An art exhibition, panel discussions, and a gala will fill many of the other days. But it's the movies that are key. And an array of features, shorts, and documentaries will unspool at Regal Cinemas South Beach, Sunny Isles Intracoastal Cinema, and University of Miami's Cosford Cinema in Coral Gables.
Among the documentary highlights: Joel Katz's Strange Fruit (2001), which delves into the history of the popular Billie Holiday song about lynchings, penned by a Jewish schoolteacher from the Bronx; Keep on Walking (2000), about gospel singer Joshua Nelson, an African-American Jew and Talmud teacher; and Mamadrama: The Jewish Mother in Cinema (2001), director Monique Schwarz's exploration of Hollywood's portrayal of the domineering Jewish matriarch.
Feature films -- new and old -- get their due. The French comedy God Is Great, I'm Not (2001) showcases Amélie star Audrey Tatou. And oddly enough, the festival kicks off with Paul Wegener's 1920 silent classic The Golem. Derived from Jewish mysticism, the dark tale centers on a rabbi whose Frankenstein-like creation made to protect Jews instead spirals out of control. The film will be accompanied by live music and shown in -- of all places -- a synagogue, Temple Emanu-El.
