The 24th Annual San Diego Jewish Film Festival, presented by the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS, will open February 6-16, 2014.  Sponsored by Leichtag Foundation. The San Diego Jewish Film Festival showcases over 60 of the best contemporary Jewish themed films from around the world celebrating life, human rights, and freedom of expression. 

On February 10^th, a day will be devoted to short films (THE JOYCE FORUM), which is a juried competitive program of short films.  During the day, Programs One and Two will be shown at the Arclight Cinemas at 1:00pm and 4:00pm.  Program Three (final two films and awards presentation), will be held at the David and Dorothea Garfield Theater (LFJCC), JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS at 7:30pm.  The awards will be presented immediately following the films by a film industry group of jury members.

The jury consists of the following:

Bruce Fessier, Jury Chairman, Entertainment/ Film Editor

Bruce Fessier has been an award-winning journalist and community leader for 40 years. A writer and editor for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. Fessier has reviewed and written columns about the Palm Springs International Film Festival since its inception in 1990.

Beth Fromm, Juror, The Desert Film Society

Beth Fromm has been the Executive Director of the Desert Film Society in Palm Springs since 2004. She has served as a jury member for the Palm Springs International Film Festival as well as the Shorts Showcase.

Alain J. Cohen, Juror, Professor of Film Studies

Alain J. Cohen is a Professor of Comparative Literature and Film Studies at the University of California, San Diego where he has spent his career. Dr. Cohen has written extensively about the films to highlight methods of film analysis, psychoanalytic approaches to cinema, the aesthetics of the filmic image, the rhetoric of violence and contemporary US cinema.

Rebecca Webb, Juror, ArtPower! Film Curator

Film curator Rebecca Webb has worn many hats in the world of film production and new media. In 2014, she is inaugurating the Filmatic Festival, a digitally diverse festival that aims to blur the line between audience and artist.

Awards are to be given in the following categories:

Best Short Film,

Best Director of a Short Film

Best New Emerging Filmmaker

Special Jury Award

Best Local (San Diego) Filmmaker

The Film Festival features an international roster of visiting guest artists, including actors, filmmakers and scholars who participate in panel discussions.

Speakers include:

1.       Dr. Alyssa Goldstein-Sepinwall, History Professor / CSUSM at the screening of FOR A WOMAN – 2/16 at 7:30pm - Clairemont

2.      Dr. Lawrence Baron, Professor Emeritus, SDSU at the screening of AFTERMATH – 2/11 at 7:45pm - Clairemont

3.      Dr. Moshe Naor, Visiting Israeli Professor (SDSU) at the screening of BEFORE THE REVOLUTION – 2/12 at 10:30am - Clairemont

4.      Lee Sterling, Director of the Sousa Mendes Foundation at the screening of DISOBEDIENCE:  THE SOUSA MENDES STORY – 2/16 at 1:00pm - Clairemont

5.      Yael Raz Lachyani, Youth Counselor from Kibbutz Nahal Oz at the screening of GATES TO THE NEGEV – 2/13 at 7:00pm  - Clairemont

6.      David Amos, Director of the Tiferth Israel Community Orchestra, for the screening of RETURN OF THE VIOLIN – 2/16 at 4:30pm - Clairemont

7.      Eliran Elya, Director of RAINBOW – 2/12 at 4:30pm - Clairemont

8.      Debbie Kronberg, Director of Israel Overseas Center Jewish Federation of San Diego for the screening of TAKE US HOME – 2/12 at 1:30pm - Clairemont

9.      Matthew Valji, The Bishop School, author of The History of the Holocaust” for the screening of THE THIRD HALF – 2/15 at 8:45pm - Clairemont

10.   Nuvi Mehta, The Voice of San Diego Symphony for the screening of WAGNER’S JEWS – 2/7 at 10:30am - LFJCC

11.   Marcella Maggio, Prevention Educator for the screening of BRAVE MISS WORLD – 2/11 at 6pm – Clairemont

12. Linor Abargil, former Miss Israel/Miss World will appear (via SKYPE) from Israel – 2/12 at 7:30 pm - Clairemont

Another highlight at this year’s Festival is THE CONGRESS, which blends live-action and psychedelic animation. Directed by Ari Folman.  Actors in the film appearing as live action as well as animation are 2014 Golden Globe winner Robin Wright, Jon Hamm, Paul Giamatti and Harvey Keitel. – 2/11 at 7:15pm- Clairemont

Panelists for THE CONGRESS:

1.       Dr. Sharon Wu, Professor of Film Animation

2.      Dr. Matt Sloan, International Film Programmer

3.      David Brin, Bestselling author of Science Fiction

4.      Beth Accomando, KPBS (San Diego)