There are discount movie nights. And then there’s free. And this year the Toronto Jewish Film Festival is opening its doors  - free of charge – to a number of screenings, as well as stimulating talks.

Highlights include:

A “Sensory Friendly” screening of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, starring Donny Osmond, will offer families and children affected by autism a chance to see a movie on the big screen together—often for the very first time. Taking place Saturday May 12 at noon at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, this screening will provide a safe and welcome setting. The theatre will have the lights turned up and the sound turned down, and we invite audience members to get up, dance in the aisles and sing along!

Five minutes prior to any screening at the Festival, students with valid ID will be admitted for free from the Rush Line. Subject to availability.

Saturday May 5th, beginning at 12pm, at Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave (at the corner of St. George)

It’s Party time as TJFF celebrates its new venue with music, food, advance ticket sales and the following FREE events:

1pm: Film critic and author Kevin Courrier presents a talk, illustrated with film clips, entitled “Notes and Frames: The Neglected Art of Film Music”. This special talk traces the history of the great Jewish film composers—from the silent era to the present day. Kevin will explore whether or not a good score can save a bad picture and the impact of pop music on films.

3pm: Joshua Waletzky’s Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann is an Academy Award®-nominated portrait of one of the most influential film composers of all times. The legendary Herrmann wrote the music for more than 50 films—from Citizen Kane to Taxi Driver. A master at creating dramatic tension, Herrmann is best known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock. The documentary will be followed with an excerpt of an interview with composer Danny Elfman and director Tim Burton.

Additional Free Programs at TJFF 2012 include:

Sunday May 6 at 12pm at Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina Ave. 
The Oscar-nominated Joshua Waletzky has directed another excellent documentary on soundtrack magic, Music for the Movies: The Hollywood Sound. Movie music from the Golden Age of Hollywood was virtually invented by Jewish exiles from Nazi Germany, Europe and Russia. This entertaining documentary incorporates a wealth of film clips, and showcases such legendary composers as Max Steiner, Erich Korngold, Franz Waxman and Dimitri Tiomkin.  The documentary will be followed with excerpts from exclusive TVO interviews with  composers David and Thomas Newman.

Saturday May 12 at 2:30pm at  Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, 506 Bloor St. W.
Leonard Cohen (spotlighted in last year’s TJFF sidebar series, The Three Lennys) is the recipient of  the Ninth Laureate of the  Glenn Gould Prize, to be presented in Toronto on May 14.  In honour of Cohen, the Festival presents a special programme, consisting of three films:  I’m Your Man, I Am A Hotel, and Ladies and Gentlemen…Mr. Leonard Cohen.  Co-presented with the Glenn Gould Foundation.

Saturday May 12 at 4pm at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, 506 Bloor St W. 
A must-see doc about one of the legends of film scoring, Fred Karlin’s Film Music Masters: Jerry Goldsmith is an illuminating homage to the musical genius of the Oscar-winning film and television composer Goldsmith (Chinatown, Star Trek, Twilight Zone). The film (not available anywhere else) includes a wealth of film clips, as well as rare interviews with Goldsmith and colleagues.  The documentary will be introduced by film music journalist Mark Hasan.

Saturday May 12 at 7pm at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, 506 Bloor St W. 
Rodney Greenberg’s Movie Music Man: A Portrait of Lalo Schifrin is an enjoyable concert film featuring award-winning Argentinian-born composer/conductor Lalo Schifrin and guest jazz artists, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown and Grady Tate. The film incorporates clips from Schifrin’s celebrated film scores (Mission Impossible, Bullitt, Cool Hand Luke). The programme also includes an excerpt from an exclusive TVO  interview with composer Laurence Rosenthal (Beckett, The Miracle Worker).

Sunday May 13 at 11am at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, 506 Bloor St W. 
Film scholar Eric Goldman delivers a lecture with film clips entitled “The New Yiddish Cinema: Renaissance or Curiosity?” Filmmakers in France, Israel and the United States have recently turned to Yiddish as the central language of their films. Why is there renewed interest in what was thought to be the dying language of the diaspora, and who are the auteurs of the new era of Yiddish filmmaking?

All free events require tickets, which must be ordered in person at the TJFF box office. Tickets are subject to availability. One ticket per person/ per free event.

The Festival now screens in six venues: the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor St. W. at Bathurst St.) the Al Green Theatre (750 Spadina Ave), the Cineplex Odeon Sheppard Cinemas (4861 Yonge St. at Sheppard Ave.), the Toronto Underground Cinema (186 Spadina Ave.) Innis Town Hall (2 Sussex Ave) and the Cineplex Odeon Varsity and VIP Cinemas (55 Bloor St W.)

PRICES (HST included)

Single Tickets: $13
Opening Night: $20
Closing Night $18
Senior/Student Tickets: $9 (ID required)
Weekday Matinees: $8 (Monday–Friday before 5 pm)
Free Student Admission: Subject to availability. Five minutes prior to each screening, students with ID will be admitted for free from a Rush Line.

Free Screenings: All free events require tickets and must be ordered in person at a TJFF box office. Tickets are subject to availability. One ticket per person/ per free event.
Opening Night – Advance purchase at tjff.com,
cash only at door (subject to availability)