Jewish Film Festivals

Film festivals are one of the most popular expressions of Jewish culture today, providing unparalleled opportunities for moviegoers to plumb every aspect of the Jewish psyche and experience. The first one made its debut in 1981, when the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, supported by the Judah L. Magnes Museum, the American Film Institute in Washington, DC and the UCLA Film Archives, invited audiences to view 10 independently produced “Jewish films” from around the world. Today, the Jewish film festival scene is vibrant and a genre unto itself. From São Paulo, Brazil, to Salt Lake City, Utah, more than 100 Jewish film festivals inform, entertain and provoke audiences in cities large and small. Herewith we present the first annual Moment Magazine Jewish Film Festival Guide, your 2009-10 calendar to selected events around the globe. We include Israeli film festivals, too. Enjoy!—Diana Cohen Altman

NORTH AMERICA
UNITED STATES:
NORTHEAST/MID-ATLANTIC
Maine Jewish Film Festival
Portland, ME
mjff.org
(207) 831-7495
Check website for dates

Hartford Jewish Film Festival
West Hartford, CT
hjff.org
(860) 236-4571
March 13-23, 2010

Berkshire Film Festival
Pittsfield, MA
knessetisrael.org/film_festival.php
(413) 445-4872, ext. 11
Check website for dates

Boston Jewish Film Festival
Boston (and suburbs), MA
bjff.org
(617) 244-9899
Nov. 4-15, 2009

Pioneer Valley Jewish Film
and Arts Festival
Agawam, Amherst, Chicopee, Longmeadow, Northampton, Springfield, South Hadley, West Springfield MA
pvjff.org
(413) 439-1984
March 10-24, 2010