The Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International Film Festival©, presented by MorseLife, is excited to announce the feature film lineup for the 2024 Festival. Tickets are now on sale. From its February 27 opening night through the closing night on March 11, The Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International Film Festival will screen25 films that will entertain, enthrall, involve and delight movie aficionados at two prestigious theaters in Palm Beach County, Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and Paragon Theaters at Delray Marketplace.
The Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International Film Festival will open on Tuesday, February 27 with the brilliant art-heist documentary “Taking Venice,” featuring guest appearances by director Amei Wallach and art curator, president and CEO of The Society of the Four Arts Philip Rylands for an audience discussion. The festival will close on Monday, March 11 with the heart-warming Italian romantic comedy, “Never Too Later for Love,” starring writer/director Gianni Di Gregorio and Italian cinema icon Stefania Sandrelli.
Additional special guests for the Festival include best-selling author Laurence Leamer to introduce the documentary, “My Name is Alfred Hitchcock,” on March 1; director Brad Rothschild and activist Rabbi Tamar Manasseh for a Q&A with the documentary “Rabbi on the Block” on March 3; and star Shaina Silver-Baird for a Q&A following her musical comedy/drama, “Less Than Kosher,” as a centerpiece program on March 5.
On opening night, February 27, from 6–7 p.m., guests will have the opportunity to enjoy a cocktail reception at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts Cohen Pavilion. Following the closing night film on March, 11 an after-party will take place at Batch Gastropub, adjacent to Paragon Theaters – Delray Marketplace, to celebrate the achievements of this year’s festival. Light bites and refreshments are included in the ticket price.
Now in its second year and attracting the work of both emerging and established filmmakers from around the world, the Festival, founded by Donald M. Ephraim, will once again bring the best in cinema to Palm Beach County and act as a major contributor to the cultural life of the county. The Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International Film Festival lineup features a wide-ranging selection of films, including features and documentaries from both up-and-coming and well-known filmmakers from around the world. The films include international prize winners and new work by renowned directors and producers, many of which first debuted at renowned film festivals, including Cannes,Berlin, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Tribeca.
The Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International Film Festival will offer films to appeal to many interests, from Jewish-themed dramas and chronicles of street-level activism to films delving into human rights issues, powerful op-ed documentaries, romantic comedies, family dramas and engaging profiles exploring the arts, from film and literature to painting and dance. The festival highlights prize-winners and affords the opportunity to sneak-preview many films that will open theatrically later this year.
“We’re proud to showcase these films spanning a wide range of themes and cultures that explore an eclectic mix of voices and perspectives in Palm Beach County. The films comprise the work from around the world with an assortment of mainstream films with broad appeal, and timely documentaries. Movie lovers will have the opportunity to attend exclusive events with celebrated actors and directors,” said Festival Founder Donald M. Ephraim. “We’re grateful for the support of our presenting sponsor MorseLife, our members, sponsors and donors who share my passion to bring this festival to Palm Beach County.”
From opening night on February 27 through March 5, films will be played at West Palm Beach’s most prestigious address for arts entertainment, the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach, FL 33401. Free parking will be available. From March 8 through March 11, screenings will be presented at Paragon Theaters at Delray Marketplace, located at 14775 Lyons Rd., Delray Beach, FL 33446.
For the full list of participating theaters and scheduled movies for The Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International Film Festival, and to purchase individual tickets and memberships, please visit sasiff.org.
The full list of featured films include:
ALL ABOUT THE LEVKOVICHES
(LEFKOVICSÉK GYÁSZOLNAK), 2023, Ádám Breier, Hungary
Generational conflict is comically upended when an eight-year-old begins to commune with his departed grandmother’s spirit while the family sits Shiva.
BECOMING GIULIA, 2022, Laura Kaehr, Switzerland
Internationally renowned ballerina Giulia Tonelli juggles new motherhood and new roles in her return to the Zurich Opera stage in this U.S. premiere documentary.
EGOIST, (EGOISUTO), 2023, Daishi Matsunaga, Japan
The hookup between a jaded fashion magazine editor and his personal trainer is the catalyst for an intensely passionate love story with unexpected repercussions.
THE FANTASTIC MACHINE, 2023, Axel Danielson and Maximillien Van Aertryck, Denmark/Sweden
This Sundance-winning documentary wittily explores the worldwide phenomenon of the selfie through the history of the camera.
GOD & COUNTRY: THE RISE OF CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM, 2024, Dan Partland, USA
Oscar-nominated producer Rob Reiner and Emmy-nominated director Dan Partland explore the attempted conflation of religion and political power in this relevant documentary.
THE GOLDMAN CASE, (LE PRÒCES GOLDMAN), 2023, Cédric Kahn, France
A 1975 trial that galvanized France with its undercurrent of anti-Semitism comes to life through tour-de-force performances in a gripping drama that premiered at Cannes.
GOLDEN YEARS (DIE GOLDENEN JAHRE), 2022, Barbara Kulcsar, Switzerland
In this mega-hit Swiss comedy, retirement is no joke for a stodgy husband when his wife jumps ship on their celebratory cruise and goes in search of adventure in the south of France.
HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS, 2022, Mike Cheslick, USA
Wacky comedies don’t come any more looney than this extravagant homage to Looney Tunes cartoons, featuring a cast of hundreds in adorable yet sinister animal suits.
I LIKE IT HERE, 2022, Ralph Arlyck, USA
An award-winning filmmaker of a certain senior age sets out to revisit his past while asking his friends and neighbors life’s most sobering question – what comes next?
INSHALLAH A BOY, (INSHALLAH WALLAD), 2023, Amjad Al Rasheed, Jordan/France
A young husband dies suddenly without a male heir, leaving his wife at the mercy of her sly greedy brother-in-law and their country’s harsh patriarchal laws.
JAMIE WYETH AND THE UNFLINCHING EYE, 2023, Glenn Holsten, USA
This in-depth documentary profile delves into the life and career of the celebrated American painter noted for the close relationships he develops with his famous portrait subjects.
KIDNAPPED: THE ABDUCTION OF EDGARDO MORTARA
(RAPITO), 2023, Marco Bellocchio, Italy
The political power of the Catholic Church in 19th-century Italy teeters on the brink when the pope orders the kidnapping of a Jewish child alleged to have been baptized.
LESS THAN KOSHER, 2023, David Am Rosenberg, Canada
A rollicking music-filled comedy features the powerhouse performance of actor Shaina Silver-Baird as the would-be rock singer who unexpectedly launches stardom from her family’s synagogue.
LIV ULLMANN: A ROAD LESS TRAVELED, 2023, Dheeraj Akolkar, Norway
The international star, writer, director and human rights activist looks back on the stages of her life in this profile rich in evocative clips from her many films.
MARGUERITE’S THEOREM, (LE THÉORÈM DE MARGUEURITE),
2023, Anna Novion, France/Switzerland
A talented female mathematician finds her life starting from zero after she is caught in a humiliating mistake when defending her complex theory before a convocation of male colleagues.
MARTHA LIEBERMANN: A STOLEN LIFE
(MARTHA LIEBERMANN: EIN GESTOHLENES LEBEN), 2022, Stefan Bühling, Germany
Urged to flee Germany, the widow of Berlin artist Max Liebermann hesitates, fearing that she can trust no one as the Nazis close in with the goal of claiming her husband’s vast art collection.
MY NAME IS ALFRED HITCHCOCK, 2022, Mark Cousins, UK
Through the magic of the movies and the art of actor-impersonator Alistair McGowan, the master of suspense is resurrected in all his sardonic humor and tongue-in-cheek pomposity.
NEVER TOO LATE FOR LOVE, (ASTOLFO), 2022, Gianni Di Gregorio, Italy/France
Sun-drenched provincial Italy is the setting for late-life romance when a retired professor returns to his native village to reclaim his inheritance, the crumbling ancestral castle.
RABBI ON THE BLOCK, 2023, Brad Rothschild, USA
Dynamic engagement with a community in need is at the heart of this profile of Chicagoan Tamar Manasseh, a Black Jew and an ordained female rabbi.
SEVEN WINTERS IN TEHRAN, (SIEBEN WINTER IN TEHRAN), 2023,
Steffi Niederzoll, France/Germany
A Tehran student kills her would-be rapist in self-defense and is sentenced to hang. This documentary traces her story and her perilous activism for women’s justice from behind bars.
THE SHADOW OF THE DAY, (L’OMBRA DEL GIORNO), 2022, Giuseppe Piccioni, Italy
The year is 1938 in fascist Italy: a lonely middle-aged café owner falls for the ragged young woman he hires out of pity to wait tables, but she is not who she seems.
SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD, (SAVVUSANNA SOSORAD), 2023, Anna Hints, Estonia
Director Hints enters an ancient sauna deep in the snowy woods of rural Estonia to document a place where women bond in solidarity and are nakedly unafraid to be themselves.
TAKING VENICE, 2023, Amei Wallach, USA
The ground-breaking paintings of artist Robert Rauschenberg are front and center in this thriller-like chronicle of an American government-sanctioned plot to hijack the grand prize of the 1964 Venice Biennale, considered the Olympics of the international art world.
TONI, (TONI, EN FAMILLE), 2023, Nathan Ambrissioni, France
Camille Cottin, star of the Netflix French hit series CALL MY AGENT, faces a mid-life crisis as a harried single mother of five teens in this joyously chaotic family comedy.
VICTIMS OF SIN, (VICTIMAS DEL PECADO), 1951, Emilio Fernández, Mexico
Ripe for rediscovery, this 4K digital restoration of a masterwork of Mexican cinema brings fiery Cuban nightclub dancer Ninón Sevilla back to the screen in all her glory in a film-noir..
About The Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International Film Festival:
The Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International©, presented by MorseLife, aims to bring highly anticipated, critically acclaimed, and thought-provoking films to Palm Beach County. As a world-class film festival, The Donald M. Ephraim Sun & Stars International represents a major contribution to the cultural life of Palm Beach County. For more information, please visitwww.sasiff.org,www.facebook.com/DME.SASIFF and www.twitter.com/dmesasiff orwww.instagram.com/dme_sasiff or contact info@sasiff.org or 561.867.413
About MorseLife:
MorseLife serves more than 3,600 seniors every day on its campus in West Palm Beach and through its community outreach programs. Founded in 1983, MorseLife is a provider of health care and residential services for seniors in Palm Beach County. A charitable, not-for-profit organization, its programs also include short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, independent and assisted living, memory care assisted living, hospice, home health care, care management, meals-on-wheels, and PACE. Since its beginnings, MorseLife has built a reputation and tradition of caring for seniors with excellence, dignity, and compassion. For more information, visit morselife.org,www.facebook.com/MorseLife, www.twitter.com/MorseLifeHealth,www.instagram.com/morselifehealth or www.linkedin.com/company/morselife-inc-/ or contactinfo@morselife.org.
