Festival Launches with International Focus Showcasing World-Class Feature Films, Documentaries & Shorts at Nearly 100 In-Theater Screenings Throughout Palm Beach County
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Documentaries–“Experience the Magic of Cinema” is the slogan of a major new cultural event: The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Film Festival© Presented by MorseLife. Offering dozens of unique features, documentaries, and short films from 20 different countries, the festival will have a truly international focus, celebrating cinematic excellence and reflecting a commitment to global diversity.
From its January 26 opening night of the U.S. premiere of the French comedy Two Tickets to Greece straight through to the February 16 Closing Night film Peace by Chocolate about Syrian refugees in Canada, The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Film Festival will entertain, enthrall, involve, and delight movie fans at eight first-class cinemas throughout Palm Beach County, including Boca Raton (IPIC), Delray Beach (IPIC, Paragon Theaters), Lake Worth (Movies of Lake Worth), Palm Beach Gardens (CMX at the Gardens), Royal Palm Beach (Regal), Wellington (CMX), and West Palm Beach (Kravis Center).
“Through this new film festival which is presented by MorseLife Health System, the premier provider of health care and residential services for seniors in Palm Beach County for nearly 40 years, we hope to reach into the broader community to raise awareness for MorseLife services, uplift minds, and touch hearts,” says MorseLife President and CEO Keith A. Myers.
“Our Festival will fulfill our mission to bring highly anticipated, critically acclaimed, and thought-provoking films to Palm Beach County… alongside exclusive events with actors, and directors,” adds Festival Founder Donald M. Ephraim. “We are featuring the work of both emerging and established filmmakers from around the world; a high-quality mix of mainstream films with broad appeal, timely documentaries, and short films.”
“In our Palm Beach Film Festival, we will offer cinematic experiences that will foster dialogue and interaction among our attendees and supporters, such as Juniper starring Charlotte Rampling, the deeply moving Nowhere Special, and Scarlett, an enchanting film from France, Italy and Germany,” promises Founding Festival Director Ellen Wedner, plus:
+ Eight memorable documentaries, including among others the South Florida-based Calendar Girls, the rock bio of Rolling Stones bass player Darryl Jones: In The Blood, the moving and informative Lowndes County and the Road to Back Power, the inspirational Mission Joy: Finding Happiness in Troubled Times, and the toe-tapping Music Pictures: New Orleans.
+ 16 movies by emerging women directors such as Clio Barnard (Ali & Ava), Sylvia Ohayon (Haute Couture), Claudia Sainte-Luce (Love & Mathematics), Palm Beach County filmmaker Sasha Levinson (Sylvie of the Sunshine State), Maryam Touzani (The Blue Caftan), and more.
+ Seven films from Israel or with a Jewish focus, including Cinema Sabaya; Farewell, Mr. Haffmann; Karaoke starring Sasson Gabay; and the documentary The Wild One about Jack Garfein, Holocaust survivor, Broadway director, and Actors Studio co-founder and teacher; to name just a few.
+ Seven films of special appeal to LGBTQ+ audiences, including All Man: The International Male Story, Balaban, Breaking the Ice, Dos Estanciones, No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics, The Blue Caftan, and You Can Live Forever.
Tickets to The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Film Festival© are available now by phone at 561-782-8931 (Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) or online 24/7 at DMEPBFF.org.
For a full list of participating theaters and scheduled movies for The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Film Festival© Presented by MorseLife, request a DMEPBFF brochure, or to become a member of the Festival Film Society, please call 561.867.3109 or visit DMEPBFF.org.
About Donald M. Ephraim:
Donald M. Ephraim is no stranger to the arts and its business relationship. After spending most of his life as a lawyer in Chicago representing some of the city’s biggest and brightest celebrities (including famous film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel). Ephraim retired to North Palm Beach in the late 1990s. For many years Ephraim funded and significantly guided the Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival. He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, where he helped in the creation and funding of the forward-leaning Institute for Cultural Advancement and the Donald M. Ephraim Family Gallery.
About MorseLife Health System:
MorseLife serves more than 3,600 seniors daily on its campus in West Palm Beach and through its community outreach programs. Founded in 1983, MorseLife is a provider of health care and residential services for seniors in Palm Beach County. A charitable, not-for-profit organization, its programs include short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, independent and assisted living, memory care assisted living, hospice, home health care, care management, meals-on-wheels, and PACE. Since its beginnings, MorseLife has built a reputation and tradition of caring for seniors with excellence, dignity and compassion. For more information, visit morselife.org.
Contacts
Gary Schweikhart, PR-BS
561.756.4298 / gary@pr-bs.net