Leonard Bernstein. From "Bernstein's Wall," directed by Douglas Tirola. Courtesy of 4th Row Films.
Leonard Bernstein Bernstein's Wall
Tickets are now on sale for the 28th Annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival, which is making a return to in-person screenings this year. The festival runs from March 12-16, with screenings at Marcus Des Peres Cinema, a first for the festival. This year’s slate of programming features 14 films from around the world, including such locales as Israel, Portugal, South Africa, and Russia, among others. Here are seven films we think you should add to your schedule:
Using a trove of interviews, TV appearances, photos, and more, director Douglas Tirola paints a fully realized documentary portrait of legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein. Alongside Benrstein’s well-known work in the music world as conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Tirola takes a closer look at the artist's personal life and political activism.
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song
This documentary takes a look at the late, great singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen through the lens of “Hallelujah,” one of his most popular and enduring songs. Making use of never-before-seen archival material from the Cohen Trust, as well as interviews with other musical artists impacted by Cohen’s work, the film celebrates the artist's life and legacy.
This documentary from South Africa celebrates the life of 98-year-old Ella Blumenthal, who shares both her stories of surviving the Holocaust along and other uplifting tales from her eventful life. The film brings Blumenthal’s memories to life through animation and present-day footage to not only showcase her resilience, but also her personality and positive outlook on life.
Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the film Fiddler on the Roof, this documentary explores how director Norman Jewison approached adapting the stage classic into a musical epic on the silver screen. Narrated by Jeff Goldblum, and featuring interviews with Jewison and members of the cast and crew, this documentary paints a complete picture of the lasting legacy of Fiddler on the Roof.
Tova and Meir, a couple in their 60s whose life in the suburbs has become mundane and disappointing, rediscover a spice for life when their new neighbor, a former modeling agent from Miami, moves in and begins hosting karaoke parties.
A Belgian man named Gilles narrowly escapes execution at a concentration camp by convincing the guards that he is Persian, and not Jewish. While this lie helps to save his life for now, he then finds himself assigned to be the Persian tutor for the officer in charge of the camp’s kitchen, who has dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran after the war. Seeing as Gilles does not in fact know Persian, he instead must invent a language to teach the officer, while knowing the potential dire consequences if his lie is uncovered.
Taking place in 1960s Vienna, Schächten follows the story of Victor Dessaur, a Holocaust survivor who takes the law into his own hands after the Nazi concentration camp commandant who tormented his family evades consequences for his actions.
To learn more about the 28th Annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival and purchase tickets to the fest, visit jccstl.com
