The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival to Host A TRIBUTE TO GENE WILDER

The 27th annual Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival will have a special pre-Festival kick-off event on Tuesday, January 10 - A Tribute to Gene Wilder, which will include a dessert reception by Starz Bakery, a live Klezmer performance and a screening of the 1979 hit comedy The Frisco Kid, starring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford. This special tribute will be held at 6 pm at the Mandel JCC, 5221 Hood Road in Palm Beach Gardens.

Wilder made his film debut in 1967 with appearances in two major hits, Bonnie and Clyde and The Producers, followed by starring roles in memorable films such as Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971), Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask (1972), two more Mel Brooks mega-hits in 1974 (Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein) two classic comedies with Richard Pryor (Silver Streak in 1976 and Stir Crazy in 1980), and Hanky Panky in 1982, the first of three films he made with his late wife Gilda Radner. Other film roles include Start the Revolution Without Me (1970), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) and Another You (1991).

Wilder was born in Milwaukee in 1933, and passed away from complications of Alzheimer's disease last August. After Radner died from ovarian cancer in 1989, he co-founded Gilda's Club, a support group to raise awareness of the disease.

The cost to attend the Donald M. Ephraim's Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival's kick-off event, A Tribute to Gene Wilder, is only $30 per person for Actor Level Film Society members and $36 for guests; and complimentary for Star Arts Patron, Cinema Circle, and Director Level Film Society members. Tickets are available for purchase at 1-877-318-0071 or www.pbjff.org.

The 27th annual Film Festival begins January 19, 2017 at the Kravis Center of Performing Arts in the Cohen Pavilion. The Opening Night screening includes a private member reception and special cinematic guests for a post-film discussion.

The Festival continues 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.

Presented by the Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches, the Film Festival will close on February 12 with a matinee and awards presentation at Muvico at CityPlace in West Palm Beach.

To register for the mailing list or for more information about films and events, please visit www.pbjff.org. Opening Night tickets are $20 for Film Society members and $25 for nonmembers. For the rest of the Festival, film tickets range from $9 to $15 for Film Society members and $11 to $18 for nonmembers. They will be available for purchase in December through the website or by calling 877-318-0071.

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