News Brief

San Francisco kicked off its 27th Jewish film festival with a screening of the Israeli film “Sweet Mud.”

The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival began July 19 and will run through Aug. 6 at five locations in the Bay Area. It features 54 films from 13 countries, with 99 screenings.

“Independent Jewish cinema is an expanding, vibrant and surprising field,” festival Executive Director Peter Stein said. “You’ll find Jewish satire from Germany, a celebration of New York’s hot young Jewish music scene, Israeli filmmakers grappling with the Lebanon War, even an Orthodox Jewish prizefighter. It’s a thrilling moment to present our festival.”