SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

July 24-August 9 | 866-558-4253

Six Points with G-DCAST SPINS CHANUKAH! director Sarah Lefton

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 11/30/2009 - 13:42

If you haven't yet heard of Producer/Director Sarah Lefton, it's high time we introduce you. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Lefton is the creator of G-dcast, an online cartoon series that tells the parsha, or Torah story of the week. The new episode G-dcast Spins Chanukah! is SFJFF's online short for December, available to watch through December 31, 2009 at SFJFF.ORG. Lefton spoke with us recently about the true meaning of Hanukkah, her love for the series Glee, and why she insists that Jarred gefilte fish is for suckers.

 

What inspired you to make this short film?

G-dcast is dedicated to raising basic Jewish literacy, and getting people talking about Jewish stories.

Most people don’t know much about why we celebrate Chanukah, but it’s a great story. There are lots of fun Chanukah videos flying around this time of year, but most of them are pretty heavy on fun…and light on content. We wanted to make something that got beyond latkes, candles and presents.By creating this cartoon, we hoped to answer some questions, while also making something fun that you’d be proud to show your friends, your kids or your Sunday school class.

What was your greatest challenge during the filmmaking process?

Trying to talk about Chanukah in a kid-friendly way means avoiding words like “Hellenizers” or “Seleucid Empire.” This is a holiday based in some (relatively) obscure history and it’s tough trying to get the story across without delving into some pretty serious topics. We spent a lot of time working on the script. Fortunately, writer Matthue Roth is brilliant at communicating with young adult audiences and grown-ups at the same time!

 

It’s okay to admit that you don’t know the Chanukah story, or any Jewish story for that matter. Just as we do with our weekly Torah series, we hope this short gives you a taste of what Chanukah is about, and turns you on enough to go learn more. When you light the menorah after watching a G-dcast film, we hope it’s with a touch more pride, joy and, well, illumination!

What film/media has inspired you lately?

I had the opportunity recently to interview Ari Folman (Waltz With Bashir). The most exciting part about this was prepping for the interview, by screening some of his work that’s hard to find here in the States. I watched the original Hebrew language version of In Treatment (B’Tipul) that Folman co-wrote and his totally punk rock film Saint Clara. Folman’s Israeli television series The Material That Love is Made Of was also amazing, and included some terrific animation.

I’m not loving this winter’s big movies so far, but I enjoyed struggling with A Serious Man with Jewish friends. At home I’ve been loving watching Glee episodes!

What do you do when you’re not filmmaking?

Oh, you mean between 3 and 9 AM? Sleep.

Lastly, gefilte fish: delicious, or disgusting?

Delicious, but only the flash frozen kind. (Jarred fish is for amateurs.) Serve with a tiny carrot on top and tons of red Batampte horseradish.

 


Sarah Lefton's track record includes dozens of successful secular websites and media projects, as well as the groundbreaking Jewish t-shirt company www.jewishfashionconspiracy.com, which was a hit with international college students between 2004 and 2007. She has produced events, marketing materials and websites for Camp Tawonga, the San Francisco Bureau of Jewish Education, the Mission Minyan, Congregation Bnai Jeshurun and the West End Synagogue in New York. Her writing has been featured in Zeek, Yediot Achronot, The New York Times and The San Francisco Chronicle. Sarah serves on the board of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and will co-chair its adult education committee in 2009-10. She has a Masters in Interactive Telecommunications from NYU, and is a member of the 2009 UpStart Bay Area cohort. She produces a new episode of G-dcast every week at www.g-dcast.com.

Thanks to Lefton for the
Submitted by streek21 on Sat, 01/16/2010 - 13:20.

Thanks to Lefton for the creation of G-dcast.

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BLOGROLL

Articles, 31st Festival

Kirk Douglas interview and fest reviews in the San Francisco Chronicle Pink Section

Festival overview in Mercury News and Contra Costa Times

LITTLE ROSE in the SF Weekly

Kirk Douglas in the Bay Area Reporter

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS in the Mercury News

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY is the Bay Guardian's Pick

MABUL and SARAH'S KEY in the San Francisco Examiner

MABUL and RABIES in the Bay Area Reporter Calendar

Film reviews in the San Francisco Examiner

Festival slide show in the San Francisco Examiner

Festival overview in the San Francisco Sentinel

Festival overview in the Potrero View

Festival overview in the San Francisco Chronicle

Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness reviewed in The Jewish Daily Forward

Festival overview in the San Francisco Examiner

Festival overview in the San Jose Mercury News

JTA previews Kirk Douglas appearance

San Francisco Chronicle previews Kirk Douglas appearance

Austin Dale previews SFJFF31 on IndieWIRE

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS in the Mercury News

Dan Pine's Festival overview in The J. News Weekly

SFJFF announced in the Mercury News

Festival Overview in the San Francisco Sentinel

POLISH PAR, FIVE WEDDINGS AND A FELONY and BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD announced in the East Bay Express

India Times reruns the Chronicle's Kirk Douglas interview

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY in the Contra Costa Times

RABIES and BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD in the SF Bay Guardian

EICHMAN'S END, THE HANGMAN, IN HEAVEN UNDERGROUND, POLISH BAR, SKATE OF MIND in the SF Bay Guardian

Festival overview in the East Bay Express

CONNECTED announced in the Contra Costa Times

NEXT YEAR IN BOMBAY, IN HEAVEN UNDERGROUND, NAMES OF LOVE, BETWEEN TWO WORLDS reviewed in the SF Examiner

Festival announced in the Wall Street Journal

100 VOICES announced in the San Jose Mecury News

Festival overview in The Potrero View

Kirk Douglas in 7x7

Peter Stein interview in the SF Chronicle

Kirk Douglas piece reposted in the Wall Street Journal

Kirk Douglas on MSNBC

Festival overview in the Bay Area Reporter

Festival overview in the SF Examiner

MABUL in Leah Garchik's column in the SF Chronicle

Kirk Douglas in the London Telegraph

THE SIMPSON'S Mike Reiss talks to the SF Weekly

Festival mentioned in the SF Examiner

Festival overview in the East Bay Express

JEWS IN TOONS on CBS Channel 5

Kirk Douglas in 7x7

Kirk Douglas on NBC Bay Area

NEXT YEAR IN BOMBAY in the Mercury News

TORN announced in the SF Chronicle's SF Gate

Festival on Wanda's Picks radio show

THE NAMES OF LOVE in the J Weekly

Kirk Douglas in the J Weekly

Festival milestones in the J Weekly

Festival Overview in KQED Arts

Festival Overview in the National Examiner and the SF Examiner

Kirk Douglas in the SF Chronicle

LITTLE ROSE in the SF Examiner

Festival repost in the Wall Street Journal

MY LIFE WITH CARLOS announced in the Contra Costa Times

Festival overview in the Bay Times

Festival mention in the Mercury News

SARAH'S KEY in the J Weekly and again in the J Weekly

Peter Stein interviewed on CBS 5 Bay Sunday

SKATE OF MIND mentioned in the Contra Costa Times

 BETWEEN TWO WORLDS in the SF Chronicle

CONNECTED and Kirk Douglas mentioned in the SF Chronicle

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS in the SF Weekly and KQED

LIFE IS TOO LONG mentioned in the East Bay Express

Festival overview in KQED

Variety reviews of POLISH BAR, JOANNA, IN ANOTHER LIFETIME and LIFE IS TOO LONG

 Kirk Douglas in the Chronicle's SFGate

CRIME AFTER CRIME in the Bay Area Reporter

Festival highlights in 7x7

THE MATCHMAKER in the Marin IJ

Local Festival films in the SF Examiner

Festival highlights in the SF Examiner

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS in the SF Chronicle

Festival in the Chronicle calendar

Festival mention in the East Bay Express

Festival mention in the SF Examiner

Festival mention the SF Bay Guardian calendar

Blogs, 31st Festival

Festival overview in IndieWire

THE QUEEN HAS NO CROWN in the J Weekly and the Jewish Daily Forward

FIVE WEDDINGS AND A FELONY in Heeb

STANDING SILENT in the SF Sentinel

LIFE IS TOO LONG in My Cultural Landscape

Festival in San Rafael Patch

Kirk Douglas in J Weekly

SKATE OF MIND in FilmAndReligion.com

CRIME AFTER CRIME and MABUL in the J Weekly

STANDING SILENT in the J Weekly

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS in the J Weekly

Festival announced in KALW calendar

Festival mention in The WIP

THE MATCHMAKER in Marinscope

STANDING SILENT in Washigton Jewish Week

IN HEAVEN UNDERGROUND mentioned in The Festival Agency

Festival listings in Inside Bay Area

Festival overviews in Palo Alto Online and Edge San Francisco

Festival listing at the Palo Alto JCC

George Heymont reviews POLISH BAR in The Huffington Post

Kirk Douglas and BETWEEN TWO WORLDS in Queer Jew Blog

Israel Film Center reviews MABUL

Festival overview in the Raphael's Calendar

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS in Jewcy and Berkeleyside and Berkeley Patch and KQED

Kirk Douglas in the Huffington Post

Michael Petrelis blogs about the Festival

Kirk Douglas and Mike Reiss in the blog Cine Zine Kane

GRANDMOTHERS and MY LIFE WITH CARLOS in Latin Life

POLISH BAR in SF360

STANDING SILENT in the Jewish Daily Forward

SHOLEM ALEICHEM in the Metro

IN HEAVEN UNDERGROUND in Huffington Post

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS in Bay Area Women in Film and Media

LIFE IS TOO LONG announced in Inside Bay Area

Festival overview in Jewish Press International

MABUL and SPARTACUS in Stark Insider

Festival overview by The Jewish Daily Forward and week two of the festival

Kirk Douglas in JTA

Geneva Anderson reviews IN ANOTHER LIFETIME
 

Festival mention on Temple Beth Torah's site

Festival overview in SF360 and Women's Lens

Festival in This Day In Jewish History

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS in truthout.org

MARY LOU in SFist

Festival overview in Culture Vulture

Kirk Douglas in the SF Sentinel

THE QUEEN HAS NO CROWN in the SF Sentinel

MABUL in the Jewish Daily Forward

POLISH BAR in SF360

SKATE OF MIND in Yahoo! Sports

MABUL on SF 360

Festival overview in Jewish Art Now

MABUL in the SF Sentinel

IN HEAVEN UNDERGROUND and LIFE IS TOO LONG reviewed by the German Missions

Festival Overview reposted on All Voices

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS announced on SF Gate

INCESSANT VISIONS in Newswire and Free Press Release and PR.com

MABUL, 77 STEPS, BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD, CONNECTED, THE HANGMAN, 100 VOICES reviewed in SF Station

Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley announces the festival

George Haymont reviews THE JUGGLER and THE HANGMAN

SKATE OF MIND, PHNOM PENH LULLABY, IN HEAVEN UNDERGROUND reviewed in Beyond Chron

Festival overview in San Francsico Classical Voice

JEWS IN TOONS announced on Funcheap SF

Festival highlights in Culture Vulture

Festival trailer on ABC Channel 7

INTIMATE GRAMMAR announced by the Israeli Consulate

STRANGERS NO MORE in Filmbalaya

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS and STRANGERS NO MORE in Bay Jews

PRECIOUS LIFE in Clal

CRIME AFTER CRIME in Movie City News

QUEEN HAS NO CROWN reviewed by the Israeli Consulate

Festival overview on Jewcy

PHNOM PENH LULLABY announced by the American Jewish World Service

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS in The Monthly and Foreign Policy Journal

The Jewish Chronicle talks to Peter Stein about film festivals

JCCSF's The Hub announces RABIES, TWO WEDDINGS AND A FELONY, POLISH BAR and FLAWED

Keshet announces MARY LOU

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS reviewed in the Palestine Chronicle

Israeli Film Center announce the festival

SHOLOM ALEICHEM and TEVYE in Klez California

Festival announced at Inside Bay Area

Festival overview at Flavorpill

POLISH BAR on James Badge Dale's site

Kirk Douglas' Chronicle interviewed reposted at The Jewish News Place

NEXT YEAR IN BOMBAY and PHNOM PENH LULLABY annonced at CAAM

NEXT YEAR IN BOMBAY announced at Third I

Festival overview on Local Me.me

MARY LOU in Dorothy's Closet

JEWS IN TOONS on BayJews.org

POLISH BAR filmmaker Ben Berkowitz's mom plugs Ben Berkowitz and POLISH BAR

Topix announces WHEN HARRY MET SALLY

Festival overview in KQED

The Consulate General of Israel announces STRANGERS NO MORE, MABUL, RABIES, MARY LOU,

Goethe Institute announces IN HEAVEN UNDERGROUND and LIFE IS TOO LONG

JEWS IN TOONS on Plancast

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS discussed in PopMatters, New Voices and Cinespect

Festival Overview in the Jewish Community Federation

Lincoln Spector's two Festival overviews on BayFlicks

George Heymont reviews OTTO FRANK, FATHER OF ANNE and NEXT YEAR IN BOMBAY and STRANGERS NO MORE and SARAH'S KEY

Amy Kornish reviews TORN

30th Festival

San Francisco Chronicle  Walter Addiego, Chronicle staff writer, talks about the exciting line-up for the festival
 IndieWire  Nigel M Smith writes about a host of promising films and speciality events J Weekly  "It's Jewish Movie Time" J Weekly Michael Fox reviews Saviors in the Night
J Weekly Michael Fox reviews Budrus Religion News calls Saviors in the Night "a saga of life during wartime" Beyond Chron reviews Saviors in the Night and Amos Oz: The Nature of Dreams San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein, Chronicle Movie Correpondent, talks about "Tough Guys: Images of Jewish Gangsters in Film" San Francisco Chronicle Staff writers highlight films SF Weekly talks about the Gangster films and panel and about the international line-up of films The Bay Area Reporter talks about the festival and the "fascinating array of films" The Daily Californian talks about the festival and how it celebrates a "wide variety of voices and perspectives that can fit under the umbrella of Jewishness" San Francisco Bay Times calls A Room and a Half "visually intoxicating" Beyond Chron reviews Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story and other noteworthy films Marin Independent Journal talks about participants in Half-Remembered Stories SF 360 Michael Fox reviews the festival San Francisco Bay Guardian reviews Protektor and A Small Act San Francisco Bay Guardian talks about Einsatzgruppen: The Death Brigades and A Film Unfinished San Francisco Chronicle  John Clark reviews the documentary The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground and interviews band member Lisa Gutkin KQED Arts writes about the festival's Spotlight Series People of the Book  and calls it "a highlight of the festival." Pacific Sun Renata Polt reviews the line-up of SFJFF films screening in San Rafael New America Media provides an audio interview with Sayed Kashua, creator of Arab Labor and winner of the 2010 SFJFF Freedom of Expression Award Haaretz Daily Newsletter / Israel News, Writer Sayed Kashua in a hilarious piece about winning the 2010 SFJFF Freedom of Expression Award     Blogroll The Squid List Laughing Squid predicts "You'll laugh, you'll cry...and you'll talk about it." USA Travel Guide, Tips from a Rambling American Calls us "One of the stand-out events in a city known for its cinemaniacs." Bay Flicks Writes about the line-up and spotlights The Evening Class Michael Hawley previews the festival line-up UC Santa Cruz SFJFF is an opportunity to come together as a group My Cultural Landscape Talks about "Ingelore" and calls it "...a deeply moving documentary." Women's Lens Writes about festival Sneak Peak events and Special Events Building Jewish Bridges Is looking forward to Opening Night film Saviors in the Night Six For Five Writes about Jewish Mobsters crossing the Golden Gate ("Tough Guys: Images of Jewish Gangsters in Film" Panel) Culture Shuk Talks about Panel Event "Is Dialogue Possible? How Films Help Us Talk About Israel(...Or Not)" Trust Movies The SFJFF "is like some amazing, 17-day, potluck supper in which nearly everything is likely to prove delicious" Flavorpill says "…San Francisco Jewish Film Festival showcases complex perspectives on Jewish identity." Brokeass Stuart predicts "...all you Judeo-cinephiles out there will find yourself in movie heaven." Undine introduces Sayed Kashua, recipient of this year's SFJFF Freedom of Expression award in the newest blog Zvent calls the screening of Hungry Hearts with live score provided by the Moab Strangers a "don't miss event." TrustMovies provides a review of the "beautiful/devastating" film The Wolberg Family and an interview with director Axelle Ropert TrustMovies reviews Grace Paley: Collected Shorts and calls it "...immediate, enthralling, moving and funny" Voxtheatricum blogs about "Dirty Dancing" at Union Square Tango Diva reviews the festival line-up and calles it "...diverse...promises to astound you with fantastic performances not likely to ever be seen at a theater near you." Culture Shuk Elise Bernhardt, Executive Director of the Foundation for Jewish Culture gives her impression of the "most interesting" panel "Is Dialogue Possible? How Films Help Us Talk About Israel (...Or Not)" JTA - Jewis & Israel News Sue Fishkoff writes about Arab Labor and it's creator and recipient of the 2010 SFJFF Freedom of Expression Award Sayed Kashua. Chloe Veltman reviews Opening Night film Saviors in the Night and the Opening Night After-Film Bash at the Swedish American Hall "...there was a great buzz in the building."