The San Diego Jewish Film Festival is once again hitting theaters across the county, starting Feb. 10. The 21st installment of the festival is boasting the theme “Something for Everyone,” and it promises to deliver, with an array of films and events for everyone, from teens to centenarians. “Film is such an interesting medium because it spans generations,” said Helen Fleming, chair of the festival. “We strive to get movies that are exclusive, that people might not be able to see somewhere else, and we want to convey the Jewish experience from all over the world.” The festival will host 31 feature-length films and 13 short films at five different theaters in San Diego, La Jolla, San Marcos and Carlsbad, with its main venue at the Clairemont Town Square Reading Theater. Movie-goers don’t have to have a connection to the Jewish community to enjoy the variety of subjects covered by the films, Fleming said. “The Jewish experience is a very wide and large umbrella, and the themes are universal,” she said. “When you go to an Italian or Latino film festival, you realize that everyone has the same issues and challenges, the same hopes and dreams.” Highlights this year include various events and numerous guest speakers. Below are some of the festival’s must-see happenings. • Baseball star Norm Sherry will speak on Feb. 13 at the screening of “Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story.” Sherry, a catcher for the L.A. Dodgers in the late 1950s and early1960s, will tell anecdotes from his days mentoring pitching star Sandy Koufax and what it was like to be a player in MLB. • Rob Elowitch, a respected art auctioneer based in Portland, Maine, hid a secret life from his friends, family and customers for 20 years. On the weekends, he was Robbie Ellis, a 66-year-old professional wrestler. After his secret was revealed, he became a local hero. On Feb. 13, Ellis will join director Gary Robinov for a discussion of the film, “Canvasman,” and Ellis’ double life as an art dealer and pro wrestler, and how age was never a factor in pursuing his dreams. • “In Search of Memory: The Neuroscientist Eric Kandel,” is a film documenting the life of neuroscientist and Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel, presenting his exploration of the science of memory juxtaposed against his own memories of growing up in Vienna. Ulrich Mueller, director of the Dorris Neuroscience Center will be joined on Feb. 16 by Mark Mayford, associate professor at Scripps Research Institute, to speak at the screening. • During World War II, Gilberto Bosques was Mexico’s Consul General in France. In an effort to help Jews and Spanish Republicans escape oppression, he instructed his staff to issue visas to anyone trying to escape to Mexico. Lilian Liberman will attend the Feb. 17 screening of her film about Bosques’ daring achievements, “Visa al Paraiso.” She will be joined by a guest speaker, Mexican Consul Maria de los Remedios Gomez Arnau.
