LA Jewish Film Festival Remembers Gene Wilder

The Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival is back with in person screenings for the first time since the start of the pandemic. This year’s lineup includes drama, romance, documentaries and a new film about Gene Wilder’s life, featuring a live appearance from his close friend and collaborator, Mel Brooks. 

The festival will take place May 18-24 at various venues around LA, including the Saban Theatre and The Wallis in Beverly Hills and the Laemmle – Town Center in Encino. The opening gala will celebrate the world premiere of “Remembering Gene Wilder.” Brooks is set to join the on-stage program, which will also include a Q&A with director Ron Frank, writer Glenn Kirschbaum and Rain Pryor, an actress and the daughter of Richard Pryor. 

“The mere existence of a Jewish Film Festival is even more critical now than ever,” said Hilary Helstein, founder and executive director of the LAJFF. “It is essential there be representation in the city of a cultural arts program, through the lens of Jewish filmmakers or of showcasing ‘Jewish’ stories. In this way, we can help educate people on the diversity of the Jewish people and culture and dispel the myths that drive hatred.”

Along with “Remembering Gene Wilder,” the festival is presenting “Trust,” a story about three siblings who are sitting shiva for their mother and letting greed get in the way of family unity; “Israel Swings for Gold,” which is about Israel’s baseball team competing for the first time at the Olympics in Tokyo and combating anti-Zionism and antisemitism; “Our Story,” a romantic dramedy that follows a man and woman as they navigate the LA senior dating scene; and “Killing Me Softly With His Songs,” a musical documentary about the life and work of composer Charles Fox. The festival’s specialty is hosting premieres and offering the community a first look at international selections. 

“LAJFF creates community awareness, appreciation and pride in the diversity of the Jewish people and culture through the power of a cinematic experience,” Helstein said. “Film transcends and has mass appeal and deep impact. When entertainment presents powerful stories with direct or subversive educational content, it cultivates change.”

“LAJFF creates community awareness, appreciation and pride in the diversity of the Jewish people and culture through the power of a cinematic experience.” – Hilary Helstein

David Knight, who produced “Remembering Gene Wilder” with his wife Julie Nimoy, collaborated with Julie previously on “Remembering Leonard Nimoy,” a documentary about Julie’s father. 

“The film was not only a celebration of Leonard’s life and career, but his battle with lung disease as well,” said Knight. “Based on the positive responses, we thought it would be fantastic to honor another entertainer’s life and legacy along with creating awareness for a serious health condition.”

Two months after releasing their first film, the couple learned that Gene’s widow, Karen Wilder, was working with the Alzheimer’s Association on a new campaign to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, which Gene was diagnosed with in the last few years of his life. 

“Being huge Gene Wilder fans, we immediately thought this would be a wonderful film project,” Knight said. “’Young Frankenstein’ and ‘Blazing Saddles’ are probably two of our all-time favorite comedies. We always thought Gene was talented, but after watching so many of his films, we’ve learned to appreciate not only his comedies, but his ability to play such a wide range of characters as well.”

He believes that once people watch the film, they’ll recognize and appreciate how talented Gene was and see the love he had for his wife, family and friends. 

“In addition, we hope that our film will create awareness and remove the stigma associated with Alzheimer’s disease,” he said. 

As for Helstein, her goal is to cultivate community and introduce people to the latest and greatest Jewish films out there.  

“We hope our audience feels a strong sense of belonging and connection to a wonderful community and joins together in a shared, moving experience, laughing or crying, while having the opportunity to watch new films and hear from the filmmakers who make our programs shine,” she said. “We offer new experiences programmatically that are not offered anywhere else.”

For more information on the LAJFF and the full line-up, visit lajfilmfest.org.