, moderator, Holocaust scholar
At the beginning of 1979, a dramatized and emotional US television miniseries ensured that the German population was suddenly reminded of the Nazi crimes against the Jews. What was expressed with the unknown word ‘Holocaust’, hit many millions of people in the heart. This was the first time that a major mainstream drama had portrayed the lives of Hitler’s victims. The audience reactions were fierce. Germany has been reassessing how the drama changed the country 40 years ago. Remembrance of the Holocaust and the words “never again” have become key principles of modern Germany’s political identity. Filmmaker Alice Agneskirchner tells the story of this emotional television event, which led to a paradigm shift in the perception of German Nazi crimes. Interviews with the series director Marvin Chomsky, actors Michael Moriarty, Rosemary Harris, Tovah Feldshuh and others.Read the review from the KFPK film club HERE!Watch the Q&A for the BROKEN CANDLE
Click on the link below and enter the password
https://vimeo.com/657709889
Password: Menemsha
It is with great sadness that the LA Jewish Film Festival family comes together to mourn the loss of our dear friend,
ED ASNER (1929-2021)
He was a cherished friend and participant at LAJFF. Ed, our hearts are heavy. Thank you for your love and deep connection to your Jewish roots and your relentless commitment to fighting for humanity. You were ONE OF A KIND. Your brilliance and wisdom will shine on in your legendary work.
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 26: Ed Asner, Ruby Modine, Hilary Helstein and Matthew Modine attend the Opening Night Gala of the LAJFF 2017 in Los Angeles on April 26, 2017 (Photo by Amy Graves/WireImage)
If you missed it you can now watch the Tattooed Torah Q&A with Ed Asner here!
Click on the image below to watch on YouTube
Sponsored by The Goldrich Family Foundation in partnership with USC Shoah Foundation
Watch a promo with filmmakers and cast.
Click on the video below.
“Kenny Scharf:
When Worlds Collide”
A Film by Max Basch & Malia Scharf
Watch the pre-recorded Q&A here
Panelists include
Synopsis: Growing up in the San Fernando Valley in LA, Kenny Scharf’s quintessential Jewish family placed importance on tradition and middle class values. His parents supported his interest in art from a young age, taking him to visit museums and galleries. When Scharf arrived in New York City in the early 1980s, he quickly befriended Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. This trio, amongst the fervent creative bustle of a depressed downtown scene, would soon take the art world by storm. While Basquiat and Haring both died tragically young, Scharf lived through cataclysmic shifts in the East Village as well as the ravages of AIDS and economic depression.
‘When Worlds Collide’ is about the art of fun, about living life out loud, despite setbacks, and about Kenny Scharf’s particular do-it-yourself, high-tone, technicolor artistic vision. The film includes rare archival footage with Scharf and Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and interviews with Ed Ruscha, Dennis Hopper, Yoko Ono and others. Scharf currently lives in LA and you can see his murals citywide. His recent exhibitions include the Hammer Museum, MOCA, Pasadena Art Museum, Nassau County Museum of Art in NY and others.
Documentary/USA/77 mins/2020/English
In cooperation with the City of West Hollywood, Nassau County Museum of Art, the Oakwood School and TOTAH Gallery, NYC.
If you missed the Q&A with Senator Cory Booker and others for the film, “Joachim Prinz: I Shall Not Be Silent”, you can see it here!
Click on image below to watch
Pre-recorded panel includes:
SENATOR CORY BOOKER
and
Rachel Fisher, Filmmaker
Deborah Prinz,Joachim Prinz’s daughter
Orly Marley, President, Tuff Gong Worldwide
Rabbi Sari Laufer, Stephen Wise Temple
Moderated by
Rabbi Clifford Kulwin, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple
B’nai Abraham
Listen to the podcast at link below from
“LA Jewish Film Festival – A Voice from the Past Bringing Jews and Blacks Together”
This program is in partnership with Stephen Wise Temple, Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance, American Jewish Committee, Jewish World Watch and Valley Beth Shalom
If you missed it, watch the Q&A here for:
“THE HUMAN FACTOR”
With Oscar-nominated filmmaker Dror Moreh and
General Michael Herzog, one of the negotiators!
or click below on
If you missed it, watch the Q&A here for:
“DETERMINED: The Story of Holocaust Survivor Avraham Perlmutter”
Q&A with filmmaker and Avraham’s daughter, writer/producer/directorDr. KEREN PERLMUTTER, the film’s composer STEVEN CHESNE, and the descendants of the BEIJERS FAMILY (who hid Avraham for over a year in the Netherlands and who were honored as “Righteous Among the Nations”), moderated by renowned Holocaust scholar,
Dr. MICHAEL BERENBAUM.
Click on the picture below to play the Q&A
THOU SHALT NOT HATE
a drama by Mauro Mancini
Official Selection – Venice International Film Critics’ Week 2020
Watch the exclusive Q&A with renowned actor Alessandro Gassmann and
director Mauro Mancini click below
Click on image below to watch trailer
Co-presented with Istituto Italiano di Cultura, under the auspices of the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles
In partnership with Anti-Defamation League and Consulate General of the Republic of Poland
Special International Holocaust Remembrance Day Event
“MY NAME IS SARA”
Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland and in association with USC Shoah Foundation
In partnership with Jewish Journal, American Jewish Committee, LA, the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany,
and Wilshire Boulevard Temple
Click on the picture below to watch the live Q&A.
Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland
Co-presented with USC Shoah Foundation
In partnership with Jewish Journal, American Jewish Committee, LA, the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Wilshire Boulevard Temple
Watch now the Q&A for
“Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen”
The story of the making of the beloved classic film, “Fiddler on the Roof,” and director Norman Jewison.
click on the pic below to play
Watch now the Q&A with cast and crew for
“STAND!”
“Hamilton meets Fiddler on the Roof meets West Side Story” – Reel Chicago
Watch the “AULCIE” Q&A below
We honored Aulcie Perry for his contributions to combating racial discrimination and to building bridges of understanding between African Americans and Jews and Israelis.
Click here to watch the Q&A webinar
Panelists included (L – R) LAJFF Director Hilary Helstein, Filmmaker Dani Menkin, Consul General of Israel, Dr. Hillel Newman, K.J. Matthews, journalist of the AAFCA, producer Jon Weinbach and Aulcie Perry himself!
In Loving Memory of
RUTH BADER GINSBURG
We honor her legacy and pay her tribute
Watch the Q&A with JULIE COHEN, acclaimed director of the Academy Award nominated sensation, “RBG”
Click on the picture below to stream the YouTube Q&A
LAJFF conducted a virtual discussion with acclaimed filmmaker Julie Cohen, co-director of the inspiring, Academy Award nominated documentary, “RBG.” She gives an insider’s view of one of the most influential women who ever lived, the heroic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and her journey in the making of this film that became a worldwide sensation.
If you have not seen the film, it is available to stream anytime on Hulu, Amazon Prime and other platforms.
THIS Q&A IS A MUST SEE!!
SHARED LEGACIES
In honor of “good trouble” Congressman John Lewis
and Rev. C.T. Vivian
LAJFF made history with this superb Q&A panel with activists and speakers from the film SHARED LEGACIES who came together to discuss the African American-Jewish relationship during the civil rights era and NOW! It included Dr. Shari Rogers, Dr. Clarence B. Jones, Gina Belafonte, Dr. Susannah Heschel, Sherry Frank, moderated by Dr. Michael Berenbaum.
Watch by clicking this picture.
Directed by Dr. Shari Rogers
Congratulations to MARIA SCHRADER,
on her Emmy nomination and for the 8 Emmy nominations for the Netflix series,
“UNORTHODOX”
You can watch the conversation with Ms. Schrader here now! Click the image below.
or on Facebook at:
facebook.com/watch/live
Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany
In partnership with the Jewish Journal, Goethe-Institut LA, Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V.
Watch it here on Facebook Live
“A Conversation with Actress
TOVAH FELDSHUH”
as she talks about her career and starring role as Golda Meir
Film and culture are more essential NOW than ever!
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Read the article and watch interviews on “Heading Home” below posted by JooTube.
Listen to post film Q&A with ballplayer Cody Decker and Greg Laemmle, owner of Laemmle Theatres.
Please enjoy the festival’s trailer below.
LAJFF Trailer from Digimoric productions onVimeo.
(Directed by Claudia Sobral, edited by Giovanni Moriconi)
