Thanks to pandemic, Kansas City Jewish Film Festival comes to a screen very near you
The pandemic has forced the Kansas City Jewish Film Festival to go virtual for the first time, which might be a good thing for movie fans.
Viewers can watch all 12 films from the comfort of home, starting Aug. 2 with “Miracle of Miracles,” the story of the making of the Broadway musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”
A new movie will be available each day, Sundays through Wednesdays, capped Aug. 19 by “The Keeper,” the true story of an ex-Nazi paratrooper who becomes a soccer star in England. Movies can be streamed during a 48-hour window starting at 12:01 a.m. each day.
Tickets for the event, presented by the White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, are $12 per movie and $120 for all 12. They are available at thewhitetheatre.com. More information, kcjff.org.
Here are eight more ways you and your family can spend your coronavirus-induced stay-at-home time:
▪ The Truman Library’s 75th Anniversary Webinar Series will present “Out of the Archives: The Atomic Bomb,” with Truman Library Education Director Mark Adams highlighting 10 artifacts from the library’s collection related to President Harry S. Truman’s historic decision. 6 p.m. July 30 via Zoom. More information, trumanlibraryinstitute.org.
▪ Yusef Salaam of the Central Park Five will headline the Midwest Innocence Project’s Faces of Innocence fundraising event, which also will include a drawing, silent auction and panel discussion. Chiefs legend Will Shields and his wife, Senia, will serve as honorary chairs. 7 p.m. July 30 (free) at themip-foi.org.
▪ The Coterie Theatre is among 37 Theatre for Young Audiences members presenting the virtual premiere of “A Kids Play About Racism,” a theatrical adaptation of Jelani Memory’s “A Kids Book About Racism.” Aug. 1-2 (free) at broadwayondemand.com. More information, thecoterie.org.
▪ From bath and baby items to vintage goods, more than 50 vendors will offer their wares through the virtual Summer Swing. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 1 at boothcentral.com.
▪ A panel on “New Queer YA Books” will feature authors Tessa Gratton, Aiden Thomas and Romina Garber (Russell). 3 p.m. Aug. 1 at crowdcast.io. More information, ravenbookstore.com.
▪ University of Kansas film professor and filmmaker Matt Jacobson will speak on Zoom about “‘The Way the Future Was:’ Sci-Fi Films Set in the 2020s.” 7 p.m. Aug. 5 at olathelibrary.librarycalendar.com.
▪ Becky Mandelbaum will be in conversation with fellow author Laura Moriarty to launch her debut novel, “The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals.” Mandelbaum wrote “Bad Kansas,” winner of the 2016 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. 7 p.m. Aug. 5 at crowdcast.io. More information, ravenbookstore.com.
▪ Barring further interruption by the pandemic, the Royals finally will play their first home games of the 2020 season (with no spectators, but on television at Fox Sports Kansas City) against the Chicago White Sox. 7:05 p.m. July 31, 6:05 p.m. Aug. 1 and 1:05 p.m. Aug. 2. mlb.com/royals.
Here are three in-person activities to consider for the next week:
▪ The Screenland Armour Theatre will present evening showings of old movies, ranging from “A Nightmare on Elm Street” to a “Back to the Future”/“Raiders of the Lost Ark” double feature, on its indoor screens July 30-Aug. 3 for $10 per movie. The Armour also will have outdoor showings of “Twister” (9 p.m. July 31) and “Tremors” (9 p.m. Aug. 1); tickets are $20 for two guests and $40 for three to six. screenland.com/armour.
▪ Lakeside Speedway will put on one of its signature races, the Weld Memorial, on July 31. Gates open at 6 p.m., with hot laps at 7:15 p.m. and race to follow ($6-$25; pit passes $15-$35). lakesidespeedway.net.
▪ The Kansas City People’s Choice Awards will take place at 4 p.m. Aug. 2 at the Scottish Rite Temple. Masks required, and every other seat will remain empty. Tickets ($15-$40) at eventbrite.com. More information, facebook.com.
