The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) has released its slate of films for Opening Night. The first evening of the festival, Young Professionals Night presented by ACCESS, and Closing Night to be included in the 2019 festival, has been set.
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival announces full 2019 movie lineup
The 19th annual Atlanta Jewish Film Festival kicks off Wednesday February 6 at 7:30 p.m. through February 26 2019. Opening Night takes place at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre with the Atlanta premiere of the Israeli dramedy “Shoelaces.”
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival kicks off Feb. 6
Nominated for eight Israeli Academy Awards including Best Film, this tender family story follows the complicated relationship between an irascible father and his special-needs son, while raising serious questions about society’s attitudes towards the disabled and the importance of human connection. Actor Nevo Kimchi gives an outstanding performance as the son Gadi, filling his role with humor, optimism, and charm that is not frequently seen in the depiction of special-needs characters.
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival will also feature Kimchi in a Q&A discussion after the screening. Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Opening Night general admission tickets are available for $36 and include complimentary parking as well as the screening and post-film Q&A.
“Shoelaces”
On Saturday, February 16, AJFF will feature the North American premiere of “Leona” at Young Professionals Night, presented by ACCESS, the young leadership division of American Jewish Committee at the Woodruff Arts Center.
The night begins with a pre-screening party at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by the film at 8:00 p.m. Making the transition into adulthood, a young woman from Mexico City finds herself torn between her Syrian-Jewish family and a forbidden love, in this delicate, melancholic romance.
The story dives into the divide between generations and different cultures but becomes a hopeful journey of self-discovery and female empowerment. Audience members can look forward to a post-film Q&A discussion with filmmaker, Isaac Cherem, and lead actress, Naian González Norvind. Tickets are $36 and include the party and screening.
Audiences can expect diverse films from this year’s Atlanta Jewish Film Festival . A first look at what to expect in this year’s lineup was recently announced and is available here. The preview includes the following eight films: “Alt-Right: Age of Rage,” “Family in Transition,” “Fig Tree,” “Holy Lands, It Must Be Schwing!: The Blue Note Story,” “Redemption,” “Who Will Write Our History,” and“Working Woman.” The full lineup and official schedule, along with the release of program guides, will be announced on Thursday, January 10. Tickets go on sale via AJFF.org beginning Monday, January 28. Tickets for the festival are $13 for Matinee/Seniors/Students/
The festival closes out with food options and a screening of “Chewdaism: A Taste of Montreal” on Tuesday, February 26, at 7:00 p.m. at the Byers Theater at City Springs. In this nosh-umentary, Canadian funnymen and best friends return to their hometown to explore their heritage by eating their way across the city. Comedy duo Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman are creators and co-stars of YidLife Crisis, a successful Yiddish language web series exploring, with charm and jocular snark, the burning questions and absurdities of contemporary Jewish life. Now nearing middle age and their own proverbial YidLife Crisis, they’re back in Montreal to delve into a hundred years of the city’s rich Jewish history…and to stuff themselves with its even richer Jewish food.
There will be a post-screening Q&A discussion and a post-screening food tasting that begins at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $36 and include complimentary parking, the screening, and a post-screening food tasting. For those that are unable to attend to the evening showing, there will be a matinee screening earlier in the day at 2:25 p.m. also with a post-screening Q&A. Tickets for the matinee will be $13.