As the year comes to a close and January makes its way into our lives -- with both award season buzz and junk that studios want to dump -- the Miami Jewish Film Festival is ready to launch. And it has plenty of gems in its lineup.
Just over a month before kick-off, the festival has officially announced their lineup of 74 films from 20 counties for the 18th edition. The festival, which takes place January 15-29, opens with the Florida premiere of the black comedy, Mr. Kaplan, Uruguay's official entry to the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film, and will close with the Florida premiere of documentary The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films.
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"We couldn't be more pleased with this year's festival program," said Igor Shteyrenberg, Director of the Miami Jewish Film Festival. "Its diversity and artistic uniqueness will delight, surprise, and reward those who share our passion for exploring cinema in all its forms."
And considering some of the special guests and filmmakers attending -- including Nancy Spielberg, Lacey Schwartz, and Bill Morrison -- it's clear that the lineup is interesting.
Morrison's attendance is especially noteworthy -- his experimental works are far outside the normal festival fare -- and several of his shorts will be accompanied by musical performances by members of the New World Symphony. His discussion of his work will feature City Walk, Light is Calling, East River, Who By Water, Every Stop on the F Train and Gene Takes a Drink, along with the Florida premiere of his new film, All Vows.
Additionally, the festival is clearly focusing on female filmmakers, with Spielberg's production Above & Beyond, Schwartz's Little White Lie, Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz's GETT, and Talya Lavie's Zero Motivation, among others, featured in the line-up. Not only that, but the New Voices in Jewish Cinema program will feature films by emerging filmmakers, with A Match Made in Heaven and Victor Levin's debut 5 to 7 included in the bunch.
While this already sounds like a lot, there's more. There are multiple free screenings open to the public, a Spotlight on German Cinema, and even a Night at the Drive-In, which will present the Florida premiere of Another World, Israel's first action sci-fi film. Ticket sales for the Miami Jewish Film Festival have already begun -- with $13 single tickets and full festival passes at $220 being offered. The full lineup can be found on miamijewishfilmfestival.org.
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