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Santa Cruz Jewish Film Festival

In Celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month

Join us for a screening of The Stamp Thief, Remembering Gene Wilder, and An American Pickle; Thursdays May 14, 21, & 28 starting at 3 pm.

SCPL is once again pleased to partner with the Santa Cruz Jewish Film Festival to present three films in celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month. Registration is recommended for each screening, and walk-ins are welcome. Light refreshments will be provided. 

May 14: The Stamp Thief (watch trailer)

From an Oscar, Peabody, and Emmy award-winning team, “The Stamp Thief” is part detective story, part heist film, and part untold history. The documentary investigates a tale dating back to the Holocaust: that a mysterious Nazi stole priceless stamp collections from concentration camp victims and buried the stolen stamps in a small town in Poland.

Embarking on a real-life “Argo”-like adventure, one-time “Seinfeld” producer Gary Gilbert sets out to confirm the story and recover the stamps. His tactic: a fake movie shoot. His goal: to return the stamps to their rightful owners, hopefully delivering a small measure of justice more than 70 years after the Holocaust.

May 21: Remembering Gene Wilder (watch trailer)

This loving tribute to Gene Wilder celebrates his life and legacy as the comic genius behind an extraordinary string of film roles, from his first collaboration with Mel Brooks in The Producers, to the enigmatic title role in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, to his inspired on-screen partnership with Richard Pryor in movies like Silver Streak. It is illustrated by a bevy of touching and hilarious clips and outtakes, never-before-seen home movies, narration from Wilder’s audiobook memoir, and interviews with a roster of brilliant friends and collaborators like Mel Brooks, Alan Alda, and Carol Kane. REMEMBERING GENE WILDER shines a light on an essential performer, writer, director, and all-around mensch.

May 28: An American Pickle (watch trailer)

An immigrant worker at a pickle factory is accidentally preserved for 100 years in a pickle barrel and wakes up in modern-day Brooklyn, where he tracks down his secular great-great grandson.

Despite its outlandish premise, American Pickle tells a beautiful and hilarious story about family, religion, forgiveness, and Jewish identity. Seth Rogen's performance as both Hershel Greenbaum and Ben, his descendant, is funny and endearing.