Jews of the LBC rejoice as they finally get a film fest all their own. The first Long Beach Jewish Film Festival will be held today and tomorrow, thanks to the support of the Alpert JCC and the Cal State Long Beach Jewish studies program.
When Neil Sheff trekked up and down Rodeo Drive with a film crew, he received surprising answers to his man-in-the-street question, \”What is Sephardic Jewry?\”\n\n\”One person thought it had to do with going on safari,\” said Sheff, 42, co-founder of the Los Angeles Sephardic Jewish Film Festival. \”Most people hadn\’t a clue.\”
How do you plan an Israeli film festival to screen in American cities? Very carefully, according to Paul Fagen, program director of the 20th annual Israel Film Festival.
Just as Charlize Theron had her \”Monster,\” Ayelet July Zurer has \”Nina\’s Tragedies\” the opening night film of this year\’s Israel Film Festival.
Fresh winds are blowing through the Israeli cinema these days. In the course of the last year, Israeli films have made appearances and garnered awards at festivals around the world from Cannes to Tokyo.
How do you go from being a member of one of Israel\’s most popular bands to being the creator of a vibrant film festival in America? Well, the story is a long one, and if you\’ve got some time, Meir Fenigstein will be sure to tell it to you.
Neil Sheff was shocked to find himself something of a celebrity at a conference of North American Jewish film festival directors a couple years ago. Of the 75 festivals in the United States and Canada, his Los Angeles Sephardic Film Festival is the only one dedicated to showcasing the Sephardic experience. \”I was literally surrounded by people who wanted to pick my brain,\” he said, incredulous.\n\n
Getting cast in Steven Soderbergh\’s \”Ocean\’s 11,\” says Carl Reiner, was kind of like a scene from the Las Vegas heist movie.
Ephraim Kishon had come to Los Angeles in 1964, when his initial filmmaking effort, \”Sallah,\” became the first Israeli movie to be nominated for an Oscar as best foreign-language film.
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