Get reel!

The Tucson Jewish Community Center presents the 2012 Tucson International Jewish Film Festival Jan. 12-21 at the JCC Auditorium in Tucson. Their “Fabulous Faygeleh LGBT Film Series,” featuring three films, takes place Jan. 22. The festival’s opening film, “The Round Up” (“La Rafle”) is being screened at Tucson’s Loft Cinema.

The Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival presents “Get Reel with Director Bryan Singer” Jan. 14 at the Chandler Center for the Arts — which benefits the Holocaust and Tolerance Museum and Education Center currently being developed by the East Valley Jewish Community Center.

The “Desperado LGBT Film Festival” takes place Jan. 27-29 at the Paradise Valley Community College Center for the Performing Arts.  A couple of short films and panel discussions are free. Proceeds from ticketed screenings and events support LGBTQA scholarships.

The 2012 Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival takes place Feb.12-26 at three Harkins Theatres in the Valley — Scottsdale Camelview, Chandler Crossroads and Peoria Arrowhead. It features 11 films, for diverse audiences, that “offer a wealth of Jewish life, culture, humor and drama.”

The Sedona International Film Festival takes place Feb. 18-26, and will feature more than 145 films. Peter Bogdanovich, the son of immigrants who fled Nazi Germany, will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award during a special ceremony at the Sedona Performing Arts Center — followed by a screening of his “Last Picture Show” and a Q & A session featuring both Bogdanovich and Glenn Scarpelli.

The Prescott Film Festival takes place July 18-22. It’ll feature work by Arizona filmmakers in celebration of the state’s centennial, plus films from the U.S. and abroad. Details about free workshops and ticketed events will be released as festival dates draw near.

Watch for film screenings at local museums (including the Phoenix Art Museum), performing arts venues (including the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts), public libraries and other arts & culture destinations. And don’t forget to film your own kiddos now and then — family film festivals are the most fun by far!

— Lynn

Coming up: A guest blogger shares his “Wicked” ways

A loaf of bread

I was thrilled to learn that an exhibit from The Anne Frank Center USA in New York City, which I visited at its new location during a recent trip to NYC, is returning to the East Valley Jewish Community Center.

“Anne Frank: A History for Today” was first exhibited at the EVJCC four years ago, according to executive director Steve Tepper. It will return Jan. 30-March 7, 2012. But this time, says Tepper, it’ll be paired with “an exhibit on rescuers/heroes from the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous.”

The Anne Frank exhibit “juxtaposes photographs of the Frank family with historical events of the time and shows how persecuted people, such as the Franks, were affected by both individual and political actions.”

The “Whoever Saves a Single Life…Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust” exhibit features the diverse heroic efforts, big and small, of those who assisted Jews during the Holocaust. Tepper sites as an example the case of a woman who baked a loaf of bread — then snuck it into a concentration camp.

The strength of Anne Frank’s story, reflects Tepper, is its power to “make an undigestible event, especially an event of the Holocaust’s magnitude, digestible.” It’s a story, he says, that people can relate to.

Tepper hopes that pairing the two exhibits will signal to the people who see them their own ability as ordinary people to make a difference through their everyday lives. Not every act of heroism is a grand gesture, but every act of heroism has value. What we do, individually and collectively, matters.

The EVJCC will also exhibit a poster set called “Traits that Transcend,” which lists the character traits that rescuers/heroes possessed — and a video series “that reunites those that were rescued during the Holocaust with the rescuers.” Exhibited materals will help people remember, but also inspire them to act.

If you know someone who embodies the spirit of Anne Frank, let them know about the “Spirit of Anne Franks Awards” presented each year by The Anne Frank Center USA. McNeil notes that applications for the next round of awards will soon be available on their website.

Awards are given in several categories — including citizen, educator and student. McNeil adds that the winning high school student will receive a $10,000 scholarship. “We fly all winners to NYC, put them up in a hotel and they are part of our big gala,” shares McNeil. “So it is wonderful recognition for adults who work for tolerance as well.”

The “Spirit of Anne Frank Awards” honor individuals who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to taking a stand “against discrimination of all kinds.” I’ve encountered all sorts of amazing people in Arizona who fight discrimination against those who are gay, those who have a mental ilness, those who immigrated from other countries and more. This is a great way to recognize their work while letting folks outside of Arizona know about the good things happening here.

— Lynn

Note: I learned from Valley Youth Theatre’s Bobb Cooper that longtime VYT supporter Hope Ozer is a “Jewish Community Heroes” nominee, then discovered that EVJCC’s Steve Tepper is also among the ten Arizona nominees. Click here to learn more about this program of The Jewish Federations of North America.

Coming up: A night at the Gershwin Theatre

Update: I’m now blogging as “Stage Mom Musings” at www.stagemommusings.com. Please find and follow me there to continue receiving posts about arts and culture in Arizona and beyond. Thanks for your patience as the tech fairies work to move all 1,250+ posts to the new site. For the latest news follow me on Twitter @stagemommusings. 6/13/12

Chandler tales

I’ve long suspected there was at least one cub reporter in my midst. Sure enough, my 17-year-old daughter Lizabeth is showing clear signs.

Before heading out to the Ostrich Festival in Chandler Sunday afternoon, Lizabeth asked if she could take my camera along. We gave the battery a quick charge and off she went — with a couple of goals in mind.

First, to meet a young actor from the Nickelodeon television show titled “iCarly” who was making a guest appearance at the event — a plan she wisely abandoned after seeing the line that appeared to be several blocks long.

Lizabeth did the mental math, and soon realized that waiting hours for a few seconds of time and a quickie autograph was a high investment/low yield enterprise.

Second, she wanted to get her fix of cute (and even not so cute) animals. Ostrich races. Pig races. And sea lions clever enough to avoid the racing gig altogether. Mission accomplished there — and more. Think goats, cattle, emus, sheep, water buffalo and yaks.

Lizabeth came home eager to share her photos (which I’ve assembled for the slide show below). Many evidence her offbeat sense of humor. The photos of signs and a recycling bin suggest she’s been either channeling or mocking me. Sometimes it’s hard to tell.

I was impressed by her keen reporting of the events — and her wit in recounting them. Knowing attention to detail is important to the journalism craft, I asked her what types of food were available at the festival. Her answer was simple and plenty accurate: “Fried.”

I was sorry I’d asked when Lizabeth offered further details. Hot dogs on a stick. Pizza on a stick. Fry bread. Funnel cakes. Snowcones. Catfish. Even ostrich burgers. “That,” she quipped, “must be what happens to the losers.”

Apparently the pig races were particularly amusing — largely because the pigs belonged to various groups with names like “Hollywood pigs,” “Rock & pop pigs,” “Country pigs,” and “Political pigs.”

Seems one of the “political pigs” (dubbed “John McPig”) had a hard time deciding which starting box to enter as his race drew near. I’m told he tried the boxes of each of his opponents before wandering off, only to be redirected by a race official to his designated stall.

But alas, there’s nothing artsy about an ostrich or pig race — so check out some of these cultural events coming soon to Chandler if they’re more your style:

Chandler-Gilbert Community College Performing Arts presents an original CGCC production titled “Get a Life” March 24-27 at the Arnette Scott Ward Performing Arts Center.

The Chandler Symphony Orchestra presents a concert coupled with a food drive (as part of the 2011 Orchestras Feeding America program sponsored by the League of American Orchestras) March 27 at the Chandler Center for the Arts.

The East Valley Jewish Community Center (in partnership with the City of Chandler and Chandler Unified School District) presents a film titled “An Article of Hope” April 5 at the Chandler Center for the Arts.

The Chandler Children’s Choir presents “Summer Camp 2011” June 13-17 (for ages 6-16) at Tri-City Baptist Church in Chandler.

Enjoy your time in Chandler — and be thankful your kids have yet to come up with the idea of parent races.

— Lynn

Note: Watch the daily online calendar of events at www.raisingarizonakids.com for ongoing news of upcoming events with a family-focus in the Valley and throughout the state.

Coming up: Thoughts of Japan