Atlanta Jewish Film Festival to Honor Lawrence Kasdan with Inaugural Icon Award

At the opening night of the 16th annual Atlanta Jewish Film Festival in January, executive director Kenny Blank announced the organization's next big step in achieving global recognition for their brand—the Icon Award for Contributions to the Cinematic Arts.

Perhaps best known for writing "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Kasdan has also had a tremendously successful career as a director and producer, making films such as "Body Heat," "The Big Chill," "The Accidental Tourist," "Grand Canyon" and "Wyatt Earp." Kasdan has received four Academy Award nominations across three categories (Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay).

"Time to Say Goodbye" Review (***½)

Maximilian Ehrenreich stars as Simon in "Time to Say Goodbye."

To what, you ask? Great question. A question the closing title frame resolves with an iteration of this German film's original German release title: "Simon sagt 'Auf Wiedersehen' zu seiner Vorhaut"—or, "Simon Says Goodbye to His Foreskin"—a title as straightforward as this comedy's charm. Twelve-year-old Simon Grünberg (Maximilian Ehrenreich, "The Book of Life") approaches his Bar Mitzvah in the midst of his parents' marital separation. His recently observant Jewish father (Florian Setter) advocates for his circumcision, seeing the significance of his son's covenant with God as a non-negotiable rite of passage. His mother (Lavinia Wilson), a fiery and headstrong erotica author, finds this appalling and refuses to subject her son to circumcision for the sake of pious rules. Simon, for lack of a better term, is torn.

"Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong" Review (****)

Brian Greenberg and Jamie Chung star in "Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong."

Last week I attended the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival for the very first time, catching a screening of first-time writer/director Emily Ting’s “Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong” as a part of Access Night. Starring real-life couple Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg, Ting’s walk-and-talk romantic comedy shines under the brightly-lit streets of nighttime Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the film occasionally falls victim to Hollywood’s many romantic comedy tropes. The city as the third character? Check. Flirtatious meet-cute? Double check. However, the film is able to differentiate itself from being just another 'rom-com' thanks largely in part to Ting’s unique perspective paired with Chung and Greenberg’s natural flow on screen.

Atom Egoyan's "Remember" Opens Up 16th Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (***½)

Christopher Plummer stars in "Remember."

Kicking off this year’s much anticipated Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, “Remember” stars Academy Award winner Christopher Plummer as an elderly Holocaust survivor who embarks on a journey for revenge. Plummer plays Zev Gutman, a Jewish man who has just lost his wife to cancer and can’t seem to remember who or where he is for more than a few hours at a time. Zev is sent on a mission by a friend of his at the nursing home to find and kill a man who murdered both of their families in Auschwitz during WWII.

What to See at the 2016 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

The largest Jewish film festival in the world returns for its Sweet Sixteen. Here is a list of titles for you to check out during the 23-day event.

We love that each new year of the Georgia film festival circuit kicks off with the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The city's most widely attended film event stretches out over three weeks at eight different venues across Midtown Atlanta, Buckhead, Alpharetta, Marietta, Vinings and Sandy Springs. No film festival in the state packs the house as consistently as AJFF and we are looking forward to joining in the opening night ceremonies on Tuesday, January 26 at the Cobb Energy Centre.

This year's lineup is as strong as ever, with films pouring in from all over the world and covering all sorts of thematic ground. Whether you want academic documentaries, Israeli award-winners, Japanese biopics, romantic comedies, musicals or whatever else you can think of—AJFF '16 has it.

We've compiled a long list of films you must see this year! See our picks after the jump.

14 Films to See at the 2015 Sidewalk Film Festival

This will be my third year attending Sidewalk Film Festival and there is just something about this three-day extravaganza in Birmingham, Alabama that gets me more excited than just about anything else that happens all year.

It's not just the fact that there are so many good films to see that you will inevitably kick yourself for missing one simply because you chose another (a great problem to have). It's not just the fact that they close down 3rd Avenue and have a street party all weekend long with food and games and vendors. It's not just that the Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival is one block away, adding even more electricity to the city. It's not just the amazing staff of Sidewalk—all of whom I admire so deeply. It's not even just the cake bites from Urban Standard.

It's all of this and more—an x-factor, if you will—that this incredible film festival possesses. A charm all it's own, amazing theaters, wonderful film programming, great parties, delectable food. I'm gushing, I know, but I simply can't help it. Sidewalk is The Perfect Storm.

At the heart of it, though, is truly the love of film. It reflects in their program every year and this year is certainly no exception! I have compiled a list of 14 can't-miss films for you to check out this year, and then added 8 more that you might have already seen on the Georgia film festival circuit, but certainly warrant a revisit.

AJFF & Creative Loafing Art Party 2/7: Reel GA Readers Get 10% Off!

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival has partnered with Creative Loafing to bring you a night featuring local artists, collectible works, and a celebration of Jewish comedy legends from the 1970s to today! Hosted at the Mammal Gallery, a versatile arts and performance space in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the 2nd Annual AJFF Art Party will feature artists Catlanta, Blockhead ATL, Crazy Monkey Trucker, and Clunky Robot. Still other artists will contribute special art drops, and film-themed photo booths will make you feel like a movie star. Bring a friend and be a part of the most contemporary, innovative event this weekend has to offer!

When: Saturday, February 7 @ 8pm
Where: The Mammal Gallery, 91 Broad Street Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30303

Use the discount code APCL8296 to get 10% off your ticket, which includes entry, collectible art, a swag bag, and access to a FREE TACO BAR!

Buy your tickets here!

AJFF Buzzes With World Premiere of John Goldschmidt's "Dough" (**)

Jerome Holder, Pauline Collins, Jonathan Pryce co-star in "Dough"

International Emmy Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award-winner Jez Freedman began his script for "Dough" with co-writer Jonathan Benson in 2009. Fast forward five years to last night, when his finished product debuted in two venues for the soon-to-be largest Jewish film festival in the world. The two remaining screenings have long been sold out, the demand due largely in part to Director John Goldschmidt's and leading actor Jonathan Pryce's critically acclaimed backgrounds. But Freedman and Benson are to thank for the rest; their first film together serves a compelling synopsis that elicits (pardon the pun) high expectations.

Photos: 2,200+ Turn Out for Atlanta Jewish Film Festival's Opening Night

The huge crowd awaits AJFF's opening night presentation of "Above and Beyond."

For the third year in a row, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Vinings served as the venue for the opening night gala and film presentation of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Formerly held at the similarly sized Fox Theatre in Midtown, the Cobb Energy Centre's large ballroom and 2,700+ seat capacity make for an exceptional space for the largest annual film event in Atlanta.

Nearly a dozen of Atlanta's finest restaurants catered the event, offering up custom dishes for the enthusiastic audience. Live music—presented by the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival—and an open bar aided in the festivities, which included several raffles, an interactive red carpet photo booth and lots of mingling with Atlanta's movers and shakers.

The film presentation was documentary "Above and Beyond," which Christo reviewed earlier this week. Directed by Roberta Grossman (AJFF alum with 2013's "Hava Nagila (The Movie)") and produced by Nancy Spielberg (Steven Spielberg's sister), "Above and Beyond" chronicles the incredible story of Israel's first air force and their growth from a rag-tag team of volunteers to a powerful military force.

It was an incredible evening and a great start to the 23-day festival. Check out several photos after the jump!

AJFF Review: "Mr. Kaplan" (****)

Héctor Noguera stars as Jacob Kaplan in "Mr. Kaplan"

It is 1937 in Sosnowiec, Poland when young Yankev Kaplan becomes a man. Renamed for the heroic biblical patriarch, the new and improved Jacob Kaplan internalizes his rabbi's charge to seize an "exceptional destiny" of his own. Sixty years after escaping WWII alone, 76-year-old Jacob (played by Héctor Noguera, a presence in South American television since the 1960s) begins to question whether the life he's built in Uruguay has accomplished what his father dreamt for him. "Is the world a better place because of me? How useful was I?" He asks these questions not in futility, but in hope, recalling that the likes of Goethe, Churchill, and Abraham achieved great things in old age. And so we begin to wonder with him: Does Jacob Kaplan have time to make a difference?

AJFF Review: "24 Days" (**½)

Zabou Breitman stars as Ruth Halimi in "24 Days"

Had I read anything about "24 Days" before pressing play, I might have avoided the ignorance I'll now spare you: it's a true story. On January 21, 2006, Ilan Halimi was kidnapped for ransom in Paris, France. His captors equated Jewish heritage with wealth, assuming the ransom would be easy to secure. But the Halimis, a secretary and a shop owner, are not rich, and the unsuccessful negotiations spanned—you guessed it—twenty-four days. By the time Ilan was released, he had been starved, tortured, burned, and beaten, his survival still at stake. In "24 Days," Director Alexandre Arcady adapts the book Ilan's mother cowrote about her family's experience with the French police as they led an investigation blind to anti-Semitism.

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival kicks off its 15th Edition with "Above and Beyond" (****)

An image from "Above and Beyond."

Tonight, the 15th annual Atlanta Jewish Film Festival kicks off at the Cobb Energy Centre in Vinings. Following a luxurious gala event, a screening of "Above and Beyond" will play to an audience of several thousand.

"Above and Beyond," directed by Roberta Grossman and produced by Nancy Spielberg, tells the little-known story of the group of young men who volunteered to help create the Israeli Air Force following World War II. The documentary explores historical, factual happenings as told by the actual men involved. Filled with nostalgic disbelief and whole-hearted appreciation for one another, the men (now in their 70s and 80s) recall their experiences and walk us through this immensely important time in Jewish history. The outcome is a moving and engrossing story of bravery, loyalty and faith.

What to See at the 2015 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

Six continents are represented across dozens of narratives, documentaries and short films in this diverse program from the 15th edition of the Southeast's largest film festival. Here are 23 films you need to see this year.

In its 15-year history, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival has risen to the top of Georgia's and the Southeast's film festival circuits in terms of both attendees and expansive programming. Now spanning 25 days of film screenings at 7 venues—plus numerous parties—AJFF is one of the most well orchestrated and highly publicized events in the state each year.

This year's program offers the same great range in international Jewish or Jewish-interest films we've come to expect from the festival. You certainly don't have to be Jewish to attend or to enjoy these films; the festival's biggest hurdle being that of reaching beyond their obvious clientele. All that simply matters for you to enjoy AJFF is that you must like great films!

Whether you check out Israel's biggest hit films from the last year (Golden Globe nominee "Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem" or "Zero Motivation") or you want to educate yourself through a variety of non-fiction films ("Above All Else," "Raise the Roof"), there is something for everyone. There are world premieres ("Dough") and special anniversary screenings ("Avalon," "The Shop on Main Street").

The 15th annual Atlanta Jewish Film Festival kicks off next Wednesday, January 28th at the Cobb Energy Center and runs through February 19th at several different venues in Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Marietta and Alpharetta.

Check out nearly two dozen of our picks for this year's festival!

Homespun: A Q&A with Brantly Watts

"Homespun is a series of short character films profiling unique individuals around the metro Atlanta area. Partnered by the Atlanta Film Festival, the series allows local filmmakers to collaborate with metro-area musicians, artists and other local talent while featuring the local characters and neighborhoods that give Atlanta its distinctive culture. Through these individual character studies, Atlanta will be revealed as the Homespun phenomenon it has become."

This is how Homespun, Brantly Watts' brainchild, defines itself. Brantly and her husband, Jon Watts, co-founded Half Pint Productions to provide a platform on which they further their storytelling and love of Atlanta. We asked Brantly a few questions about the Homespun series to get a better idea about its purpose and their dreams for its growth.

–How has the response been to the first Homespun series?

Many locals we've spoken to about the series seem to feel that a project like Homespun is desperately needed in the Atlanta community.  However, we were surprised by the overwhelming amount of positive feedback the first screening received, particularly regarding our subjects.  We wanted the first screening to capture a variety of people that make the city unique.  The responses we have received so far lead me to believe we were successful in our mission.  A few attendees were moved to tears by Takashi Doscher's "Time." As a filmmaker, you can't ask for more from an audience.

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival: 2014 Audience Prize winners

Despite two winter storms forcing the festival to cancel, delay or reschedule several film screenings, the 2014 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival still managed to boast 31,000 attendees. This basically matches the number from last year's festival, maintaining its title as the largest film festival in the Southeastern United States and the second largest Jewish film festival in the world (although, I frequently and unofficially declare it to be larger than the current perceived #1, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, which has only boasted 30,000 attendees for two years running).

Weather havoc aside, this year's festival was most definitely a success—artistically, commercially and socially. The AJFF continues to run like a well-oiled machine—a shining example for other festivals in terms of their ticketing, volunteer staff and venue preparedness. The Creative Loafing Art Party was a blast—an interactive celebration of Hollywood's foremost Jewish film directors.

This year's Audience Award for Narrative Feature went to "The Third Half," the official Foreign Language Film Oscar submission from Macedonia. The romantic Holocaust-soccer drama is the perfect combination of crowd-pleaser and art history film for the AJFF voters.

The Documentary Audience Award went to "Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love" and the Short Film Audience Award went to "The Funeral." An encore screening of each film will take place later this spring.

AJFF Review: "Ida" (***½)

Agata Trzebuchowska stars as Ida in "Ida"

The 2014 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival has drawn to a close, but the films it featured press on. Enter “Ida,” director Pawel Pawlikowski’s career's first foray into his native Poland. Filmed in a black-and-white square aspect ratio, Pawlikowski’s screenplay is nearly upstaged by Lukasz Zal's and Ryszard Lenczewski's striking visual direction, which is beautifully upstaged by newcomer Agata Trzebuchowska. At first she plays Anna—a young soon-to-be nun encouraged by the Mother to become acquainted with her only living relative, Aunt Wanda (Agata Kulesza).

Wanda wastes no time imparting life-changing truth: Anna is not Anna at all. Her name is Ida. And Ida is not Catholic, but Jewish. Her parents were murdered during WWII. Ida has questions, but Wanda doesn’t have all the answers. The two take a trip across Poland on a search for the rest. What they find pulls not only Ida’s but Wanda’s identity into question, and the results threaten to be more than either can handle.

The Best Films of 2013

Sure, we are already into February now. But with years like 2013, it's never too late to celebrate such high quality cinema. Perhaps the best year since 2007 ("The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," "Atonement," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "I'm Not There," "No Country for Old Men," "Ratatouille," "There Will Be Blood," "La Vie en Rose"), 2013 showcases strength across the board—in foreign and American films, in documentaries and narratives, in dramas and comedies—and perhaps most of all—in films that blurred the lines.

This past year's films showcased stories and craftsmanship as complex as the filmmakers themselves. From auteur-driven work like "American Hustle," "Gravity," "Her" and "Upstream Color" to a tremendous showing for American indies like "Hank and Asha," "Hide Your Smiling Faces" and "Short Term 12"—this list is probably the toughest I've ever put together. 

Several of these films played our local film festivals. "7 Boxes," "euphonia," "The Exquisite Corpse Project," and "Mud" all played at the Atlanta Film Festival. "Hank and Asha" and "The Past" both screened at the Savannah Film Festival. "Lore" was easily my favorite film from the 2013 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. "Hide Your Smiling Faces" and "Short Term 12" were just two films from a remarkable lineup at the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham last year. Some films featured at multiple festivals—"Congratulations!" played both Atlanta and Sidewalk and will screen at the Macon Film Festival later this month, "Muscle Shoals" screened at Sidewalk and will also play in Macon. "The Spectacular Now" played both Atlanta and Savannah.

AJFF Review: "God's Slave" (****½)

Mohammed Al-Khaldi stars as Ahmed Al Hassama in "God's Slave"

The only problem with “God’s Slave” (released as “Esclavo de Dios”) was not the film’s mistake. It was mine. I thought I’d seen it all before. A young Muslim’s hatred is sharpened by the tragedy he suffered as a child. The Israeli official’s anti-terrorism efforts stem from an attack he witnessed decades earlier. Each man, driven by vengeance and a devotion to the God he worships, embarks on a mission to end what the other stands for. There’s a good guy, a bad guy, a climactic take down, and a happy ending.

Except it’s not that simple. Director Joel Novoa, who more recently directed “Machsom,” an audience favorite on the 2013 festival circuit, is a master storyteller. He transforms a seemingly open-and-shut political thriller into a moving and nuanced portrayal of commitment and crusade. Ahmed Al Hassama (Mohammed Al-Khaldi) agrees to lay dormant, masquerading for years as a Venezuelan native until his terrorist unit has unveiled his assignment—a series of suicide bombings that he and his brethren regard as a spiritual honor. David Goldberg (Vando Villamil), a Mossad intelligence agent stationed in Buenos Aires, has a relentless aptitude for terrorists’ careers and threats. His quest to thwart the impending attacks leads him to Ahmed, whose internal battle between allegiances to God and family requires he weigh his decision.

Atlanta Jewish Film Festival kicks off with "Run Boy Run" (***½)

'Snow Jam 2014' postponed opening night events until Thursday, but the popular film festival was still kickstarted in style.

The beautiful Cobb Energy Centre, home to the AJFF opening night extravaganza.

I suppose just about everyone knows what this week looked like in Atlanta. Mid-day Tuesday, as the entire Metro Area poured out of their workplaces and schools, simultaneously making their way home, the snow began to cover the roads with equal fervor. Needless to say, the resulting mess brought international attention to the city.

Wednesday, nearly everything was shut down—schools, offices, Starbucks, even the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival's opening night gala and film presentation. Strangely enough, last year's January weather was extreme in a different way. Severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings forced AJFF to issue a weather alert via email reminding patrons to drive carefully to the opening night event.

Alas, Georgia's less-than-predictable weather can only postpone—not cancel—events as big as the Southeast's largest film festival and the opening night festivities went on as planned just one day later at the Cobb Energy Centre in Vinings. The chosen film was "Run Boy Run" and director Pepe Danquart was in attendance along with a couple thousand of the city's film fans. —Cameron McAllister

What to see at the 2014 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

Oscar-nominees, Israeli blockbusters, European documentaries and everything in between— Here are 27 films worth checking out at the Southeast's largest film festival.

At fourteen years old, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is in a great place. Now the largest film festival in the Southeastern United States, I fully expect it to be declared the largest Jewish film festival in world when ticket sales are finalized next month.

The sprawling three-week event has always been a source of excellent programming, with plenty of movies to appeal to people across the board. Estimates for the number of non-Jewish festival-goers hover at around 25% of total attendees, but there is definitely room for growth there. Good films abound at AJFF, and good films are good whether you are Jewish or not! I've been attending for half-a-decade and this year's lineup looks to be the strongest I've seen yet.

From opening night selection "Run Boy Run" to closing night documentary, "Next Year Jerusalem"—there is something for everyone to enjoy. Foreign Language Oscar submissions from Argentina, Czech Republic, Israel, Macedonia, Palestine (one of the nominees, "Omar") and The Philippines all feature in the lineup, as well as the Oscar-nominated documentary short film, "The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life." Ophir nominees and Israeli box office hits like "Bethlehem," "Big Bad Wolves," "Hunting Elephants," "Kidon," "Rock the Casbah" and "The Wonders" are highlights, as are films from across Europe and South America. This year's documentaries cover a variety of subjects, from famed filmmakers and political figures to the Holocaust and modern Israeli issues. Four films feature in special anniversary screenings, including a 25th anniversary presentation of the Georgia set-and-shot winner of the 1989 Academy Award for Best Picture, "Driving Miss Daisy."

The festival kicks off on Wednesday, January 29th and runs through February 20th. Check out our list of over two dozen films to see at this year's festival, after the jump.