Boulder Jewish News Arts, Culture, Events, Lifestyles, Holidays, Synagogues, Education
The 13th annual Boulder Jewish Film Festival, which runs October 26 – November 2 at the Dairy Arts Center, features 15 entertaining and enlightening film programs, including six documentaries and seven feature films from around the world. This year we offer two separate shorts programs, which are always popular and feature a wide array of subjects and styles.
Tickets to the Boulder Jewish Film Festival go on sale on Sunday, October 5. Films tend to sell out quickly, so don’t wait. And if a film you want to see is sold out, email jodi@boulderjcc.org to be put on the waiting list or informed of additional screenings.
Need help deciding what to see? Click here to view our sneak preview video with Founding Director Kathryn Bernheimer, and read more about our films below.
THRILLS AND CHILLS
This year, we present two exciting thrillers, both of which conform to conventions of the popular genre. “Guns and Moses” and “Tatami” are suspenseful, action-packed dramas set in highly specific worlds, featuring characters under enormous pressure. Nothing less than survival is at stake as our heroes must summon physical courage and inner strength to counter evil forces. “Guns and Moses” and “Tatami” are also highly relevant, dealing with the violence and hatred directed against Jews at home and around the world.
FAUSTIAN BARGAINS
This year, two of our films feature unrepentant Nazis, both of whom achieved professional glory by catering to Hitler’s penchant for art – and his shrewd understanding of its power to shape public opinion. Filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl rose to fame as a cinematic propagandist, translating Hitler’s Aryan aesthetic to the screen. Bruno Lohse, Goering’s personal art agent, participated in history’s largest art theft.
“Riefenstahl” and “The Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief” are chilling portraits of self-aggrandizing opportunists who willingly served their Nazi masters, and who shockingly continued to prosper right up until their deaths. Both films offer valuable insights into the power of art to perpetuate evil.
POP CULTURE INFLUENCERS
Two creative and principled individuals who have had a positive impact on the arts are profiled in new documentaries being shown at the festival.
Charles Grodin was not just one of America’s most underrated comic actors, but also a tireless humanitarian who devoted his later years to freeing wrongly convicted individuals, particularly mothers of color, from prison. “Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause” celebrates his comic genius as well as his social activism.
Art Spiegelman had a profound influence on American literature, elevating graphic writing (aka comic books) into a respected art form. In 1992, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his masterful semi-autobiographical Holocaust narrative “Maus” – which portrayed Jews as mice and Nazis as cats. “Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse” is a portrait of the artist as a caustic cultural critic.
A SURE BET
Three of our films this year have plots that revolve around gambling. In the sentimental family drama “The Ring,” a gambling addiction has left our protagonist with a relationship to repair and much to prove. In the remarkable love story “Bliss,” a couple struggles to repay their son’s gambling debts. And in the high-spirited comedy “Yaniv,” a high school teacher enlists a friend and gambling addict to help him win money in an underground card game.
THE FACE OF ISRAEL
As always, we seek to shed light on Israeli society, history and culture. This year, with the entire Israeli film industry under attack, we proudly offer five films that put a human face on the Jewish homeland. READ MORE HERE.
ON THE LIGHTER, BRIGHTER SIDE
Every year we seek to balance enjoyable, upbeat films with serious, darker dramas. Many of this year’s films are both entertaining and gratifying, sure to resonate deeply with the audience.
“Swedishkayt,” our closing night film, is a comedic documentary that is also extremely edifying. “The Ring” and “Bliss” emanate warmth despite the challenges facing the compelling characters. “Midas Man,” our opening night British biodrama about firth Beatle Brian Epstein, conveys not only the excitement of the Swinging Sixties, but also the personal demons plaguing our entrepreneurial hero.
“Guns and Moses” and “Tatami” are dark films that are nevertheless extremely entertaining. While there’s no such thing as a feel-good film about the October 7 massacre, “Of Dogs and Men” takes a gentler approach to the tragedy. Four of our films deal with the long shadow of the Holocaust – “Art Spiegelman,” “The Ring,” “The Plunderer” and “Riefenstahl” – but none depict the horrors of the camps.
We are proud to present a range of films that speak to us at this moment in time and touch on issues of interest to the Jewish community: escalating violence, global antisemitism, censorship, propaganda, gender equality and much more. We know you will find all of our films engaging and gratifying. We look forward to lively conversation following our screenings, and to sharing many pleasurable, rewarding moments with you.
