Lights, camera, festival: JFilm readies for 32nd installment
'In the end, what I hope the festival does is remind all of us in the community that we are stronger together'
A beloved local film festival is returning with ample opportunities for entertainment and engagement. JFilm Festival, hosted by Film Pittsburgh, is heading to theaters April 24 to May 4.
The 32nd installment of the festival offers a “diversity of stories” previously unseen, according to Paul Sloop, Film Pittsburgh’s director of programming.
“It’s quite an eclectic collection of films this year, from documentaries to narratives,” Sloop said. “We have so much variety to offer this year and a lot of really good films that I think the community is going to enjoy.”
Screenings will be held at Carnegie Mellon University’s McConomy Auditorium and The Oaks Theater in Oakmont. Streaming access to six films also is available from April 25 through May 4 in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
Kicking off the festival is “Midas Man,” a musical biopic exploring the life of Brian Epstein, the former manager of the Beatles. Before the screening at the Oaks Theater, Film Pittsburgh is hosting a Beatles-themed cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. Ten days later, the festival will close with a double feature of “Matchmaking” and “Matchmaking 2.”
There’s a level of ironic coupling with the films, Sloop said: Though “Matchmaking” was featured on opening night a few years back, “I enjoyed ‘Matchmaking 2,’ as much, maybe even a little more than the original.”
Sandwiched between “Midas Man” and “Matchmaking 2” is a slew of other films, including “Come Closer.” The movie, which won Israel’s Ophir Award for Best Picture and was the Jewish state’s official selection for the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, explores one woman’s experience of self-discovery after the unexpected death of her younger brother.
“It is just a really good film,” Sloop said.
Helping select this year’s slate of titles was a dedicated volunteer corps, who scoured movies from multiple genres for months before selecting “what is highly likely to resonate with the Pittsburgh audience,” Sloop said.
Sloop, a cinephile who also serves as Short Films programming manager at the Cleveland International Film Festival, is proud of JFilm’s lineup as well as the venues this year. And while it’s easy to claim a space on the coach and watch flicks at home, he hopes Pittsburghers venture out and experience the festival in person — not just to see something on the big screen, but to see something together.
“There is a sense of community that takes place in a movie theater,” he said. “There’s an element of connection that we feel when we’re in a room with other people that you don’t feel at home alone.”
Whether it’s the responses offered by strangers in a darkened room, or hearing from the directors themselves, being in person offers a bit more, Sloop said.
This year, attendees can record a short message for outgoing founder and executive director Kathryn Spitz Cohan. On April 10, Film Pittsburgh announced Spitz Cohan’s forthcoming retirement.
“I believe independent filmmakers have their fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in the world, and that film is a powerful medium for change,” Spitz Cohan said in a prepared statement. “I look forward to giving back to the film festival sector as well as staying involved in the Pittsburgh arts community.”
Along with wishing Spitz Cohan well, this year’s festival will enable Pittsburghers to enjoy movies along with moviemakers on several occasions.
After seeing “Sabbath Queen,” a documentary following the life of Amichai Lau-Lavie, a descendant of rabbinic royalty, festival-goers can enjoy a Q&A with director Sandi DuBowski and Kohenet Keshira haLev Fife on April 29 at 7 p.m. at The Oaks Theater.
One day later, on April 30 at 7 p.m. at The Oaks Theater, attendees can enjoy another Q&A, this time with director/co-writer Amnon Carmi and actor/writer Ben Ducoff of “Yaniv,” a comedy about a teacher who goes to unusual lengths to support his students.
“In the end, what I hope the festival does is remind all of us in the community that we are stronger together — to remember that we’re very diverse in thought and experience, that we always need one another, and that having one another makes a major difference in the way the world feels — and that we are able to approach and deal with whatever’s happening in the moment,” Sloop said. “All these stories are going to give the community an opportunity to reflect on that and remember it, and I hope that we help serve this moment in that way.”
Tickets, showtimes and information about JFilm Festival is available at filmpittsburgh.org. PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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