Panels & Discussions
Many SFJFF screenings are followed by Q&A's with artists, directors, and producers. We have planned the following extended converstions and two special panel discussions, but this is only a sampling of the conversations that will take place during the festival. For updates on expected guest, go to www.SFJFF.org. Free to ticket holders for the film that precedes the panel or Q&A.
Saturday, July 24, 11:00am (Castro)
Q&A with director Jennifer Arnold, A Small Act, with Chris Mburu, subject of the film.
Saturday, July 24, 7:00pm (Castro)
OPENING NIGHT: Q & A with director Ludi Boeken, actors Lia Hoensbroech and Daniel Flieger and memoirist Marga Spiegel following Saviors in the Night.
Sunday, July 25, 11:00am (Castro)
Q&A with Lilly Rivlin director of Grace Paley: Collected Shorts.
Sunday, July 25, 1:15pm (Castro)
Q&A with Will Hechter, producer of Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story, and Al Rosen, former Cleveland Indians All Star and former SF Giants GM.
Sunday, July 25, 7:00pm (Castro)
Panel Discussion: Tough Guys: Images of Jewish Gangsters in Film, following the 4pm screening of Lepke.
Sunday, July 25, 7:30pm (Castro)
Q&A with director Radu Gabrea, Gruber’s Journey.
Monday, July 26, 2:15pm (Castro)
Q&A with Theo Rigby, director of Perfect Mother.
Monday, July 26, 7:00pm (Castro)
Q&A with Sharon Pucker Rivo, film preservationist and director of the National Center for Jewish Films, and Ethan Miller and his band Moab Strangers (Dave Gulbis, Joel Robinow, Matt Baldwin, Sarah Willner, Utrillo Kushner, and Janet Kutulas) are providing the live music with Hungry Hearts.
Tuesday, July 27, 11:30am (Castro)
Q&A with Director Bob Richman, and Executive Producer, Patti Kenner of Ahead of Time.
Tuesday, July 27, 1:30pm (Castro)
Q&A with Justin Strawhand, director of War Against the Weak.
Tuesday, July 27, 4:00pm (Castro)
Q&A with director Lisa Gossels, My So-Called Enemy, Rawan, subject of the film.
Tuesday, July 27, 6:30pm (Castro)
Q&A with Alejandra Manzo, lead actor playing Anita.
Director Garry Beitel, The “Socalled” Movie, with musical guests: Socalled and singer Katie Moore.
Q&A and musical performance following the Castro screening
Wednesday, July 28, 1:15pm (Castro) – free matinee
Director Frank Stiefel, Ingelore, and Ingelore Herz Honigstein, subject and director’s mother, in Q&A following the Castro screening.
Q&A with director John-Keith Wasson, Surviving Hitler: A Love Story at the Castro.
Wednesday, July 28 4:00pm (Castro)
Conversation with Ronit Avni, producer of Budrus
Wednesday, July 28, 6:30pm (Castro)
Screenwriter Sayed Kashua, and director Shai Capon, Arab Labor: Season 2 / Freedom of Expression Award presentation with Q&A.
Thursday, July 29, 11:30am (Castro) – free
Is Dialogue Possible? How Films Help Us Talk About Israel (...Or Not)
The controversy following SFJFF’s 2009 screening of the documentary Rachel left many in the Jewish community struggling with how best to broach difficult issues regarding Israel through programming. Join filmmakers—including Ronit Avni (Budrus), Lisa Gossels (My So-Called Enemy), Rachel Eryn Kalish, the founding facilitator of a pioneering intra-Jewish dialogue project (Project Reconnections), and Ari Y Kelman who is an associate professor of American Studies at UC Davis. Will participate in a civic engagement to discuss the role (and perhaps limits) of film to foster constructive dialogue about potentially difficult topics. Moderated by Ellen Schneider, former executive producer of PBS’s P.O.V. documentary series, and founder of Active Voice, an organization that helps create civic dialogue and public engagement around social-issue documentaries.
Thursday, July 29, 8:45pm (Castro)
Closing Night: director Erik Greenberg Anjou, The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground, and Lisa Gutkin, Lorin Sklamberg, and Matt Darriau members of the The Klezmatics.
Saturday, July 31, 2:00pm (Berkeley)
Q&A with screenwriter Sayed Kashua and director Shai Capon, Arab Labor.
Saturday, July 31, 4:30pm (Berkeley)
Q&A with directors, Dave Cerf and Sam Green of Utopia in Four Movements.
Saturday, July 31, 6:45pm (Palo Alto)
Q&A with director Ludi Boeken, Saviors in the Night.
Sunday, August 1, 4:00pm (Palo Alto)
Q&A with director Regev Contes, The Worst Company in the World.
Monday, August 2, 2:00pm (Palo Alto) – free matinee
Q&A with Celia Michaels the daughter of Ruth Gruber who is the subject of the film Ahead of Time.
Tuesday, August 3, 2:30pm (Berkeley)
Saturday, August 7, 12:00 pm (JCCSF)
Q&A with Neil Grungras on behalf of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) at the screenings of 9 Years Later.
Wednesday, August 4, 12:00pm (Berkeley)
Q&A with director Regev Contes, The Worst Company in the World.
Saturday, August 7, 4:15pm (Berkeley)
Q&A with director Robin Hessman, My Perestroika
Sunday, August 8, 3:45pm (JCCSF)
Q&A with director Robin Hessman, My Perestroika
