Fests and events, 7/21.

"The San Francisco Jewish Festival has never, in its 28 years, taken the path of least resistance," writes Michael Fox, introducing his interview with exec director Peter Stein and program director Nancy Fishman at SF360. "To cite the most obvious example, a hallmark of the annual program is the inclusion of several films critical of Israel. (That these movies are almost always produced by Israeli filmmakers, and financed by government grants, is irrelevant to the fest's critics.) This year's contrarian act is increasing the number of films and screenings in the face of a spiraling economy." Thursday through August 11.

As Anne Thompson notes, the Toronto lineup is shaping up nicely.

The Museum of the Moving Image has big plans: "By the time the new-and-improved museum opens in late 2009 (or early 2010), visitors will be greeted by a fully renovated first floor and a three-story addition - three new floors composed in part of a brand-new theater, a separate screening room, an array of galleries and a multi-classroom education center," writes S James Snyder in the New York Sun. "But in the meantime, as construction has required a partial closing of the facilities in Queens, museum organizers have continued to move forward with an ambitious slate of online and off-site events - expanding the institution's footprint even as it must close off some of its physical space."

Jennifer MacMillan sends out an invitation to two summer screenings in New York.

Reminder: Twitch's reviews from Fantasia, which wraps today.

Posted by dwhudson at July 21, 2008 1:53 PM