The 2021 New York Jewish Film Festival, co-produced by the Jewish Museum and Film at Lincoln Center presents scenes of Jewish life around the world, virtually this year at filmlinc.org from January 13-26, 2021. $12. All-Access $125
2021 New York Jewish Film Festival
This is New York City’s first film festival of the year. Jewish people live everywhere in the world, so this festival brings a variety of international perspectives to New York.
The opening night movie is “Here We Are” 🇮🇱 🇮🇹 by Nir Bergman. It tells a story of love through a divorce dad’s road trip with his autistic son.
The centerpiece film is “Winter Journey” by Anders Østergaard and Erzsébet Rácz. It tells the story of classical radio host Martin Goldsmith, based on his book “The Inextinguishable Symphony: A True Story of Music and Love.”
The closing night movie is “Irmi” by Susan Fanshel and Veronica Selver (Irmi’s daughter). It’s the true story of Irmi Selver who had a rich and wonderful life after surviving the tragedy of escaping Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she chose to live, and live brilliantly.
The Jewish – African Relationship
In this moment of racial reckoning in our country, the festival presents “Shared Legacies: The African American – Jewish Civil Rights Alliance” by Dr. Shari Rogers. It’s presented in a collaboration with the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, the Jewish community center on the Upper West Side.
New York City’s Jewish community generally stands with New York’s Latin and Black communities. We are not sure why this is so, but it may be our shared experience of enslavement, the Jewish sense of objective justice, and the fact that we grew up together in the same neighborhoods.
Whatever the reason, we are grateful and invite our children to respect and protect each other. Together we can do great things.
On Broadway
“On Broadway” by Oren Jacoby is a star-studded tribute to New York theatre. Broadway theatre blends Jewish, African and European theatre traditions into one of the pinnacles of world theatre.
The Producers
This year’s festival is curated by:
- Rachel Chanoff, director THE OFFICE performing arts + film
- Lisa Collins, filmmaker
- Aviva Weintraub, director New York Jewish Film Festival, the Jewish Museum
- Dennis Lim, director of programming at Film at Lincoln Center
- Indigo Sparks, performance artist and administrator
The humanity expressed in these films is universal. You don’t have to be Jewish to relate.