Mazle tof! When I was a freshman at Northeastern, I took a Jewish film class, which has to this day remained one the best classes I have ever taken. I love the Jewish culture and traditions, a trait I received from my ex boyfriend, friend and half Jewish pal, Mike. From going to passover dinners to Bar Mitvahs and the lighting of the Hannukah candles, I have come to respect and aspire to be like this culture.
While I was walking around Coolidge Corner in Brookline the other day, I noticed that the 19th annual Boston Jewish Film Festival will begin next Thursday, November 1 and will run until November 11. Again, another film festival I was not aware of until now. Seeing all those Woody Allen and Sidney Lumet movies in my Jewish Film class makes me want to attend this event.
The event started by filmmaker Michael Goldman in 1989 and has remained non competitive, although viewers may cast a vote for their favorite piece, or documentary but no awards are actually given out. The festival began small, with about ten screenings. Today, there are about forty screenings throughout the ten day event.
According to the festival's website:
"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"
In recent years, the festival has premiered many award winning features such as The Pianist, starring Oscar winning actor Adrian Brody, Nowhere in Africa and The Personals. There will be screening at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, The Museum of Fine Arts Theater and the Institute of Contemporary Art.
The festival kicks off on November 1 at the Museum of Fine Arts, which will showcase the film Aviva My Love, about a young writer from Tiberias, who spends her time as a mother and an ear for everyone else's problems. The film was made in Israel in 2006. According to the site:
"Shemi Zarhin, the writer/director of Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi, has crafted an
irresistibly warm and richly textured tale about one woman’s struggle to
recognize her talent and follow her dream"
Some other titles include, My Mexican Shivah, Orthodox Stance, Two Eyes and a Mouth and Mirrors. These films come from all over the world, including both Germany and France. Many features are documentaries, while others are shorts. Most, however are full length feature films. Some of the films have more than one night of showings, so click here to see the full schedule.
After studying Annie Hall, Crimes & Misdemeanors and Next Stop: Greenwich Village, all films that have underlying Jewish stereotypes such as overly protective and pushy mothers and cheapskate characters, I will be excited to see such films that not everyone else knows about from not as prominent Jewish filmmakers and directors.
