Every year, it seems, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (July 17-August 3, various Bay Area venues) takes place amidst a background of new and ongoing political strife on the world stage, much of which its programming (sometimes controversially) addresses. Surely, some day the event will be held in a climate of decreased conflict and attacks. May we all live to see that day… which does not appear to be arriving anytime soon. Events in the US and abroad since last year’s festival have constituted a four-alarm fire fit to make prior annums look almost tranquil. It’s a painful moment, on so many levels. So what can SFJFF 45 contribute to dialogue that has largely escalated to the “primal scream” plane? What balm can it offer?
Well, comedy relief, for one thing. Yes, there’s a surprising amount of content in the 2025 edition which communicates primarily through humor, and thank G-d for that. Appeals to the funny bone in fact dominate many of the program’s prime slots. Kicking the entire schedule off on Thurs/17 at SF’s Herbst Theater is Coexistence, My Ass!, Amber Fares’ documentary showcasing the stand-up chops of Noam Shuster-Eliassi, an Israeli of mixed Iranian and Romanian heritage, including grandparents who survived the Holocaust. She was headed towards a career in diplomacy until she wasn’t, saying here that “I was at the UN, I was trying to make peace and I couldn’t do it—so now I’m doing it through comedy.” Raised in “the only place in the country where Jews and Palestinians live together by choice, on purpose” (a small cooperative village whose name translates as Oasis of Peace), she remains a proponent of reconciliation. But this film, in its off-stage moments, finds her facing considerable blowback for that stance after Oct. 7, 2023. The star will also perform live the following evening, Fri/18, at the Kabuki.
Closing night on Sun/3 (at both Oakland’s Piedmont and SF’s Vogue) offers something you don’t see often at JFF: A summer camp comedy in the hallowed tradition of Meatballs. Rachel Israel’s The Floaters is set at beleaguered Camp Daveed, a somewhat down-in-the-mouth seasonal institution, particularly in comparison to its upscale rival up the road. They’ve got a snippy Seth Green as staff chief; our protagonists’ joint, whose septic system is an emergency in itself, has grizzled Steve Guttenberg as athletic director. But the primary focus is on Nomi (Jackie Tohn), who’s grudgingly accepted an art-instructor gig here after being fired by her own rock band on the cusp of a European tour. She has to motivate the “floaters”—kids so rudderless they haven’t signed up for any particular activities—to get creative, one way or another. Needless to say, inspirational uplift will eventually be had. But getting there will involve a lot of jokes at the expense of cultural sensitivity and political correctitude, leaning less towards Disney and more towards Wet Hot American Summer.
There are more yuks throughout the schedule. “Centerpiece Narrative” selection Fantasy Life (playing Sat/19 at the Kabuki and Sun/3 at the Piedmont) is a directorial debut feature by actor Matthew Shear. He’s been in several Noam Baumbach films, and it shows in this very astute observational comedy about an anxiety-riddled Manhattanite who finds surprising satisfaction as manny to an argumentative couple’s (Amanda Peet, Alessandro Nivola) three rambunctious young daughters. Another bracingly funny find is Sophie Brooks’ Oh, Hi! (Sun/20 Kabuki, Wed/23 Piedmont), in which a weekend getaway for two more New Yorkers (Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman) goes very, very wrong. Other comedic contributions include Jesse Ziegelstein’s Canadian Negative Capability, Jonah Feingold’s dating decathlon 31 Candles, peeks at new streaming series Bulldozer and Hal & Harper, the documentary Andy Kaufman Is Me, and a revival screening of modern romcom classic When Harry Met Sally…
Of course there are plenty of more serious-minded offerings at SFJFF, particularly amongst its world premiere features. Celebrated documentarian Abby Ginzberg’s 20-years-in-the-making Labors of Love: The Life and Legacy of Henrietta Szold (Sat/26 JCCSF, Tues/29 Piedmont), about the founder of Hadassah, the “Women’s Zionist Organization of America,” which continues to play a significant role in shaping healthcare here and abroad over a century later. Another local filmmaker, Sophie Rose, takes the “Local Spotlight” with The Feeling Remains (Sat/26 Roxie, Tues/29 Piedmont), an exploration of her own Bay Area family’s traumatic past through home movies and audio interviews.
Marisa Fox’s My Underground Mother (Sat/2 Piedmont) also provides nonfiction excavation of well-hidden secrets among the director’s own relations. Ben Kritzer’s Lost Cause (Sun/27 Roxie) straddles the line between movie musical and multi-media object d’art in a meta-narrative exploration of identity, community, and ritual. Matthew Miele’s Paddy Chayefsky: Collector of Words (Sun/27 JCCSF, Fri/1 Piedmont) profiles the famed late scribe for stage, TV, and silver screen, from Marty to Altered States—though he may remain best known for the savagely prescient sociopolitical satire 1976 Network, which will be shown Sat/26 at the Roxie.
There are other portraits of creative genius on tap, including Billy Shebar’s excellent Monk in Pieces, a kaleidoscopic career overview for unclassifiable US composer, choreographer, and performer Meredith Monk; Oren Rudavsky’s Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire, about the Nobel-laureate scribe and Holocaust survivor; Guillaume Nicoloux’s The Divine Sarah Bernhardt, dramatizing the life of the eccentric Frenchwoman who was her era’s most acclaimed stage actress; and Joe Stephenson’s Midas Man, which does the same honors by manager and “fifth Beatle” Brian Epstein.
Showcased as the festival’s “Centerpiece Documentary” is Brandon Kramer’s Holding Liat (Sun/20 Kabuki, Tues/22 Piedmont), which won the Best Doc prize at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. Like Tom Shoval’s A Letter to David (being screened as a “sneak preview”), it is a highly personal tribute to a loved one who was abducted on October 7th. Also approaching aspects of the fraught relationship between Israelis and Palestinians is Yvann Tagchi’s Swiss documentary There Was Nothing Here Before; Shemi Zarhin’s multigenerational seriocomedy Bliss; Tom Nesher’s high-octane drama about a hot-mess bisexual heroine, Come Closer; and much more.
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LGBTQ+ programming is heavy on trans representation this year. “Take Action Spotlight” feature Heightened Scrutiny (Fri/25 Piedmont) is Sam Feder’s film about ACLU attorney Chase Strangio’s taking arguments for trans rights all the way to the Supreme Court. Trans actor-author Tommy Dorfman will appear live to read from her new book at the Roxie on the same night. Udi Nir and Sagi Borstein’s The First Lady is a portrait of pioneering Israeli transgender celebrity Efrat Tilma, who is expected to attend her screenings (Thurs/31 Piedmont, Sat/2 Vogue). Narrative features include Nir Bergman’s Pink Lady, about an ultra-Orthodox married couple in Jerusalem whose world is rocked by blackmailing evidence of a same-sex affair.
Expansive as all the above may seem, it’s still just a fraction of what’s in store at SFJFF 45. There will be parties, a Freedom of Expression Award tribute to Oakland’s own Daveed Diggs on Thurs/31 at the Piedmont (which encompasses a screening of his recent feature Magic Hour), a festival retrospective clip show on Sat/25 at JCCSF, a community “Town Hall” discussion about the Jewish Film Institute’s future (Sun/27 at JCCSF)…and over 70 films from ten countries, including some dedicated shorts programs.
THE 45TH SF JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL runs July 17-August 3 at venues in San Francisco and the East Bay. For full schedule, program, ticketing and other information, go to sfjff.org.
