Boston Jewish Film Festival

Boston Jewish Film Festival (BJFF)

Location	Boston, United States
Founded	1989
Language	International
Website	www.bjff.org

The Boston Jewish Film Festival (BJFF) is an annual film festival that screens the best contemporary films on Jewish themes from around the world. The festival presents features, shorts, documentaries, and conversations with visiting artists in order to explore the Jewish identity, the current Jewish experience and the richness of Jewish culture in relation to a diverse modern world.

History

Founded by filmmaker Michal Goldman in 1989, the Boston Jewish Film Festival has grown from 10 screenings to more than 60 throughout the Boston area (including Brookline, Newton, Somerville, and Cambridge venues (such as the Museum of Fine Arts and the Coolidge Corner Theatre). In the past 27 years, the Festival has presented more than 800 films - many of them US or Massachusetts premieres – and welcomed more than hundreds of thousands audience members. Many of the films that have been shown have gone on to be nominated for or win Academy Awards, including The Pianist (winner, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay, 2002), Nowhere in Africa (winner, Best Foreign Film, 2002), and The Personals (winner, Best Short-Subject Documentary, 1998). Visiting artists are brought in from around the world to introduce their films, answer audience questions, and participate in panel discussions. The Festival also offers many live events, from pre-screening music, to new scores to accompany silent films, to full-fledged post-screening concerts and dance performances.

Film submission criteria

The Annual Festival is a non-competitive event, although since 2002 it has offered audience members the opportunity to cast ballots for favorite Documentary and Feature film and, in 2006, Favorite Short Subject. It screens International and American independent films and videos that highlight the Jewish experience; deal with themes of Jewish culture/heritage/history; and films of particular interest to the Jewish community. The Festival also presents narrative, documentary, animated and experimental works. Projects must be completed in 35mm, 16mm, Beta or 1/2 inch. They can be of any length, but must not have previously been screened in the Boston area.

Year-round programs

The Boston Jewish Film Festival has also grown from presenting films once a year at the annual festival to a flourishing year-round arts organization, with programs and screenings taking place nearly every month. Since 1998, the Festival has presented more than 275 films and welcomed another 75,000+ audience members outside the November Festival.

Former events

Recognition

In 1999, the Boston Jewish Film Festival was named “Best Film Series” by the Boston Society of Film Critics.

In 2003, Artistic Director Kaj Wilson and Executive Director Sara Rubin were honored with Image Awards for Vision and Excellence by Women in Film & Video in New England.

In 2004, it hosted the 4th Conference of Jewish Film Festivals, welcoming Jewish Film Festival directors from around the globe to Boston.

In 2006, Executive Director Sara L. Rubin was recognized and honored for her career and her dedication to French culture by the French Minister of Culture by being introduced into France's Order of Arts and Letters, with the rank of Chevalier (Knight).

In 2007, departing Artistic Director Kaj Wilson was honored for her work by a commendation from the Boston Society of Film Critics.

Winners

External links

• Official website
• MVHC Summer Institute
• The Color of Film Collaborative
• Jewish Women's Archive
• Film Festivals . com - People