The city that’s so good they named it twice has always been good to me. Living in New York in the early 2000s served up such memorable moments as post-show drinks at a table for six with Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, dinner at Sardi’s with Jackie Mason and getting stuck in an elevator with George Clooney (and others) at the then newly-opened Soho House.
When the smoking ban was enforced in bars and restaurants by Mayor Bloomberg in 2002, I shared my Marlboro Lights with the late great actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman on the terrace at Tavern on the Green. A few nights later an invitation to a cabaret performed by Broadway understudies had me seated between Alan Rickman and High Society star Celeste Holm. Did I have to pinch myself? Yes, every time, but not as hard as I did last Wednesday evening as I walked towards the Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for the NY Jewish Film Festival gala screening of Midas Man – the film I wrote about Beatles manager, Brian Epstein.
When Midas Man premiered in Liverpool in October last year I was really nervous. With a roster of guests that included Freda Kelly of The Beatles fan club (also Brian Epstein’s secretary),surviving members of The Quarry Men (John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison’s first band) and The Royle Family’s Ricky Tomlinson, it felt like judgement day. To be honest I have cried at the end of every screening because the story of Epstein’s prodigious life is so tragic, but the tears gave me an excuse to duck down in my seat as the final credits rolled.
Jacob Fortune-Lloyd at the Liverpool launch of Midas Man
The hearty applause and even a few cheers was my cue to look up. Liverpool’s royalty had given their verdict and the compliments I received were enough to convince me that when the entire audience arrived at the after-party it wasn’t just for the drinks.
There is a moment in Midas Man when Brian Epstein (portrayed exquisitely by Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) leaves The Beatles playing on stage at the Royal Variety Performance at The Palladium and exits through a stage door only to reappear in New York.
It’s a thrilling moment and one I felt I was replicating when I walked into the gala reception at the Lincoln Center and saw a framed poster and programmes emblazoned with Midas Man. For the record I took five programmes and my only wish is that I could give one to my late mother Carole to whom the film is dedicated.
But back to the gala where, unusually for a Jewish event, there were no familiar faces, though the attendees, most of whom were wrapped up because of the -5 temperature outdoors, were very welcoming.
Director Joe Stephenson, producer Jeremy Chatterton and writer Brigit Grant
Invited to pose for photos with the film’s director Joe Stephenson and one of the producers, Jeremy Chatterton (I tried to remember the most flattering stance), I noted the bar was heaving, but like all Jewish dos it was busier by the food- laden buffet table and the simcha-style spread would definitely have pleased the film’s Jewish hero, not to mention his mother Queenie.
The NY Jewish Film Festival is among the oldest and most influential Jewish film festivals in the world and its success is due to the relentless work of its Associate curator and Director Aviva Weintraub, who also runs the Jewish Museum. My introduction to Aviva came through Los Angeles-based film distributor Neil Friedman of Menemsha Films, who is dedicated to finding Jewish themed productions of global appeal which lead to him launching the streaming platform Chaiflicks.com so that no one misses them.
Director Joe Stephenson, Brigit and Aviva Weintraub, director of the New York Jewish Film Festival
If a Jewish film exists Neil will find it and thankfully he loves Midas Man, but as a result of spending four days in his company I now have an epic list of Jewish content to catch up on, including Ravit Markus’ Nina is an Athlete, a documentary about an Israeli female Paralympian badminton player.
Ravit’s documentary was shown at the NY Film Festival and there were so many excellent films, it was unbelievable and humbling that Midas Man was chosen to open the week-long event. But it didn’t end there. After the film Aviva invited Joe Stephenson and I to join her on stage at the Walter Reade Theater (American spelling) for a Q&A in front of a 300+ audience.
A smiling 300+ audience I should add, many of whom clambered to speak to us after Aviva ended the chat. I believe it was in New York that Andy Warhol first said: “In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” Evidently the quote was misattributed to the artist, but for the purposes of this story I’m sticking with it because I felt every one of those 15 minutes last Wednesday night and again on Thursday when there was a matinee followed by an evening screening of the film.
With my daytimes free of the much-enjoyed attention, I wandered anonymously around NYC, stopping only for matzah ball soup at the historic deli Barney Greengrass and then walked across Central Park to East 70th Street to post a note through the letter box of my hero. The lights were on at Woody Allen’s house but I didn’t knock, though clocked the mezuzah on the front door.
While researching Brian Epstein I discovered how much he loved New York. He believed it was good to him and to The Beatles. That makes six of us.
Midas Man is available to watch on Amazon Prime or if you are reading in America click here to purchase and share.
.
