Tickets are now on sale for the 27th Annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival, taking place virtually this year from March 6-13. The fest features a selection of 13 documentary and feature films from all over the globe. Each film depicts an aspect of the Jewish experience, but also has a broad appeal to viewers of all faiths and backgrounds. To make the most out of your virtual screening experience at this year’s fest, we’ve picked out a handful of films to put on your radar.
The Automat
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The Automat digs into the 100-year history of the restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, which was known for serving fresh meals through vending machines and encouraged communal-style dining. This documentary follows the growth and peak of Horn & Hardart as it grapples with the looming rise of fast food. Its story is told through notable former customers, including Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, Colin Powell, and Carl Reiner, among many others.
The Conductor
Maestra Marin Alsop is an internationally renowned conductor and trailbrazer and the first woman to serve as the music director for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Sao Paolo Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. This documentary follows her life, from growing up in a musical family in New York City and to how a trip to one of Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts inspired her dream of becoming a conductor.
Greener Pastures
This comedy follows Dov, an aging widower forced to live in a nursing home after losing his state-sponsored pension. What he wants more than anything is to buy his old house and move back in, but when he realizes many of the other residents in his nursing home are using cannabis, Dov sees an opportunity to make some serious money selling weed. But trouble is lurking where Dov least expects it, whether from the police or from the local mafia, who test the limits of Dov’s grand plan to move back home.
High Maintenance – The Life and Work of Dani Karavan
This documentary centers on artist Dani Karavan, who at his advanced age is still not satisfied with his work, despite widespread acclaim, multiple prestigious awards, and having created more than 100 environmental installations. Karavan’s latest commission, a monument to the Poles who risked their lives saving Jews in World War II, gets him embroiled in a political conflict that heightens his ever-growing frustration.
Not Going Quietly
At 32 years old, Ady Barkan was a rising star in the world of progressive politics, but his world was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with ALS. But after Barkan gains national fame following a viral confrontation with Senator Jeff Flake, he and a crew of activists launch the political movement “Be a Hero.” This documentary follows what ensues as Barkan and his team of activists travel across the country empowering people to stand up for health care justice by sharing their own personal stories and struggles with elected officials to enact change.
Tango Shalom
Hasidic Rabbi Moshe Yehuda and a tango dancer hatch a plan to enter a dance competition and use the prize money to save his school from bankruptcy. The only catch is that his orthodox beliefs forbid him from touching his dance partner. So, the two must get creative when it comes to winning the competition without sacrificing his faith in the process.
Tiger Within
Samuel and Casey might seem like an unlikely pair on the surface. For one, Sam, played by the late, great Ed Asner, is an aging Holocaust survivor, while Casey is a punk teen who has run away from home. But despite some initial mistrust, the two build a mutually supportive connection that not only gives Sam a newfound purpose in his life, but also offers Casey the tools she needs to start her new life.
To learn more about the 27th Annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival and purchase tickets to the fest, visit jccstl.com
