Festival of Jewish films will screen in Ventura

Temple Beth Torah's fifth annual Ventura County Jewish Film Festival will open at 7 p.m. Thurs., April 3. Unless otherwise noted, all films will be shown at the Regency Buenaventura 6 Theater at the 101 Freeway and Telephone Road in Ventura.

On opening night, the British comedy "Sixty Six" will be screened. The film takes place in 1966 and is about a boy whose bar mitzvah is on the same day as England's final World Cup soccer game. New York Times syndicate writer Ivor Davis will introduce and discuss the film.

The Israeli film "Love and Dance" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Sat., April 5. In it a boy tries to bridge the cultural gap between his Russian mother and Israeli father through dance lessons.

The Jewish Women's Archive documentary "Making Trouble" will be screened 10 a.m. Sun., April 6 at Temple Beth Torah, 7620 Foothill Road in Ventura. The film tells the story of six female entertainers of the last century: Molly Picon, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner and Wendy Wasserstein. Comedienne Wendy Kamenoff will discuss the film and perform standup comedy.

The festival will close at 7 p.m. Sun., April 6 with the award-winning Israeli film "Noodle," a comedy-drama in which two very different people accompany each other on a meaningful journey. A representative from the Cultural Department of the Los Angeles office of the Israeli Consulate has been invited to discuss the Israeli film market.

For more information, visit www.vcjff.org.