Fioretta

Southeast US Premiere

History-obsessed Randy Schoenberg (memorably portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in the MJFF film Woman in Gold) brings his reluctant teenage son Joey along for the journey of a lifetime, crisscrossing between Prague, Vienna, and Venice to reclaim 500 years of their family’s Jewish story. Along the way, they encounter kings, mystics, and a false messiah — as well as numerous ordinary and extraordinary people who witnessed Europe's tumultuous past — ultimately forever changing the relationship between father and son.

The grandson of the Austrian-American classical composer Arnold Schoenberg, Randy is renowned for recovering Nazi-looted art, but his greatest achievement might just be reuniting the fractured and scattered shards of his own family. Filmed on-location across Europe, Fioretta is a meditative and intensely visual exploration that reveals what history hides. In the age of the Internet and the ease of living vicariously and virtually, this fascinating film directed by Matthew Mishory (also at the Festival with Who Are the Marcuses?) celebrates real-life experience, including the unearthing of ancient texts, walking through centuries-old burial sites, and enjoying meals with venerable relatives.

The special premiere event will feature a live performance by the Amernet String Quartet, as well as feature the attendance of producer & film subject Randy Schoenberg, who will introduce the film and participate in a Q&A afterward.