This month, the twelfth annual Boston Jewish Film Festival will take the city by storm. The festival, which opened yesterday, runs until Sunday, November 12th. During the course of the event, 48 films from 15 different countries will be shown, each in its native language with English subtitles. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) will host seven of these films from Nov. 2nd to Friday, Nov. 10th.
Last night, the MFA had the pleasure of hosting the first night of films, as well as the opening night reception. Among the highlights of the evening was the screening of Borders, a film documenting the story of a family torn apart by the borders of Israel, the Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, and the screening of All My Loved Ones, the story of a Czech doctor and his family during the beginnings of the Nazi invasions of World War II. A discussion session with the director Matej Minac and a screening of the animated short Almonds and Wine were also on the schedule.
The Boston Jewish Film Festival was founded in 1989 by filmmaker Michael Goldman, and has enjoyed great success since its inception. In its first year, ten films were screened during the festival. Every year since then, that number has gradually risen as the festival has gained popularity.
The films being screened at the festival all deal with themes central to the Jewish community: Jewish heritage, history, and culture. They range from narrative documentaries to animated shorts, and most of the films are making their premieres in Boston.
Films previously screened in the festival have won a multitude of accolades and awards. The Long Way Home, a film from the 1997 Festival, won the Academy Award for best feature-length documentary. The festival itself has won a fair share of awards as well; last year, the Boston Society of Film Critics named it one of the best festivals in the city.
Before a film screening at one of the festival's six locations, the audience receives a program book containing essays written by various authors worldwide. This five-year tradition has become one of the most unique aspects of the Boston Jewish Film Festival, as the essays and films directly relate to one another. Occasionally, the filmmaker will be present to introduce their film, and will respond to questions and comments from the audience following the screening.
Tickets to individual screenings at area theaters are priced $9; students receive a one-dollar discount. The MFA will offer a special ticket price for the festive closing night: $20 for general admission, with students receiving a three-dollar discount. Filmgoers can catch the flicks in a variety of locations such as the MFA, the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, the Harvard Film Archive in Cambridge, the Hollywood Hits Theatre in Danvers, Hoyts Cinema Eight in Sharon, and National Amusements' Showcase Cinemas in Randolph.
For a complete list of films to be screened, their locations, as well as any other information on the Boston Jewish Film Festival, browse the organization's website at www.bjff.org. To learn more about the specific films to be shown at the Museum of Fine Arts, see their site at www.mfa.org/film.
