2021 Recorded Q&As

2021 SJFF Opening Ceremony

The 21st Sacramento Jewish Film Festival was fully virtual in 2021.

On March 3, 2021, we recorded our Opening Night Ceremony on Zoom.

Click below to watch the recorded Q&A.

2021 Community-wide Havdalah Ceremony

The SJFF hosted its first virtual community-wide Havdalah ceremony in 2021, the traditional celebration of the end of the Sabbath. The ceremony was performed by clergy representing synagogues from throughout the Jewish Federation region. The ceremony will be led by Rabbi Matt Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer of the Einstein Center, and is being presented by the Sacramento Board of Rabbis, the Jewish Federation & the Sacramento Jewish Film Festival.

This was recorded on March 6, 2021.

Click below to watch the recorded Q&A.

It Must Schwing: The Blue Note Story

The film, It Must Schwing, tells the story of two Jewish-German immigrants who bonded over American jazz in their native Germany and founded Blue Note Records in 1939. Alfred Lion and Francis Wolf went on to make some of the seminal jazz recordings of the mid-20th century. Unlike most labels, they put the music and the artists above profits, leading to a reputation among New York musicians that this was the label to get with. The music says it all.

CapRadio’s Jazz Music Director Gary Vercelli, Sacramento jazz guitarist Henry Robinett, and Sacramento jazz pianist and professor Dr. Joe Gilman joined moderator Dave Harzoff to discuss the impact of Blue Note Records on American music.

Recorded on On March 18, 2021.

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Neal Friedman of Menemsha Films

A chat with Menemsha Films founder and president, Neil Friedman, regarding Menemsha, Jewish films, Chai Flicks, and film festivals.

Recorded May 23, 2021.

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About A Teacher

About a Teacher is an inspiring drama about the personal journey of a New York City public high school teacher who enters the profession oblivious to the actual demands of teaching in the inner city, and unaware of his own shortcomings and biases.

This is a zoom chat with filmmaker/teacher Hanan Harchol and school administrator/teacher Jason Kamras, moderated by Teven Laxer, director, Sacramento Jewish Film Festival.

Recorded on May 11, 2021.

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The One and Only Jewish Miss America

Zoom chat regarding the film The One and Only Jewish Miss America with filmmaker David Arond, Bess’s good friend Vicki Gold Levi, and publicist Cindy Graff Cohen.

Recorded on March 23, 2021.

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Surviving the Silence

Filmmaker Cindy Abel, Sacramentans Col. Patsy Thompson and her wife Barbara Brass, along with Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer discussed the film, Surviving the Silence. Surviving the Silence tells the story of two women in love who are surviving the oppression of a closeted military career. In 1992, Colonel Pat Thompson, a decorated army nurse, was only two years away from retirement when she was asked to preside over a military review board that eventually dismissed Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer for admitting she was a lesbian. Although Thompson had served her country with distinction for over thirty years—from conflict zones in Central America to working inside the Pentagon—that appointment was perhaps the hardest. In that moment, she had to protect her own life secret: that she too was a lesbian and had been living privately with her life partner, Barbara Brass, for many years. The way Thompson handled this conflict eventually led to a change in U.S. military policy.

Recorded 0n March 14, 2021.

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Land of Milk and Funny

Comedians Avi Liberman and Jimmy Shubert joined us for a live chat about the film The Land of Milk and Honey. The Land of Milk and Funny is a documentary about Avi Liberman, a Jewish-American comedian, who made a commitment to return to Israel each year and to bring other comedians with him. Ten years and 30 comedians later, he has developed a format to provide sorely needed comedic entertainment in Israel and to provide a significant travel and performance experience for the comedians. This film is funny with poignant moments.

Recorded on March 16, 2021.

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Tango Shalom Cast Party

Tango Shalom is a comedy about a Chasidic rabbi who discovers his talent for tango dancing by chance and has to find a way to dance with a beautiful dance teacher without violating his religious beliefs about not touching a woman other than his wife. He consults a priest, an imam, Sikh religious leaders, rabbis, and HaShem.

This zoom recording was part of the virtual 2021 Sacramento Jewish Film Festival. Cast members included Renée Taylor, Lainie Kazan, Karina Smirnoff, Jos Laniado, Gabe Bologna, Claudio Laniado, and Judi Beecher. The party was moderated by Fred Dobb.

Recorded on March 23, 2021.

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Maverick Modigliani

To mark the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Amadeo Modigliani’s death, the Sacramento Jewish Film Festival presented the film, Maverick Modigliani, which explores the life and work of Modigliani, a Jewish Italian avant-garde painter who became a classic contemporary artist loved and imitated all over the world. To mark the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Amadeo Modigliani’s death, the Sacramento Jewish Film Festival presented the film, Maverick Modigliani, which explores the life and work of Modigliani, a Jewish Italian avant-garde painter who became a classic contemporary artist loved and imitated all over the world.

Modigliani Project’s Ken Wayne and Columbia University Professor Clémence Boulouque participated in this live zoom chat.

Recorded on March 4, 2021.

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Stranger/Sister

With a mix of sadness and joy, we bade farewell to our first virtual film festival. This recording of the Zoom program recognizes our donors and the festival committee members who worked hard to present the first ever virtual festival. We also present a trailer containing parts of each live event we presented. It’s also a Virtual Lobby where participants had a chance to talk about the films and the festival.

This was recorded on March 7, 2021

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2021 Closing Ceremony

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