AJFF: Golda
February 15-19
Israel’s only female prime minister defends her clouded legacy in this engrossing portrait backboned by a surprisingly candid, unaired TV interview buttressed by testimonials from devotees and detractors alike, which charts Golda’s trailblazing rise to power and her tragic demise.
Genre Documentary
Running Time
88 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Serial (Bad) Weddings 2
February 15-21
A bourgeois French couple must again get past their biases and accept their multicultural family, in this outrageously funny sequel to the 2015 AJFF and international box office hit. Tackling all-too-real issues of bigotry and intolerance, this decidedly politically incorrect comedy dismantles tribal stereotypes with a big heart and go-for-broke humor.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
98 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Standing Up, Falling Down
February 15-16
Emmy-winner Ben Schwartz (NBC’s Parks and Recreation) and the legendary Billy Crystal, topline this bittersweet, warmly funny buddy comedy about an unlikely intergenerational friendship between a struggling stand-up comic and an older, disillusioned barfly.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
91 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: A Cantor's Head
Sunday, February 16
One of the world’s leading cantorial masters departs the bema, prompting questions about the fading tradition of Jewish sacred music. With an outsized Brooklyn persona and phenomenal voice, Cantor Jack Mendelson utterly leaps off the screen. But after 29 years, his synagogue prefers a younger cantor. With emotion, Mendelson and other experts explain a centuries-long art form, and what its loss represents.
Genre Documentary
Running Time
87 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Abe
February 16-17
In this lighthearted Sundance dramedy, Noah Schnapp (Stranger Things) is a Brooklyn kid and son of an Israeli mother and Palestinian father. With the aid of a Brazilian chef and food blogger who believes mixing flavors can connect people, Abe hopes to unify his politically fraught, mixed-heritage family over a Thanksgiving feast.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
85 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Holy Silence
Sunday, February 16
The Catholic Church’s response to the Holocaust is examined via historic film, rare documents and current interviews, revealing a failure of moral authority. Pope Pius XI overtly decried the anti-Semitism of 1938 Germany, but his successor took a starkly different stance. What more might the Church have done to halt the Final Solution and help Europe’s Jews? As the Vatican prepares to open its secret WWII archives in March 2020, this timely exposé examines all sides of a hotly debated topic.
Genre Documentary
Running Time
72 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: The Operative
Sunday, February 16
Diane Kruger is an undercover Israeli spy in this complex espionage thriller about a Westerner-turned-rogue Mossad agent caught in international conspiracy. When she vanishes, Thomas (Martin Freeman), a British Jew, retraces her steps: Will her transgressive affair undermine a plot to sabotage Iran’s nuclear plan? This authentic portrayal of modern spy craft is based on the Israeli novel The English Teacher.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
117 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: #AnneFrank. Parallel Stories
February 17-18
Anne Frank’s immortal words are revived for the hashtag generation via social media, as Oscar-winning Helen Mirren breathes new life into the famous diary. This modern retelling of Anne’s story carries the gifted diarist’s legacy forward in powerful new ways.
Genre Documentary
Running Time
90 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
February 17-23
A German-Jewish girl takes uneasy steps into adulthood, as world events intrude on her carefree life. When her father suddenly vanishes, and her family hurries from Germany, Anna begins to realize things will never be the same, in this superbly rendered historical family drama.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
119 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Black Mercedes
February 17-20
A young woman’s murder leads a police detective into a murky underworld of sex and intrigue, in this twisting thriller set in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. The chief inspector’s ties to the Polish Underground jeopardize his probe, as he seeks to unravel this noir whodunit layered with hidden identities and startling turns.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
123 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Exodus
Tuesday, February 18
The birth of modern Israel gets the big-budget, Hollywood treatment in this exhilarating epic featuring an all-star ensemble. Paul Newman is Israeli resistance leader Ari Ben Canaan, who defies a British blockade to smuggle Jewish refugees to Palestine. Once ashore, he falls for an American nurse, Kitty (Eva Marie Saint), as they risk their lives for the Zionist cause. Otto Preminger’s lavish production includes standout supporting performances from Lee J. Cobb and Sal Mineo, as well as Ernest Gold’s Academy Award-winning score.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
208 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Oliver Sacks: His Own Life
Tuesday, February 18
British-born neurologist and literary giant Oliver Sacks is posthumously feted in this profoundly engaging, deeply personal memoir. Known by the film Awakenings, early fame came from his brilliant writings on cognitive disorders and natural world splendors. Sacks battled drugs, homophobia, and a skeptical medical establishment, and after a terminal diagnosis, vividly faces the meaning of his existence.
Genre Documentary
Running Time
114 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Those Who Remained
Wednesday, February 19
Two emotionally fragile Holocaust survivors form a tenuous bond in this exquisitely crafted Hungarian drama. Having lost his family, a middle-aged doctor’s haunted survival is upended by a precocious patient, a needy teenage girl, who forms a proxy relationship with him. As a new Stalinist threat takes shape, these unlikely soulmates discover in each other a reason to go on.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
87 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Back to Maracana
Thursday, February 20
Three generations seek to reconcile on a hasty trip to Brazil, in this heartfelt dramedy. Divorced, his business failing, Roberto—a Brazilian expat in Israel—takes his anxious son and impetuous father to Rio to watch Brazil’s World Cup quest. While mending their fraught relationships, the trio’s rocky journey reveals vital life lessons and long-buried secrets.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
92 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: The Mover
February 21-22
Latvia’s Oscar entry, this gripping, ominous drama tells of real worker Žanis Lipke—Latvia’s Schindler—honored for his courage during WWII. Žanis and his wife are unlikely heroes, suffering under the Soviets and Germans. When the Nazis begin moving Jews from a nearby ghetto into forced-labor camps, Žanis embarks on a covert mission to save them from certain death.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
87 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: The Mamboniks
Saturday, February 22
Jewish soul and Cuban song mesh on the dance floor in this wistful look at the mambo mania that swept the nation in the ‘50s. Jewish Americans fell for Havana’s hot mix of sultry Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms in neon-splashed New York, Miami’s art deco hotels, and the Catskills resorts. Against a big band soundtrack, the free-spirited mamboniks colorfully recall their love affair with the Cuban dance craze.
Genre Documentary
Running Time
90 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Wolkenbruch's Wondrous Journey Into the Arms of a Shiksa
February 22-26
A henpecked Orthodox college student incurs the ire of his overbearing mom after falling for a gorgeous gentile, in this raucous, Swiss rom-com Oscar entry that pokes fun at intergenerational cultural tensions.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
93 minut
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: The Glass Room
February 22-23
An iconic home (the stunning Villa Tugendhat) takes center stage as secret affairs and history’s shifting tides shatter a Czech marriage, in this mesmerizing, erotic wartime saga. A wealthy Jewish industrialist and his gentile wife see their dream house become home to passionate, dark desires as 1930s idealism gives way to Hitler. Based on Simon Mawer’s hit novel.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
104 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF in Conversation: What Makes a Film Jewish
Sunday, February 23
Join us for this conversation, open to questions from our audience, featuring both local and national film industry experts, including members of the 2020 AJFF Jury. Our discussion will examine one of the most frequently asked questions, What Makes a Film Jewish? Seemingly obvious, yet open to interpretation, the answer can be complex and rich, and often varies from film to film. Join our experts as they define and explore fundamental criteria for any Jewish film festival.
Though FREE to the public, RSVPs are still required via AJFF.org as space is limited.
View EventAJFF: Crescendo
Sunday, February 23
A famous conductor assembling an orchestra of Israeli and Palestinian youth for a Mideast peace summit, finds a tempest of deep discord. Corralling the young artists, sworn enemies from the Arab-Israeli divide, is easier said than done, in this potent drama, with an amazing cast of non-actors, led by veteran Peter Simonischek.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
112 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: The Keeper
Sunday, February 23
An ex-Nazi plays soccer for salvation in this rousing, romantic, epic true story. No longer a British POW, the Manchester City team hires Bert Trautmann as goalkeeper, where he arouses the interest of the club manager’s daughter, and the post-war ire of fans. Famously playing the ‘56 FA Cup Final with a broken neck, Trautmann’s tale tells of how sports can unite.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
118 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Incitement
February 24-25
Israel’s Oscar submission, a riveting psychological thriller, dramatizes the motives behind Prime Minister Rabin’s 1995 assassination. Told through the perpetrator’s eyes, the zealot is egged on by national leaders, religious orthodoxy, and right-wing media. With an unnerving central performance, this rigorously researched portrait was Israel’s Best Film winner.
Genre Narrative
Running Time
123 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Picture of His Life
Tuesday, February 25
A daring Israeli underwater photographer spends 40 years taking stunning close-ups of aquatic wildlife, but one fearsome challenge eludes him: swimming beside a polar bear while filming the encounter. This breathtaking portrait reveals a fervent artist and activist risking life and limb in pursuit of singular beauty.
Genre Documentary
Running Time
72 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Aulcie
Wednesday, February 26
One of Israel’s top athletes captures the nation’s spirit while prevailing against the odds, in this exciting bio of a basketball icon. From Harlem’s courts to Maccabi Tel Aviv ‘76, Aulcie Perry helped Israel win its first European Championship. But fame led to a dramatic downfall, then ultimate redemption, for this superstar who put Israeli basketball on the map.
Genre Documentary
Running Time
72 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
AJFF: Saul & Ruby, To Life!
Thursday, February 27
An inseparable pair of sprightly Holocaust survivors brings their tuneful call for peace and healing from assisted living facilities in Florida to the world stage, in this uniquely uplifting tribute to the human spirit. Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning documentarian Tod Lending expertly weaves comedy and tragedy in this charming, poignant and, above all, affirmative cinematic celebration.
Genre Documentary
Running Time
80 minutes
Series: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
Venue: Byers Theatre
A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
March 6-15
This Tony-winning Best Musical was the surprise hit of the 2014 Broadway season and is the hilarious tale of how the heir to a family fortune sets out to speed up the line of succession using a dash of charm and also – murder!
Series: City Springs Theatre Company
Venue: Byers Theatre
Chopin Society Piano Recital
Sunday, March 15
Acclaimed Italian pianist, Roberto Plano is a featured performer for the Chopin Society of Atlanta's 20 Anniversary celebration. Plano, a winner of International competitions, has played with world-renowned orchestras and in concert venues all over the world.
View EventCinderella and Aladdin - Two Shows, One Ticket
March 20-22
Enjoy two favorites for one ticket. Cinderella, presented by Roswell Dance Theatre and Aladdin, presented by Atlanta Dance Theatre are the perfect fit for an excellent adventure. Told through a mix of classical and contemporary ballet, the stories will enchant guests of all ages.
View EventBalletFest Atlanta 2020
March 21-22
BalletFest Atlanta is a weekend dance festival for dancers ages 8+, packed full of master classes and performances from dance studios, pre-professional companies, and professional companies.
View EventJazz On Tap 2020
March 27-29
Jazz On Tap is a weekend dance festival for dancers ages 8+, packed full of master classes from captivating instructors and performances from dance studios, pre-professional companies, and professional companies.
View EventMenopause the Musical
April 3-5
This hilarious musical parody set to classic tunes from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s will have you cheering and dancing in the aisles! See what more than 15 million women and fans worldwide have been laughing about for 18 years!
View EventAtlanta Ballet 2's The Swan Princess
April 10-12
This world premiere production of The Swan Princess features all of the mystery and magic of the beloved classic Swan Lake, but fits the treasured story into a one-hour format for children that serves as a perfect introduction to ballet.
View EventSister Act
May 1-10
The hit Whoopi Goldberg movie is now a feel-good musical-comedy featuring music from award-winning composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Newsies, Beauty and the Beast) and an outrageous cast of characters.
Series: City Springs Theatre Company
Venue: Byers Theatre
Joe's Jazz Camp
May 31-June 5
Joe’s Jazz Camp is a premiere music education experience for students aged 13-19. Top jazz educators will help you get from where you are to where you want to be in jazz music no matter what your experience level.
View EventMonty Python's Spamalot
July 10-19
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table set off in search of the Holy Grail and along the way encounter a killer rabbit, a bevy of dancing showgirls and a very rude Frenchman. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical!
Series: City Springs Theatre Company
Venue: Byers Theatre
NextGen Broadway Camp-Rising 3rd-5th Graders
July 13-16
The City of Sandy Springs and City Springs Theatre Company are excited to offer season two of NextGen Broadway, a musical theatre camp for the next generation of artists and audiences.
View EventNextGen Broadway Camp-Rising 6th-8th Graders
July 20-23
The City of Sandy Springs and City Springs Theatre Company are excited to offer season two of NextGen Broadway, a musical theatre camp for the next generation of artists and audiences.
View Event
