LOS ANGELES JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 2024 PREVIEW

I’m happy to report that the LA Jewish Film Festival is back for its fourteenth year! It runs from June 19-24, 2024. I missed the last two while I was still avoiding crowds during the pandemic, but now I’m raring to see all this year’s film offerings.

Just a bit of the LAJFF Opening NIght assemblage in 2019. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I feel that, with all the turmoil in the world right now, it’s more important than ever to support Jewish entities, so I hope that many of you readers who are close enough to the area will be there, as well.

The mission of LAJFF is to “preserve and celebrate the rich Jewish heritage; to cultivate Jewish values and the quality of Jewish life in the LA community (not only for the affiliated but unaffiliated); and to create and maintain a sense of community by providing important and exciting programming for individuals, families and organizations.”

The Opening Night Gala will take place on June 19th at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, which is a perfect venue for the occasion because its spacious lobby will allow for lots of fun mingling at the pre-show food and wine reception.

The LAJFF opening night film.

The opening night film has the clever title Guns and Moses. But no—it is not a comedy, (even though it does sound like a Gene Wilder movie, doesn’t it?) It’s a crime thriller which stars, among others, several actors with whose work I’m familiar, (which rarely happens.) There’s Mark Feuerstein, (who starred on a wonderful sitcom with my good friend Elliott Gould a few years ago, which Mark also wrote); Dermot Mulroney, (from My Best Friend’s Wedding); Craig Sheffer, (the “good guy” on One Tree Hill); and Christopher Lloyd, (do you even need his credits???) I’ve been told that the movie is about “a beloved small-town rabbi who becomes an unlikely gunslinger after his community is violently attacked.” Sadly, that sounds like my hometown of Brooklyn these days.

The rest of the LA Jewish Film Festival happens over the next few days and nights in several venues all over town, which makes it even more fun. There will be many eclectic films with something for just about everyone. I actually want to see them all!

There are a few dramas and even a comedy, (the entire schedule and descriptions are on the LAJFF website below,) but the following trio of documentaries really caught my eye:

Nina Is An Athlete.

~ With the Summer Olympics upon us, it’s a good time to see Nina Is An Athlete, a new documentary about wheelchair badminton champion Nina Gorodetsky. We follow her as she tries to make it to the Paralympics while dealing with her ticking biological clock and a worldwide pandemic. (And this one also has a reception.)

~ Colleyville tells the true story of a terrorist taking the Rabbi and members of Congregation Beth El in Colleyville, TX hostage for eleven hours in 2022. In addition to what you may have seen live on TV during that horrific event, this film also shows us never-before-seen footage. This LAJFF screening is the film’s North American Premiere.

~ The festival closes with Song Of Ascent. It’s about white, Jewish, American rapper, Matisyahu, who will also do an audience Q&A that night. I’ve long been in the hip-hop world, but had never heard of him, so this should be eye-opening.

The closing night film.

The Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival’s founder, Hilary Helstein, tells us, “This year we have selected films that connect our past to current events. With antisemitism on the rise, we have chosen films that unite our community and present an opportunity to enlighten, educate, and fight to dispel negative myths while encouraging meaningful dialogue. Cinema is a powerful tool for storytelling and an effective platform to build bridges of peace and understanding. The impact of film stays with you long after the credits roll.” I add only—what she said!

I hope to see everyone there, no matter your ethnic persuasion. You just have to be a movie aficionado, which includes just about everyone in our Hollywood-centric town!

For more information and the LAJFF schedule, just click here: www.lajfilmfest.org.