good morning. welcome to mosaic. i am honored to be your host this morning. we are inviting you to a wonderful time for our annual visit of the jewish film festival. this is the 37th year of the san francisco jewish film festival and we would like to introduce you to lexi, executive director of the jewish film institute and the program director of the jewish film institute. welcome lexi and jay. >> thank you. >> give us an overview of now the 37th jewish film festival in san francisco in the bay

area area. >> yeah. we are really excited for the 37 37th year. we have films from 14 different countries that we will be showing all over the bay area. we open up on july 20 and we'll be in palo alto, marin, new at the albany twin in albany. we'll be in oakland. we close august 6. we've got a tremendous line up that reflects values of the jewish film institute to provide open dialogue platforms during our festival, to reflect the full spectrum of jewish identities, and to really profile emerging and established film makers that are working with jewish themes. >> wonderful. this year, the 37th year, it runs from july 20-august 6. >> that's correct. >> throughout san francisco, albany, oakland, palo alto, san rafael. so the entire bay area.

>> that's right. >> wonderful. jay, what are some of the films a we are going to take a peek at? >> we will start out talking about a lot of the big nights. we have 12 this year. this includes augmented programming which i think lexi will get into. we have an amazing line up this year. we really lucked out. we have our freedom of expression award this year going to joe burlinger who is a very established highly respected documentarian. we are showing his newest film called intent to destroy about the armenian genocide. >> wonderful. in g, can yotalk about year to year how you choose the themes and how you actually choose the films, how that

happens? >> yeah. jay and i and another programmer joshua moore go to many festivals. berlin festival, tribeca looking for the best in jewish film. we have some that submit to our website. we consider about 500 films every year. the best films rise to the top. also we are looking for augmented programming this year. so we have film and song, film and dance, film and feast. we have a big night in albany where we are showing a palestinian film, personal affairs, that showed at the con film festival. we are having a feast with it at a restaurant about two doors down from the albany theater. we also have an amazing new collaboration this year with

odc dance. >> dance collective. >> yes. we will be showing a film bobby gene about a choreographer who breaks out on her own from the dance company in israel to do her own work. we will show the film twice which won best documentary at tribeca. showing once in the east bay and once in san francisco. she'll do the performance featured on the film. >> wonderful. why don't we jump in with our first clip. >> yeah. this is body and soul. it's a really wonderful film about blacks and jews and jazz. it really looks at the complexity of the relationship throughout the history of jazz but really focusing on the wonderful american song, book song body and soul. we are going to have a live

musical performance, marcus shelby jazz quartet following the film. it should be a really enriching evening about music and film. why don't we take a look at the clip. >> we'll bump out with body and soul and return back to mosaic in just a moment. >> go to the history of american popular music, what you see over and over again, are moments when music serves as a bridge of encounter, exchange, negotiation between different cultural groups. >> probably someone on the planet is playing body and soul while we are sitting here. >> when you get to where it makes that transition. it makes your heart beat. >> they couldn't get anybody to publish body and soul in

america when it was written. there is a way in which the jewishness was at once always there but never discussed. >> one interesting thing when you look at the history of african americans and jews in popular music is there is this seductive narrative, natural. >> so much did he appreciate what the jews had done that he wore a star of david around his neck.

good morning. welcome back to mosaic. the jewish film festival runs from july 20 to august 6 throughout san francisco, east bay, palo alto, san rafael. welcome back to mosaic. we are in the middle of a wonderful conversation with the executive director of jewish film institute and the program director. welcome back lexi and jay.

>> thank you. >> there are so many things that happen at the film festival. you have a lot of big nights. jay, why don't we talk about the big nights coming up throughout the entire festival? >> sure. we are excited about every program in the festival but in particular we have a great slate of great nights. our opening film won top prize at tribeca for narrative film and for first time director. it's called keep the change. it's a romantic comedy. what's very unique about this film is it stars people that are on the autism spectrum. the director did a really incredible job working with nonprofessional actors, very sensitively directed, lots of humor. it's a real crowd pleaser and quite a wonderful film. the director will be here as will the two lead actors.

we are very excited about that. closing night, we have bomb shell patti lamar story. patti lamar was a hollywood star let who escaped from austria during the holocaust. the most interesting thing that the film deals with is that while she was appearing in hollywood films, she also was an inventer. she invented technology used in submarines during world war ii. what was it? frequency hopping. it is now used in bluetooth and wifi. she's kind of this unsung hero. this really brings out that. she had a patent for this, and it really had a big influence in terms of the war and since then. we are very excited about that.

we are bringing out the director as well as patti lamar's son who is in the film. he is going to appear on stage at the castro. >> wonderful. there is another film i know we will see called fanny's journey. why don't we set that up? >> fanny's journey will be our palo alto big night film, opening night at palo alto. this is a holocaust story based on a true story about a 13 year old girl who helps a bunch of children escape first from france and then from italy to switzerland. it's about the harrowing journey they go on, very moving film. we are having the 15 year old actress here. >> wonderful. let's take a look at "fanny's journey."

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>> wonderful, fanny's journey. i know there are other nights you have during the film festival. let's talk about those. >> yeah. we're doing two really special things this year that relate to jewish values. the value to repair the world with our actions and make whole what is broken and also to

repair individual actions that may hurt the world or, you know, impact our environment. so we are doing two things that really look at larger social issues. the first is we are having an academy of motion, picture, arts, and sciences supported side bar on the refugee crisis. within that, we are showing five films that feature different stories about the refugee crisis around the world. one of the films, "stranger in paradise" will be followed be a panel discussion of jewish leaders and refugee activists, lgbt activists, talking about what audiences can do to help. then we have our take action day which is monday the 24th of july all day at the castro featuring social justice films that are all about making a difference in the world and using films to actually make change. i thought jay could share one of the personal highlights, local spotlight film this year

will be the highlight of take action day. >> please, jay. >> well, this film is bonnie cone and johnny shank. it is called an inconvenient swell, truth to power. this is a follow up to the academy award winning film with former vice president al gore called inkling being truth. bonnie and john will be there. and we have invited al gore. >> wonderful. >> this is a follow up about climate change and what's going on. it couldn't be more timely. >> so many wonderful things happening between july 20 and august 6. we are going to take a quick break and come back in just a moment to mosaic.

>> it was at the movies when i discovered what i wanted to be when i grew up. >> as a girl, she was always reading, reading. >> everything i have done in my professional life has been for love of story telling. >> in 1974 i went to united artist as first woman president. i was making history by being the lone woman production. >> all the movies, oscars nominated and this was absolutely the top of the top. >> my thinking at the time was i needed to have somebody who was good at story, who was well read which she was. >> she was actually a full member of ua with the guys.

but from the beginning there was consequence peyering behind her back to throw her under the bus. >> my philosophy of life, which is going on my tomb stone, is if something doesn't work out, that's done. the next word is next. done, next. >> wonderful. what did we just see? >> this is a classy broad. it really highlights, as you saw, this first hollywood woman executive. we are really trying to shine a spotlight this year on women's roles in the movies both as subjects and behind the lens. so we are doing a whole spotlight in focus women's direct debuts. many big night films are first time female directors. we are doing this because recently there was a study that out of 23 of the top film

festivals in the u.s., only 29% of the films they program are directed by women. we saw that we have 41% heading very quickly to 50. we really wanted to spotlight all the talent that women bring both in front of and behind the lens in the movie industry. >> wonderful. so many pieces. let's jump to another one. >> continuing with the theme of women and women subjects, we are showing a film called big sonia. this is about a 92 year old holocaust survivor who is an inspiration to all the people that meet her. she works in schools and in prisons. they're some of the most moving scenes i have ever seen in any documentary. >> wonderful. let's take a look at "big

sonia." >> the story in terms of livelihood is almost secondary. i mean, she's there because it's her reason to get up. >> it's amazing. she gets up in the morning. she's dressed, there by 10:00. and she's there six days a week. >> it looks like kind of a bombed out abandoned space because it's actually the back end of a shopping center that's pretty dormant. not much left. then you get to the shop and it is like you are walking into a brazilian jungle. it's dense and rich with color, taste, smells, sounds. >> the fact that the taylor shop is still open, we can give my mother 100% credit for that because of her personality and

her determination. >> hello. >> how are you? >> how are you? can i help you? >> 25, 30 years we have been coming here. >> holding court is actually the right term. she holds court. >> sometimes i think this is like the neighborhood bar room minus the booze. you never know what conversation you will hear at any time or who you will meet. >> to survive especially here is a miracle in itself because everything is closed. >> i really think it's the most important thing in her life. it is her heart and soul, and she would not give up that business for anything unless she's forced to.

>> good morning. welcome back to mosaic.

i am rabbi eric weis. i am honored to be your host. welcome back lexi and jay. >> thank you. >> let's continue and talk about whatever else is happening at the jewish film festival this year. >> as always, we have a big emphasis on films from around the world, a global focus. we actually have 74 films this year. >> 64. >> i am sorry. 64 films this year from 14 countries. >> wow! >> a couple highlights. we have the young carl marks directed by the director of "i am not your negro." this is a film about karl marx's early life when he wrote the communist manifesto. we also have a film called "1945" which takes place in hungary after the war and deals with a community that kind of stole from the jewish people that were living there and have

to deal with two jews coming back and they get really paranoid about what's happening. of course we have tons of film from israel. lexi was going to talk a little bit about that. >> yeah. it's been 50 years since six day war and we thought we would give audiences two really historically important films to contemplate this paradigm shifting conflict in israeli history. the first one is actually an archival film. it's the 30th anniversary of this film. the film really focuses on the six day war. it's about two egyptian soldiers that are wandering in the desert after the completion of the war. they're trying to get across the border from the desert and they encounter many people along the way. the second one is really an amazing film that features a

long lost interview. >> let's take a look. ben gurion especially -- epilog.

>> you think israel is carrying out that mission? >> not yet.

>> wow! lexi and jay, we just have a moment left but this is the the 37th year. i am wondering in a word or two what you hope people will get out of coming to the festival this year, the 37th? >> i always hope that audiences will have transformative and transcendent experiences in the theater and they'll bond and create community with one another and with the film makers who are making the incredible films. >> wonderful. thank you so much for being with us. have a wonderful time. go to the film festival and have a wonderful time. this is for being with us here on mosaic.

advocates fighting for your rights, but first let's go to the theatre. "the curious incident of the do welcome to bay sunday. we've got dance, music, advocates fighting to are your rights. first let's go to theater, curious incident of the dog in the time time was the winner of the tony award for best new play. adam, welcome to bay sunday. >> thank you for having me. >> i love the title. what's the premise of the play? >> this young man christopher boone finds that his neighbor's dog has been murdered. he loves this dog. he takes it upon himself to find out who has murdered the do