Kansas City’s 2018 Jewish Film Festival (KCJFF) will feature eight diverse films from Israel and around the globe. Now in its 18th year, The Festival is presented by the Arts & Culture Department of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City (The J). The Festival opens Saturday evening, April 28, and continues through Saturday, May 12. All the films will be screened in The Lewis and Shirley White Theatre at the Jewish Community Campus.
The KCJFF provides moviegoers with the opportunity to encounter Jewish ideas and values by creating an open, inviting and entertaining forum for films that explore universal issues of culture, identity and history.
This year’s festival line up features eight films that have received a combined 34 national and international awards. Robin Prosini led the volunteer committee that carefully selected this year’s films, including four documentaries.
“This year’s festival has something for everyone,” Prosini said. “Music is a strong theme this year with a film about the life of Sammy Davis Jr. We’re also featuring two spy thrillers that will have people sitting on the edge of their seats.”
Prosini said the films address a variety of subjects, including dealing with special needs, family reconciliation, escaping the Holocaust, survival and redemption.
“There’s even a wonderful romantic comedy in which a young bride, who is jilted in the first few minutes of the film, resolves to find the love of her life in just 30 days,” Prosini said.
This year’s festival lineup includes:
• “My Hero Brother” (PG-13) Saturday, April 28, (8 p.m.) — An Israeli documentary that follows a group of remarkable young people with Down syndrome as they embark on a trek through the Himalayas with their siblings. The Down Syndrome Guild sponsors this film.
• “Fanny’s Journey” (PG 13) Sunday, April 29, (2 p.m.) — Based on a true story of 13-year-old Fanny and her younger sisters, the film follows as they travel from their home in France to Italy where their lives are thrown into turmoil as they escape the Nazi invasion (English sub-titles).
• “Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me” (PG), Sunday, April 29, (5 p.m.) — post-show with Lonnie McFadden. Sammy Davis Jr. faced many obstacles being Jewish, Cuban and African American. His pursuit of the American dream was complex. This film features a star-studded roster of interviewees about the legendary song-and-dance man.
• “Shalom Bollywood” (PG), Wednesday, May 2, (7 p.m.) — This film reveals the story of the 2,000-year-old Indian Jewish community and its formative place in shaping the world’s largest film industry. This documentary is filled with music and dance showcasing Jewish superstars.
• “Shelter” (R), Saturday, May 5 (8 p.m.) — A Mossad agent heads to Germany to protect a beautiful Lebanese informant who betrayed a top Hezbollah leader who is set on exacting revenge. The two form an unexpected bond but their fates may be out of their control. The Israel Spirit Committee sponsors this film.
• “Riphagen: The Untouchable” (R), Wednesday, May 9, (7 p.m.) — This is a gripping and intense wartime thriller about a real gangster and war profiteer, Dries Riphagen, who betrayed countless Jews in Amsterdam during World War II.
• “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now” (PG-13), Thursday, May 10, (7 p.m.) — Pre-show with ensemble of the Heartland Men’s Chorus. This moving portrait of 21-year-old Saar Maoz, an HIV-positive gay man, focuses on his “out” life as a member of London’s Gay Chorus and his desire to reconnect with his Orthodox family in Israel that knows little of his other life.
• The Wedding Plan” (PG), Saturday, May 12, (8 p.m.) — When her fiancé dumps Michal on the eve of their wedding, she refuses to cancel the wedding arrangements. Instead, as the clock ticks down, Michal enlists the help of matchmakers, goes on disastrous blind dates and finds an unexpected connection. Michal puts everything on the line to find happiness.
Several of the films include special pre-show events. Full details about the festival and teaser reels are available at www.kcjff.org.
A Festival pass, that includes admission to all eight films and several of the special events associated with them, is only $80 — a 15 percent savings over the purchase of individual tickets for each film. Individual tickets are available for $12.