AJFF Summer 2021 Preview

The 2022 Annual Festival is finally here, and with 50+ films from 18 countries, it may well be our best lineup ever. But the road to this year's festival was twisting, with lots of sharp turns and obstacles, and ultimately involved a pivot from a hybrid festival to a virtual exclusive experience. Hear from festival director, Kenny Blank, and AJFF president, Sari Earl, as Brad explores how we got here, and why the 2022 AJFF is not to be missed.

July may be coming to a close, but chances are, you are still catching up on all the Jewish content that came out this month on physical media and streaming platforms, because there was a lot. With that, Sara and Brad are back to chat about what to watch as of this month, from buzzworthy reality television, to suspenseful AJFF alums with star power, to classics and controversial commercial titles and more. There is something for just about everyone on this list - and even some titles that aren't within go-to genres or comfort zones of your humble hosts, which makes for some great discussion. Some of these may have slipped under your radar, so tune in as we recap and recommend what to watch from this month.

Nora Ephron was a trailblazing female filmmaker, especially when it came to romantic comedies, with directorial efforts like Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. Even more prolific as a screenwriter, she penned those two films plus a dozen others, including the iconic When Harry Met Sally, the classic Jewish rom com that transcended stereotypes about the genre. Yet her name does not necessarily come up as often as male writer-directors. Sara and Brad are here to help correct that, diving into what made her work so meaningful, what made her prose so memorable, and what to make of her legacy, as a filmmaker, an essayist, a journalist, and a foodie. And here to help is Eleanor Ringel-Cater, Pulitzer Prize-nominated former film critic for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Enjoy this exclusive Q&A with filmmaker Carl-Ludwig Rettinger, moderated by Holocaust historian Dr. Deborah Lipstadt. Rettinger's docudrama film "The Red Orchestra" chronicles a network of activist spies within the Third Reich. Carefully excerpted film clips of the early 1970s, interspersed with archival footage and interviews with the descendants of the Red Orchestra, work together to create a fresh account of the courageous men and women who played a decisive role in the outcome of the war.

We talked about AJFF's upcoming programs, including Playback, last episode. But we want to talk more about Playback, especially since it's back in just a couple weeks. Launched last year as part of our 20th anniversary, this online competition invites you to rediscover films from the festival vault and vote for your favorites. Returning on July 12, Playback will feature eight films around the theme of "reunion", and tickets have just gone on sale. So join Sara as she chats with AJFF Film Programming Manager Shellie Schmals, and learn even more about AJFF's own version of March Madness... in... July.

Heading into the depths of summer there's a lot going on at AJFF. From Selects to Connects to Playback, we have a World War II spy doc, a gripping portrait of gay adoption, and seven weeks of films matching up to win your vote. Sara and Brad will help you navigate it all, so you don't miss a minute of AJFF over the next few weeks.

Summer movie season is officially here, with big studio tentpoles finally hitting theaters – and many moviegoers finally willing to enter the hallowed ground of their local cineplex. Action franchises and family-friendly adventures do not typically boast Jewish themes, of course, which made us wonder whether there are, in fact, any Jewish blockbusters? What would that even look like? Perhaps a film from the blockbusters arguable inventor, Steven Spielberg? Perhaps starring the Jewish meme-star Jeff Goldblum? Returning to the podcast to help us sort this out is Senior Editor of Collider, and our resident expert on summer movies, Matt Goldberg. For a type of movie that wouldn't seem to have a Jewish connection, there is a lot to discuss.

A Q&A Panel from the 2021 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival for the film, Sublet. In this warmly affecting cross-generational melodrama, a middle-aged gay American writer numbed by tragedy finds solace in the company of a younger Israeli man. Sublet will be released in theaters in the U.S. on June 11 2021. Listener warning: the Q&A contains spoilers for the film.

It's the beginning of another month, so it's time to figure out what to stream (or venture to theaters for) over the next few weeks. The theme for June? A month for reconnecting with classics, from 1980's Best Picture to a modern remake of a Mel Brooks classic, with plenty of quintessentially Jewish filmmaking in between. Plus new indie gems hit theaters in the middle of the month. Listen along as Sara and Brad dissect what to watch for June 2021!

AJFF's Selects series is more of what you love about the annual festival, and this past month, with our first Selects program of the season, our audience got to see Stand! in our Virtual Cinema: a stirring cross-cultural musical, in which a young immigrant couple finds romance on the streets of 1919 Winnipeg, as they battle for a better life amidst violent social upheaval. The Canadian film stars Marshall Williams from Glee, and Atlanta's very own, Laura Slade Wiggins from Shameless in the lead Romeo and Juliet type roles. Marshall and Laura joined us for an exclusive Q&A panel, along with Juno-award-winning Writer/Composer Danny Schur, which you will hear on this episode of the podcast.