SAN FRANCISCO, CA, U.S.A. The Good, The Bad, and The Schmutz will picked apart at this year’s San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, by film critics alike viewing films at The Castro Theatre in San Francisco, CineArts Theatre in Palo Alto, the California Theatre & the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, the New Parkway Theatre & Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland, and Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael.

From July 24th to August 10th, these theaters will showing Narrative films, documentary films, as well as shorts – all incorporating the themes of singular vision, borders, take action, and global lens.

At the press conference held on Tuesday, June 24th, Executive director Lexi Leban, Program Director Jay Rosenblatt, and Programmer Joshua Moore shared their centerpiece films to not miss. Also, Leban boasted about the twenty-one percent overall increase in box office sales at last year’s festival, which allows for a 10-day run at the Castro Theatre this year.

Among the films mentioned not to be missed, a few caught my attention one especially being, El Critico, directed by Hernán Guerschuny of Argentina, a narrative film about a film critic who hates romantic comedies and ironically finds himself falling for a woman and his life becomes a romantic comedy.

Another is Zero Motivation, directed by Tayla Lavie of Israel, according to Moore the film is “office space set in the Israeli military.” The film is a dark comedy about women in the military – both featured in the global lens category.

The Opening night film, The Green Prince, directed by Nadav Schirman, is a documentary constructed like an espionage narrative film with re-enactments that seem straight out of a Bourne movie. Green Prince, which was featured as the opening night film at the Sundance Film Festival and won the World Documentary Award, will kick off the festival at Castro Theatre on July 24th at 6:30pm followed by an after party at the Contemporary Jewish Museum starting at 9pm.

The Closing night film, Little White Lies is an American film directed by Lacy Schwartz and James Adolphus, about a woman questioning her identity after skeletons come out of her family’s closet, will be premiering at the Castro Theatre on August 3rd at 7pm followed by a reception on the Mezzanine of the theatre.

For more information on tickets visit SFJFF.org