2019 TCFF Events

TCFF Celebrates Black History Month with 4 FREE Films!

Showplace ICON Theaters
1624 West End Blvd.
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
www.showplaceicon.com

To attend, simply arrive at the theater at least 30 minutes prior to the screening and check in at the TCFF table in the lobby at the top of the escalator. TCFF Members get priority seating.

NO SEATS ARE GUARANTEED

Tickets are first come first serve, so get there early to ensure your spots!

Showings:

• February 16th @ 2pm: Selma
• February 17th @ 2pm: 42
• February 23rd @ 2pm: The Color Purple
• February 24th @ 2pm: Hidden Figures

GIVEAWAY – TCFF will have a special drawing for four TCFF gift bags at the end of the month. GIVEAWAY SIGN UP HERE

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• TWIN CITIES FILM FEST 2018 tickets on sale today! 20 of My Most-Anticipated Selections

• 2018 TCFF Education Programs–Empowering Filmmakers during the 11-day Film Fest

• 2018 OPENING NIGHT: Time For Ilhan Documentary & Green Book Reviews

• TCFF Indie Film Spotlight: STRANGE NATURE + Interview with writer/director James Ojala

• TCFF 2018 Indie Film Spotlight: NOAH WISE & Interview w/ writer/director Ben Zuckert

• TCFF 2018 Indie Film Spotlight: RICH KIDS & interview w/ filmmaker Laura Somers

• 2018 TCFF Reviews – Across The Waters and The Testament

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The 2018 Twin Cities Film Fest runs from Oct. 17-27 in St. Louis Park, hosted by the Showplace ICON Theatres and the Shops at West End.

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TWIN CITIES FILM FEST ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TWIN CITIES JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

UNVEILS JUNE GALA TO KICK-OFF 2018 TCJFF SERIES!

May 16, 2018 (St. Louis Park, MN) — The organizers behind the Twin Cities Film Fest and the Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival (the Sabes and St. Paul JCCs) announced a new partnership Wednesday, unveiling the details of an expanded 2018 TCJFF program and the year’s kickoff event: A June 28 gala screening of the acclaimed historical drama “An Israeli Love Story.”

This will mark the beginning of the Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival’s 24th year.

“At the Twin Cities Film Fest, our mission has always been a mix of appreciation, support, and development, as we’ve set out to not only screen and celebrate unforgettable artworks but also foster collaboration and education among local artists, and do our part to ensure the growth of the state’s filmmaking industry,” ~TCFF Executive Director Jatin Setia.

“Partnering with the Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival is a natural extension of that mission, as we hope to draw more filmmakers to the state to connect with local audiences, and look to widen the mix of stories and perspectives we showcase every year on our movie screens.” ~ Setia

This year’s Twin Cities Film Fest is scheduled to screen Oct. 17-27 in St. Louis Park. As part of the new TCFF-TCJFF partnership, the 2018 Twin Cities Jewish Film Festival will run concurrently in October, with an array of red-carpet premieres and special events to be announced in early September.

“We are thrilled to work with TCFF, as we share many of the same goals and values – to use the power of film to bring us all together,” ~Robyn Awend, Twin Cities JCC Jewish Cultural Arts Director.

“Our film festival is designed to build bridges, create dialog, entertain and invite the entire community to share Jewish cultural diversity.” ~Awend

Beyond the central October festival, the new partnership will also make possible additional TCJFF screenings throughout the year.

The 2018 TCJFF program will kick off next month, with a special June 28 screening of Dan Wolman’s historical romance “An Israeli Love Story.” Tickets are now on sale. More information on the gala event:

An Israeli Love Story

Date: Thursday, June 28
Location: Sabes Jewish Community Center (4330 Cedar Lake Road, St. Louis Park)
6 pm: Red carpet reception and photos (includes refreshments and light snacks)
7 pm: Screening
Tickets (ages 13+): $12 early bird, $14 at the door

Get tickets »

 

Synopsis: Based on a true story, “An Israeli Love Story” depicts the love affair between Pnina Gary, from Nahalal, and Eli Ben–Zvi, son of Rachel Yanait and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, the Second President of the State of Israel. The film is set during the turbulent period of pre-state Israel. Margalit meets Eli on a bus and falls in love with him instantly. She tries to get close to him but he’s too busy with the Palmach. Finally, the barriers come down, as Margalit moves in with Eli, but Israel’s harsh reality intervenes.

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It’s one for the books!

Thank you for a memorable 2017, here’s to an incredible 2018 🙂 Watch the recap of our spectacular 2017!

The 8th annual fun-filled cinematic marathon has officially wrapped last night with yet another festive closing night party.

Pardon the lack of post yesterday as it was literally an extremely jam-packed day and I’ve also been hit with a bit of a cold and cough. Every single TCFF staff and volunteers pretty much ran on adrenaline around the 11-day film fest, but hey, time still flew when you’re having a great time!

The best part of covering TCFF is discovering new films, filmmakers, and talents. And boy, just in the last two days of the fest, I saw three of my top 5 films…

The three films may seem very different on the outset in terms of setting and plot, but they actually have similar themes of letting go of the past, growing up and celebrating life for what it is. The female-led Instructions For Living, directed by Sarah Heinss based on a script by Heinss and Morgan Owens, deservedly won the Audience Award for narrative feature.

Writer/Director/Actress Sarah Heinss, Writer/Actress Morgan Owens, Actor Drew Paslay, and Producer Maggie Hart were at the red carpet, interviewed by our host Amanda Day, on the first screening of the film on Saturday 10/21.

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Two of my fave films starred this year’s Indie Vision Breakthrough Award recipient Josh Wiggins, who’s absolutely phenomenal in both films, playing the teenage son of Matt Bomer in Walking Out and J.K. Simmons in The Bachelors. This 18-year-old young man certainly showed an incredible range as well as screen presence. I think people will hear more of him in the future and I’m glad to say I first saw Josh at TCFF and got to talk to him a bit at the after party.

Here he is being interviewed by one of our awesome hosts Rachel Weber before the Walking Out screening:

On the festival’s closing day, TCFF also honored actress, and Minnesota native, Rachael Leigh Cook (who’s the lead in the modern adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream) with the festival’s coveted North Star Award.

 

On Saturday I started the day with learning from great filmmakers!

Attending another insightful film panel @TCFilmFest on Directing The Story w/ filmmakers from @walkingoutmovie #TheBachelorMovie etc. pic.twitter.com/EoXcUBNb1p

— FlixChatter (@FlixChatter) October 28, 2017

Two of those filmmakers’ films are one of the finalists for Best Feature Film award, Alex and Andrew Smith for Walking Out and Kurt Voelker for The Bachelors.

TCFF announced its 2017 award winners Saturday evening, recognizing films in ten top categories. The 11-day event showcased more than 140 titles — 60% of which were directed by women — and facilitated a broader conversation around the social cause of addiction (our theme for this year’s Changemaker Series)

The full list of 2017 award winners:

• Best Feature Film: “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” directed by Martin McDonagh.
• Best Documentary: “Human Flow,” directed by Ai Weiwei
• Best Short Film: “Cat Killer,” directed by Wes Jones.
• Audience Award, Narrative: “Instructions For Living,” directed by Sarah Heinss (Runner-Up: “Aquarians,” directed by Michael M. McGuire)
• Audience Award, Non-Fiction: “Coyote,” directed by Thomas Simmons (Runner-Up: “Victor’s Last Class,” directed by Brendan Brandt)
• Audience Award, Short Film: “Hearts Want,” directed by Jason P. Schumacher (Runner-Up: “Wet Dreams: One Woman’s Chance at Touching Gold,” directed by Darren Coyle)
• Indie Vision Breakthrough Award — Narrative: Madelyn Deutch (screenplay, “The Year of Spectacular Men”)
• Indie Vision Breakthrough Award — Non-Fiction: “8 Borders, 8 Days,” directed by Amanda Bailly
• Indie Vision Breakthrough Award – Best Performance: Josh Wiggins (“The Bachelors” and “Walking Out”)
• Fun Is Good Bill Murray Comedic Shorts Award: “Lady Lillian,” directed by Amber Johnson
• North Star Award for Excellence: Rachael Leigh Cook

TCFF 2017 Changemaker Award: Lexi Reed Holtum, executive director and lobbyist of the Steve Rummler Hope Network, for her work advocating on behalf of Steve’s Law and the 2015 state funding that enabled first responders to have the resources they need to implement the law.

Congrats to ALL of the TCFF 2017 winners!!

You can watch the video of the awards ceremony on FB by clicking the image below (the LIVE video cannot be embedded here)

Of course THIS was the biggest surprise of the night… at least for me!

Apparently the TCFF Award Finalists were announced on Friday 10/27 afternoon, but I didn’t check it until much later. To be a finalist amongst these great short films is just unbelievable… I’m still pinching myself!!

Best Short Film: “Afterword,” directed by Boris Seewald; “Cat Killer,” directed by Wes Jones; “Hearts Want,” directed by Jason P. Schumacher; “Resolutions,” directed by Tamara Fisch; and “Sundogs,” directed by Elizabeth Chatelain.

We didn’t win Best Short but as you can see in the picture above, we did win the Audience Award, woot woot!! That’s a second one for our director Jason P. Schumacher, his short film Sad Clown won the Audience Award in 2014.

I was a nervous wreck on the red carpet as you can see below… but hey I survived 😉 Check out Jason’s blue hair for Halloween, inspired by X-Men’s Mystique!

I’m so thrilled to have my dear friend & Hearts Want‘s lead actress Sam Simmons in town for the main TCFF premiere! She flew in from L.A. just hours before the red carpet and looked stunning as ever. So fun seeing Sam reunited w/ her co-stars Peter Christian Hansen and Noah Gillet last Thursday. I gotta say our short film’s cast are VERY easy on the eyes aren’t they? And they’re all so darn talented and fun to work with, too!

 

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Here are some of the pics from Hearts Want‘s red carpet on Thursday night. Thanks to Dallas Smith, TCFF’s lead photographer for some of the photos.

See the recap of TCFF festivities in images
(again thanks Dallas & team) in Smugmug.

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Well the film fest may be over but I’ve still got a few more reviews I’ll be posting in the coming weeks (Ruin Me, Flora, Walking Out, The Bachelors, etc.) as well as my interviews with the filmmakers from Darcy, actor Adam Ambruso, and more!). For a daily recap with reviews/interviews, etc., check out the TCFF page.

We’ll be back for TCFF 2018 next October!

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