The Boulder Jewish Film Festival Adds Three Screenings

Tickets are now on sale for the Boulder Jewish Film Festival, which runs October 26 – November 2 at the Dairy Arts Center. Films sell out quickly, so don’t delay!

Three additional screenings have been added. “Swedishkayt” will be shown at noon, Tuesday, October 28. “The Ring” will be shown at noon, Wednesday, October 29. “Bliss” will be shown at noon, Thursday October 30.

We have some very special guests joining us for talkbacks this year.

Ben Ducoff, who co-wrote and stars in “Yaniv,” joins us for the opening day screenings of his surprise hit comedy about a high school teacher who infiltrates an underground Hasidic card game, which has played at more than 60 film festivals. He will also teach the card game Yaniv in between the two screenings on Sunday, October 26. Screenings are at noon and 3:30 pm. The Yaniv card party is from 2-3:30 in the Dairy lobby.

How did Israel become the Start-up Nation? Much of the credit for Israel’s scientific and technological achievements goes to the Technion, with just celebrated its centennial. Boulder’s Omer Yehezkeli, who continues to serve on the faculty of the fabled institution, joins us for the screening of “Technion 10²” on October 28 at 6:30 pm.

Art Spiegelman, who created the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize (“Maus”), revolutionized comics by exploring dark, complex themes, his life and work having been shaped by his Holocaust-survivor parents and inspired by MAD magazine’s irreverent satire. Boulder’s Jim Vacca, a lifelong comic book aficionado and former high school teacher, joins us for “Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse” on November 2 at noon.

Boulder’s Katarina Schare, born in Sweden in a Jewish family, joins us for our closing night film and party on Sunday, November 2 at 6:30 pm. In “Swedishkayt,” an entertaining and eye-opening Yiddish-inflected escapade, a popular Canadian comedy duo travels to Sweden for a performance, unearthing an incredibly rich hidden treasure trove of Jewish culture. Who knew? Be sure to join as at 5 pm for Smorgasbord, a Swedish-themed reception.

Holocaust expert Professor Paul Shankman, a frequent festival talkback guest who never fails to provide important context to the stories of the Shoah we show, returns to discuss two films. “Riefenstahl,” screening October 30 at 3 pm, reveals how Leni Riefenstahl, who glorified Nazi ideology through film, went on to enjoy a long life and illustrious career. Three generations find healing by facing their Holocaust history in the popular Israeli family drama “The Ring,” our Community Centerpiece, screening October 29 at 6:30 pm.