TWO FESTIVALS KICK OFF NEW YEAR
Heaven for film lovers
By Phil Villarreal
Pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.08.2009
Tucsonans don't have to wait long to dive into the first film festivals of 2009.
The 18th annual Tucson Jewish Film Festival, which features films and performances about the Jewish experience, starts Saturday.
And the Tucson Slow Food & Film Festival, now in its fourth year of celebrating food-centered movies, begins tonight.
The Tucson Jewish Film Festival, with daily screenings for nearly two weeks, is one of the most established and most popular film festivals in Tucson.
Organizers say it's grown every year, with attendance nearly doubling in the past five years to 5,500 in 2008.
"We see families, old people and young people especially," festival director Susan Silverman said. "It's reflective of the films that are shown."
This year's lineup includes "Praying With Lior" (2007), a documentary about the spirituality of a boy with Down syndrome; "Sixty Six" (2006), with Helena Bonham Carter, a dramedy about a boy whose bar mitzvah falls during the 1966 World Cup Final; and "Blessed Is the Match" (2008) that has been short-listed for an Academy Award for best documentary.
The festival has also evolved by integrating live performing arts in recent years. This year there will be stand-up comedy and a performance by a Jewish blues band.
The Slow Food movement is an international effort to counteract fast food and fast life.
The local group, Slow Food Tucson, organizes the festival, which involves meals, tastings and screenings of a few well-known feature films such as "Ratatouille," along with shorts. There are also guest speakers and talks from filmmakers.
Bob Berzok, Slow Food Tucson's treasurer and one of its founders, said the festival is especially popular with middle-age "foodies."
Berzok said he likes how the film festival has developed and wouldn't like to see it expand.
In fact, he and his wife, Linda, eliminated the usual dinner-and-film Saturday night to make the festival a little shorter.
"With the economy the way it is, the notion of simplifying strikes with people," Berzok said.
Tucson Jewish Film Festival
β’ When: Saturday through Jan. 22, plus Feb. 15, Feb. 22 and March 1.
β’ Where: The Tucson Jewish Community Center, the Loft Cinema and the Gallagher Theater.
β’ Cost: Festival passes $85. Admission to individual screenings ranges from $9 to $18. Many films include guest speakers. You can buy tickets online or by calling 299-3000, Ext. 200.
β’ Info: tucsonjewishfilmfestival.org
Schedule highlights for the first week. The following are all at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road:
SATURDAY
β’ 7:30 p.m. β Opening Night Celebration. San Francisco comedian Lisa Geduldig performs. Followed by an
β’ 8 p.m. screening of "Noodle," an Israeli film about a flight attendant who befriends a Chinese boy who's been deported from Israel.
sunday
β’ 2 p.m. β "Praying With Lior." Documentary about a boy with Down syndrome who spends his life praying.
β’ 6 p.m. β Arts for All Adult Dance ensemble performs.
β’ 6:30 p.m. β Introductory remarks from Ilana Trachtman, director of "Praying With Lior."
β’ 7 p.m. β "Leaving Paradise: The Jews of Jamaica." The documentary is followed by a screening of "Praying With Lior."
monday
β’ 7 p.m. β "My Father My Lord." A drama about an Orthodox rabbi's relationship with his son.
tuesday
β’ 6 p.m. β "Eyewitness, 60 Years." A documentary about the history of Israel.
β’ 7:30 p.m. β "Love and Dance," a drama about a boy caught in the middle of a contentious marriage of his Russian mother and Israeli father.
WEDNESDAY
β’ 1 p.m. β "His Wife's Lover" features the only film performance by comedian Ludwig Satz.
β’ 7 p.m. β A double feature: "Torte Bluma" and "Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh."
Screenings continue daily through Jan. 22. See next week's Caliente for more information.
Tucson Slow Food & Film Festival
Events range from $20 for screenings to $75 for meals with screenings. Packages range from $140 per person for two movies and two restaurants to $270 for a four-day package. Discounts available. Go to slowfoodtucson.org for more information.
Tonight
β’ 6 p.m. β Opening night dinner at Primo Restaurant at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa, 3645 W. Starr Pass Blvd.
β’ 8 p.m. β "Dinner Rush" (2000), starring Danny Aiello. Center for Performing Arts, Pima Community College, West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Road.
Friday
β’ 5 p.m. β Three-course French- inspired menu at Elle Wine Country Restaurant, 3048 E. Broadway.
β’ 8 p.m. β "Ratatouille" (2007), Oracle View, 4690 N. Oracle Road.
Saturday
β’ 11 a.m. β Brunch at Vin Tabla, 2890 E. Skyline Drive.
β’ 1:30-5:30 p.m. β Short films. Center for Performing Arts at PCC's West Campus.
β’ "Appetite for Justice." A private eye takes an unusual case.
β’ "Vive La Food." Portraits of two French chefs with small restaurants in Sacramento, Calif.
β’ "Half Off: The Mini Adventures of Burger." A package of beef tries to escape from a home.
β’ "Raised on Rice and Gravy." Cajun, creole cooking traditions in a small Louisiana town.
β’ "The Cupcake Prince." Animated short about a baking princess who gets a plea from a cupcake.
β’ "On the Trail With Miss Snail Pail." A snail collector pursues her hobby and shares her interest and recipes.
β’ "Eating Alaska." An exploration of food politics from an ex-vegetarian and city dweller, who goes north and marries a commercial fisherman, environmental activist and deer hunter.
β’ "Happy Tobikomaki." A Swiss short film about sushi. With subtitles.
β’ "Hard Packed, Hard Boiled." Film noir-ish ice-cream parlor with a gangster and soda jerk.
sunday
β’ 1 p.m. β Gala closing brunch at Acacia, 4340 N. Campbell Ave.
β’ 3 p.m. β "Bottle Shock" (2008). Oracle View, 4690 N. Oracle Road.
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