We are more than half way through the first annual Boulder Jewish Film Festival sponsored by the Millstone Evans Group of Raymond James. Many of the films have sold out and the response has been terrific.

Still ahead:

“Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom”

Friday, March 15 @ 3 pm

Sponsored by Susan Litt

One of the first American teen idols and one of our last real movie stars, Tony Curtis blazed across the screen in films such as Trapeze, Spartacus, Sweet Smell of Success, Some Like It Hot, The Defiant Ones, and The Boston Strangler. Born Bernie Schwartz in the Bronx, he used his good looks, talent and determination to overcome his difficult and impoverished childhood and achieve fame and fortune in Hollywood during its glory days. This definitive film about the man who influenced Elis Presley and James Dean, and who fought for racial equality, features an intimate interview with the star shortly before his death, as well as candid interviews with his friends, family and co-stars, from Debbie Reynolds to Harry Belafonte. Exclusive footage and film clips create a revealing portrait of this striking sex symbol, matinee idol, powerful actor and colorful celebrity. 

 

“From Shtetl to Swing” SOLD OUT

Friday, March 15 @ 5:15 pm

Sponsored by Nicky Wolman and David Fulker

Between 1880 and 1924, as 2.5 million Jews kissed the shtetl goodbye and headed for the land of freedom and opportunity, they brought with them the sounds of their homelands. Once here, they quickly began to influence American culture, from the introduction of klezmer and Yiddish Theater to the inventions of ragtime, symphonic jazz and swing. From the Bowery to Tin Pan Alley and on to Broadway and Hollywood, these Jewish musicians merged the wail of the cantor and the clarinet into new musical idioms. This rousing documentary, narrated by Harvey Fierstein, recounts the ebullient story of a musical metamorphosis born in darkest Russia only to blaze across the sky of the Great White Way. A perfect companion film for “Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy.”

Quite moving in its portrayal of a lost time, world and culture.” – LA Times

 

 “A Fire in the Forest”

Sunday, March 17 @ noon

Directed by Chuck Davis

With filmmakers Chuck Davis, Rabbi Marc Soloway and Natanel Miles-Yepez in person

Sponsored by Friends of Bonai Shalom

The Ba’al Shem Tov is one of the most beloved and celebrated figures in Jewish history, but also one of the most elusive. Today, Jews all over the world, and even many non-Jews, revere him as the founder of the Hasidic movement, and as a model of piety and mystical spirituality. But many also find it difficult to characterize his unique contribution to Jewish spirituality. Through stories and historical information, interviews with today’s most important teachers and on-location footage, this new film shows us how the legacy of the Ba’al Shem Tov is still very much alive in our day and relevant to our daily lives.

 

“Beyond the Boundaries”

Sunday, March 17 @ 1:45 pm

Sponsored by Ignite Adaptive Sports, and Andy and Audrey Franklin

In this inspiring documentary celebrating human potential, four participants in Golshim L’Chaim – Ski To Live share their transformation from injured to empowered. Every winter, the Jewish community of Aspen comes together to host a group of former IDF soldiers injured during military service for this confidence-building program that  profoundly affects both the participants and the volunteers. Producer Nina Zale appears with the film, which is directed by award-winning Yonatan Nir, the Israeli director of “Dolphin Boy” and himself a former IDF soldier wounded in Lebanon. Much like “Dolphin Boy,” this film is about the healing power of nature and overcoming life’s challenges. Above all, it expresses the universal inspiration of hope.

 

 

“Dolphin Boy”

Sunday, March 17 @ 3:30 pm

With guest speaker Diane Israel

Sponsored by Colorado Capital Management

Morad, a severely traumatized teenager from an Arab village in the north of Israel, has completely disconnected himself from humans following a violent attack by his schoolmates. As a last resort before hospitalization in a mental institution, his devoted father takes him to Eilat to try a last-chance treatment plan: dolphin therapy. This documentary, filmed over the course of four years, details the devastating havoc that human violence can wreak upon the human soul, and demonstrates the healing powers of nature and of love.

This effortlessly engaging story of sudden tragedy and halting recovery wisely focuses on the facts and leaves the wonder to the audience.” The New York Times

 

Closing Night Film and Party

With the live music by the Klezmer Consort and an Old-Style Bar Mitzvah Buffet

“Hava Nagila: The Movie”

At the Dairy Center Performance Hall

Sunday, March 17 @ 6:30 pm

Sponsored in acknowledgement of George Lichter’s contributions to the State of Israel and the Jewish People

As soon as the first bars of this song are heard, Jews everywhere leap to their feet and begin one of the most powerful communal rituals in Jewish life, dancing the Hora. Why? This entertaining investigation into the history, mystery and meaning of the great Jewish standard explains how this particular song became a Jewish imperative to dance. Featuring interviews with Harry Belafonte, Leonard Nimoy, Connie Francis, Glen Campbell, Regina Spektor and more, the film follows the ubiquitous party song on its fascinating journey from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to the kibbutzim of Palestine to the cul-de-sacs of America. The story of a song that is has become synonymous with Simcha (a celebration) is also surprisingly profound, tapping into universal themes about the importance of joy, the power of music and the resilient spirit of a people. Campy Hollywood movie clips where “Hava” is the star of the show are at turns eye-opening, nostalgic, hysterically funny and thought-provoking

A toe-tapping, entertaining celebration of the song, starring Harry Belafonte, Connie Francis, Glen Campbell, Leonard Nimoy and many others.” – San Francisco Chronicle

Tickets are still available here.