The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, the largest film-fest in Georgia drawing nearly 40,000 movie-goers each year, has announced its 2018 line up for several key nights, including opening and closing.
The festival, held at various theaters throughout Atlanta, opens Jan. 24 and runs through Feb. 15.
On Thursday, the festival announced its movie lineups for opening night, closing night and Young Professionals Night, which will be on Saturday, Feb. 3.
The festival will kick off on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m. with a special screening of “Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me.” The documentary is a tribute to the iconic song-and-dance man and features performance excerpts, never-before-seen photographs, and interviews with the likes of Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Jerry Lewis, Kim Novak, and many more who knew Davis and worked with him.
There will be a post-film discussion with award-winning filmmaker Sam Pollard. The opening-night general admission ticket is $36 and includes complimentary parking and the screening.
On Saturday, Feb. 3, the festival is targeting younger audiences with itsYoung Professionals Night, presented by ACCESS. It will screen “The Boy Downstairs” at 8:30 p.m. Director Sophie Brooks’ first feature film provides a fresh take on an oft-told girl-meets-boy story, offering a lightly comic and deeply touching contemplation of modern relationships, life choices, and the price of independence.
The night begins with a party at 7 p.m. Tickets are $36 and include pre-show party and film.
Closing night, on Thursday, Feb. 15, features a 7 p.m. screening of “The Last Suit.” The film follows the story of an 88-year-old Jewish tailor who leaves his home in Argentina for Poland, hoping to find the man who saved him from certain death during the Holocaust.
It will be followed by a discussion with writer and director Pablo Solarz andva dessert reception at 9 p.m. Tickets include complimentary parking, the screening and post-screening dessert reception for $36.
The festival, which spans 23 days and seven venues, will be screening 75 feature films and shorts this year, organizers say. An early look at some of the titles is available online. They include “The Cakemaker,” “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story,” “Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas,” a special 25th-anniversary screening of “Schindler’s List,” “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel,” “Bye Bye Germany,” “Itzhak and “Act of Defiance.”
The festival’s full lineup, as well as program guides, will be released on Friday, Jan. 5.
Tickets go on sale at the festival’s website on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Ticket prices will be $12 for matinees, $13 for seniors, students and children and $15 for general admission.
Photo courtesy Atlanta Jewish Film Festival