27th Annual DONALD M. EPHRAIM PALM BEACH JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL Begins Next Week

Palm Beach County will live up to its well-earned title as "Florida's Cultural Capital" next week with the opening of another major festival: Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival.

The Opening Night of the 27th annual Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival will be held on January 19 in the Cohen Pavilion at the Kravis Center of Performing Arts with a special screening, the Palm Beach Premiere of ON THE MAP, from Israel. This is the true story of Israel's 1977 basketball team, the first team to bring the European Cup to Israel, just a few years after the Yom Kippur War. When this ragtag team of Israelis and Americans won, Israel was placed firmly on the map. With incredible footage of 1970s Israel and interviews with Bill Walton and the other athletes who made history, ON THE MAP honors Israeli heroes and mesmerizes fans of the game.

ON THE MAP was directed by Dani Menkin, who will attend the opening night screening and participate in a post-film discussion along with basketball legend Tal Brody. Filmed in English and Hebrew with subtitles, the 85-minute movie was produced by Nancy Spielberg and Roberta Grossman, who produced and directed ABOVE AND BEYOND, the Festival's opening night film in 2015.

The Premiere Partner for the opening night film is Jupiter Medical Center, with the Rubens Family Foundation serving as Film Guests Partner. Film Partners include Barbara Mines, Linda & Ray Golden, Barbara Kay, The Liman Foundation and Bente Lyons. For the third year, the Festival Season Partner is Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, LLC.

Throughout the upcoming Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, 30 movies from around the world will be screened at the Cinemark Palace in Boca Raton, January 21-27; Cobb Theatres in Palm Beach Gardens, January 28-February 4; and the Frank Theatres in Delray Beach, February 5-11.

Among the much anticipated films in the Festival are ABULELE, BAGEL OVER BERLIN, CLOUDY SUNDAY, FEVER AT DAWN, MR. GAGA, TEL AVIV LIVE, THE LAST BLINTZ, THERE ARE JEWS HERE, THE SECOND TIME AROUND and more.

The closing film and awards ceremony will be held on February 12 at the Muvico Parisian at CityPlace in West Palm Beach. The film will be the Palm Beach Premiere of the award-winning 2016 Israeli film THE WOMEN'S BALCONY, which was directed by Emil Ben Sharon and is presented in Hebrew with subtitles.

How to Get Tickets for The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival 2017:

Opening Night tickets are $20 for Film Society members and $25 for nonmembers. For the rest of the Festival, film tickets range from $7 to $15 for Film Society members and $9 to $18 for nonmembers. They will be available for purchase through the website at www.pbjff.org or by calling 877-318-0071 during normal business hours.

In addition, tickets will on sale at the theaters during their Festival week: Cinemark Palace in Boca Raton, January 21-27; Cobb Theatres in Palm Beach Gardens, January 28-February 4; Frank Theatres in Delray Beach, February 5-11.

About the Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival:

Presented by the Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches, The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival strives to bring to South Florida the finest examples of cinema from around the world. Founded in 1990 the festival continues to grow and evolve as it continues to expand the selection of narrative features, short films and documentaries to reflect the tastes and needs of its audience. The 27th annual The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival will be held Jan. 19 through Feb. 12, 2017. For more information, please visit www.PBJFF.org.

About the Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches:

The Mandel JCC has two locations in Palm Beach County. The Boynton Beach building is at 8500 Jog Road and the Palm Beach Gardens building is at 5221 Hood Road. For more information about the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches, visit www.jcconline.com.

The mission of the Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches is to build community and enhance connection to Jewish life. The Mandel JCC is a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.

This program was made possible through a grant from the Palm Beach Jewish Boomer Platform and an Innovation Grant from the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.

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