Coming Soon to SF Jewish Film Festival

As a part of this year's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, which will take place from July 23rd to August 10th, SFWFF will be co-presenting three films: Lady Kul El-Arab with Grown Up and Desert Brides.

Lady Kul El-Arab with Grown Up

Thursday, July 30th, 3:45 PM - Castro Theater
Saturday, August 1st, 2:00 PM - Roda Theater
Wednesday, August 5th, 2:30 PM - CineArts in Palo Alto

Lady Kul El-Arab
Director/Screenwriter/Cinematographer Ibtisam Mara'ana
Israel, 2008, 56 min., color, Arabic, Hebrew

Duah Fares, a spirited Druze Arab from Israel's Galilee, prepares for the annual Lady of the Arabs beauty pageant. Her avuncular coach and sympathetic family offer her loving support in what appears at first to be a documentary about the dreams of Arab girls in Israel. But this film veers rapidly towards edge-of-your-seat suspense when Duah changes her name to Angelina and applies to enter the Miss Israel pageant. Her family worries about the swimsuit competition, the Israelis force her to choose national loyalties, and the mood turns ominous when village traditionalists get involved. Duah's father and mother face agonizing choices and sacrifices if they are to support their rebel daughter's ambition. Against this landscape of runway competition, exploitation and surprising moments of solidarity, Duah will make a decision that is guaranteed to provoke controversy. Special Jury Award winner, IDFA Silver Wolf Competition.

Grown Up
Director Dana Neuberg
Israel, 2008, 20 min., color, English

In the confusing time between childhood and adolescence, 15-year-old Shira discovers the world of sexuality, jealousy and seduction. When her mother's date arrives earlier than expected, things get out of control and boundaries are broken.

Desert Brides

Wednesday, July 29th, 2:15 PM - Castro Theater
Sunday, August 2nd, 4:00 PM - Roda Theater
Tuesday, August 4th, 2:00 PM - CineArts in Palo Alto

Desert Brides
Director Ada Ushpiz
Israel, 2008, 90 min., color, Arabic, Hebrew

In Desert Brides (Best Film, Doc Aviv Festival 2008) a wedding photographer's lens offers a portal to women's struggles with polygamy. Ushpiz's outstanding film explores the realities of becoming a first wife or second wife in Bedouin culture. With the state pressure on nomadic cultures to integrate into Israeli society, a third of Bedouin women live in polygamous households fueled by a relentless drive back to religion for minority survival. Followed by a panel discussion in Berkeley.

For more information, or to purchase tickets click here:

For Lady Kul El-Arab with Grown Up:
http://tickets.sfjff.org

For Desert Brides:
http://tickets.sfjff.org