When Are You Going to Meet a Nice Jewish Film?

If you didn’t know opening night for the Miami Jewish Film Festival was Thursday, you would have thought the festival had already begun. The 17th year for the MJFF sees a new director so eager to start his job, he has already held more than a dozen screenings. "We have put together a program that will appeal to every kind of movie lover," says Igor Shteyrenberg, "from exciting new American Indies to the best international films and eye-opening documentaries." The MJFF buzz has been built so well, its opening night film, When Comedy Went to School, has already sold out.But don't fret, film fans. There are still many notable films with seating available. Catch a 35mm screening of Woody Allen’s Broadway Danny Rose, or the award-winning closing night film The Zigzag Kid starring Isabella Rossellini. Beyond the stars, Shteyrenberg wants to dazzle with powerful cinema, offering works like the Israeli thriller Bethlehem and the erotically-charged World War II drama Closed Season. “No doubt there will be some filmic experiences that will feel like someone had punched the wind out of you,” warns Shteyrenberg. The Miami Jewish Film Festival runs from Thursday to Monday, February 3, at various venues in the Miami-Dade area, with a special opening night screening at O Cimena Miami Shores (9806 N.E. 2nd Ave., Miami Shores). Tickets cost $9 to $13 at miamijewishfilmfestival.net or call 305-573-7304.
Jan. 23-Feb. 3, 7 p.m., 2014