History/MissionOur Mission
The Boston Jewish Film Festival presents the best contemporary films
from around the world on Jewish themes at its annual Festival and
throughout the year. Through features, shorts, documentaries, and
conversations with visiting artists, the Festival explores 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 40 at our Boston and
Brookline venues – the Museum of Fine Arts and the Coolidge Corner
Theatre – and additional screenings throughout the Greater Boston area.
In the past 18 years the Festival has presented nearly 600 films – many
of them US or Massachusetts premieres – and welcomed more than 150,000
audience members. Many of the films we have shown have gone on to be
nominated for or win Academy Awards, including The Pianist (winner,
Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2002), Nowhere in
Africa (winner, Best Foreign Film, 2002), and The Personals (winner,
Best Short-Subject Documentary, 1998). We bring visiting artists from
around the world to introduce their films, answer audience questions,
and participate in panel discussions. We also offer many live events,
from pre-screening music, to new scores to accompany silent films, to
full-fledged post-screening concerts and dance performances.
In 2007, departing Artistic Director Kaj Wilson was honored for her
work by a commendation from the Boston Society of Film Critics.
In 2009, the Festival received the “Cat’s Meow” award from the
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. The award noted that The
Boston Jewish Film Festival is “not just a great Boston film event,
it’s a great champion and friend to all Boston things film related, and
we think it’s the cat’s meow.”
Selection criteria for the annual fall Festival
The annual Festival is a non-competitive event, although since 2002
we have offered audience members the opportunity to cast ballots for
favorite Documentary and Feature film and, in 2006, favorite Short
Subject. We screen international and American independent films and
videos that highlight the Jewish experience; deal with themes of Jewish
culture/heritage/history; or are of particular interest to the Jewish
community. The Festival 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. We ask that films have not
previously screened in the Boston area; in this way, we bring important
work to Boston that might not ordinarily be seen here.
Year-round programs
The Boston Jewish Film Festival, Inc. has also grown from presenting
films once a year at the annual festival to being a flourishing
year-round arts organization, with programs and screenings taking place
nearly every month. Since 1998, we have presented more than 250 films
and welcomed another 71,000+ audience members outside the November
Festival.
