Category: Jewish FF

The Jewish Soul: Yiddish Cinema on Blu-ray

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

In the 1930s, small studios in Warsaw and New York made low-budget movies for an international market of not-quite-assimilated Jews. These films were mostly in Yiddish. Production costs were low, and the movies tried to have everything. Most of these pictures contain comedy, drama, and people breaking out in song. They were often about young … Continue reading The Jewish Soul: Yiddish Cinema on Blu-ray

Are donors censoring the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival?

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 2 Comments

A Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) activist claims that a powerful donor forced the Jewish Film Festival to ban JVP patriation. Is it true? I'm not sure. Let me try to unravel the story. About a week ago, as this year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival was winding down, the Eastbay Express published an article … Continue reading Are donors censoring the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival?

Ethiopian Jews, a dying magician, & a Soviet stand-up comic: My Last Day at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

Thursday was the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival's last day at the Albany Twin, and my last day at the festival. I saw three films. Oddly, two of them were fiction; a surprising ratio in this year's documentary-heavy lineup. None of the films I saw were followed by a Q&A. That shouldn't be surprising. Filmmakers … Continue reading Ethiopian Jews, a dying magician, & a Soviet stand-up comic: My Last Day at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

Religious fanatics and a strange honeymoon: Tuesday at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

~ Lincoln Spector

I saw three films at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival Tuesday. Two were documentaries about ultra-Orthodox Jews connecting with outsiders. The third was a dramatic comedy about a Holocaust vacation. I don't have to tell you why these are Jewish films. They're obvious. City of Joel A short fiction film, Black Hat, preceded the … Continue reading Religious fanatics and a strange honeymoon: Tuesday at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

A lovable Hollywood mogul, the Holocaust & the Occupation, and the man who made Casablanca: Saturday at the SF Jewish Film Fest

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

I saw three movies at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival Saturday. Two of them were documentaries, the other was a fiction film based on history. One of them was the best I've seen at this year's festival. Another was the worst. Carl Laemmle This interesting, entertaining, but conventional documentary tells us that the creator … Continue reading A lovable Hollywood mogul, the Holocaust & the Occupation, and the man who made Casablanca: Saturday at the SF Jewish Film Fest

A Daredevil Photographer and the invention of a movie camera: The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival moves to Albany

~ Lincoln Spector

Thursday evening, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival spread out to the East Bay, screening films at the Albany Twin. This makes my commute much easier. The festival is still going on at the Castro through Sunday. Here are the first two films I've seen so far at the Albany. Both are about photography, but … Continue reading A Daredevil Photographer and the invention of a movie camera: The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival moves to Albany