SAN DIEGO (Press Release) – The 20th Anniversary San Diego Jewish Film Festival, sponsored by the Mizel Family Foundation, and presented by the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus, will run February 10-21, 2010.
Once again the festival will feature the Joyce Forum – A Day of Emerging Filmmakers on Mon., February 15, at the AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres beginning at 1:30 p.m. The Joyce Forum presents outstanding Jewish-themed short-subject, documentary and feature films by students and early-career filmmakers from all over the world. Named in honor of San Diego Jewish Film Festival Founder Joyce Axelrod, the Joyce Forum supports emerging filmmakers by showcasing their talent and exposing their work to established filmmakers, artists and industry peers.
According to Mark Title, Past President of the Visual Arts Foundation and Short Film Critic, “Every short film is a small gem, revealing a short story in its most basic elements – the rawest, purest essence of character, conflict and resolution. There is no time wasted expounding on a character’s childhood, the roots of a convoluted conflict, or a drawn-out resolution. Instead, in a tight sequence the stage is set, the characters presented, and all comes to a twist or surprising climax. If you enjoy drama in its purest, most powerful form, you’ll like these short films.”
Shorts in Winter Parts I and II
Part One of this year’s Joyce Forum begins at 1:30 p.m., with the screening of five short films, including The Kiddush Man, Mendel’s Tree, Lost Paradise, Saturday’s Shadow and Shred of Hope. Part Two begins at 4:00 p.m., and includes seven shorts from the Ma’ale school in Israel: I’m Ready, A Jerusalem Tale, A Shabbos Mother, and Willingly. The director of Willingly and representative for the school, Pazit Lichtman, will be in attendance. The Ma’ale school in Israel is an Orthodox Film School celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. According to Lichtman, “Willingly is what happened when my reality met my creation, and Ma’aleh is the place that made is possible.”
Off and Running
The Joyce Forum concludes with the 8:00 p.m. screening of Off and Running, a film made by local filmmaker Nicole Opper. Nicole will be attending the West Coast debut of her film here in her hometown. Off and Running features Avery, an African-American teen, raised Jewish, living in a multi-cultural home with her lesbian adoptive parents, her Korean brother and her mixed race brother.
Opper has been named one of the top 25 filmmakers in the U.S. to watch by Filmmaker Magazine. This film has an important impact on adoption, multiracial/multicultural education, and LGBTQ family rights. Off and Running has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including: Finalist Audience Favorite, 2009 Tribeca Film Festival; Best Documentary Screenplay, Silverdocs; Outstanding Documentary; Outfest; and Best Documentary, Philadelphia Qfest.
The shorts programs will be followed by the Joyce Jubilee, a celebration to honor Joyce Axelrod for her vision of founding the festival and her dedication to emerging filmmakers (of which Joyce is one herself). The celebration will take place in the Festival Hospitality Lounge and reservations are required.
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Preceding provided by San Diego Center for Jewish Culture