The Charlotte Jewish Film Festival kicked off its 22nd year on Saturday, Jan. 24. The festival, open to the entire community, has 17 feature films lined up that celebrate and highlight Jewish culture.
Films are shown at several venues across Charlotte, such as the Independent Picture House and Temple Israel. Viewers can buy single-night tickets or opt in for an all-festival pass, which provides entrance to all the films shown.
The scope of the festival has nearly tripled in recent years. Six films were shown over a span of ten days in its first year. This year’s 18 total films span all genres, and the festival creates an experience anyone can enjoy regardless of their cinematic preferences.
Standout selections
The film selection process for the Charlotte Jewish Film Festival takes over six months. Production quality, genre variety and compelling storylines are all important factors in creating the full schedule.
Jeff Turk, the film selection committee chair, has been working with the festival for 15 years. “Every film is great,” Turk says, but there are a few he believes will be standouts with the crowd.
He encourages the community to spend time with the films and learn. “I like to learn about other cultures, other religions, it makes me a more enlightened person,” Turk mentioned, “anybody that comes to the Charlotte Jewish Film Festival will leave being enlightened.
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, “Labors of Love,” an inspiring documentary about Henrietta Szold, will be shown in the Sam Lerner Center for Cultural Arts at Foundation of Shalom Park. The film, directed by Peabody award-winner Abby Ginzberg, explores Szold’s prolific life as a member of the Jewish community.
Prior to the film, Szold’s contributions have often gone underrecognized, but she is considered one of the most influential American Jewish women in history, founding Hadassah in 1912 and spearheading Youth Aliyah, an operation that rescued 11,000 Jewish children from Nazi Europe. Ginzberg will join the festival on Wednesday to discuss the film during a Q&A after the screening.
The next highlight is director Barry Avrich’s “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue.” The film won the audience choice award at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and was called “the most talked-about documentary of the year,” by The Globe and Mail. The documentary depicts the drama of a grandfather and retired Israeli general rescuing his family from Hamas terrorists invading their home during the Oct. 7 attack in Israel. The film will be shown on Sunday, Feb. 15, in the Sam Lerner Center for Cultural Arts and will be followed by a Q&A with Avrich.
Turk predicts this year’s closing night film will be one of this festival’s biggest crowd pleasers with a bar mitzvah-themed party following the screening of the coming-of-age comedy film “Ethan Bloom.” The film, by director Herschel Faber, follows a young Ethan, played by Hank Greenspan (“The Neighborhood”), who finds solace in the Catholic church after the passing of his mother. The comedy tells the story of embracing who we are to our core, even when it might not be the most beautiful. The cast also includes Joshua Malina (“The West Wing,” “Scandal”) and Rachelle Lefevre (“The Twilight Saga”). “Ethan Bloom” and the festival’s closing party will be at Temple Beth El on Feb. 22, starting at 7:30 p.m. Individual tickets are $25.
“Any film could be somebody’s favorite,” Turk points out, “I hope the audience takes away pride in the festival, in the community and Jewish people and their experiences.”
Winter Storm Fern brought some changes to this year’s festival. One film, “Sweishkay: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm,” had to be cancelled and some screenings were postponed. The screening of “Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire” has been postponed until Feb. 5, “Charles Grodin: Rebel With a Cause” is now scheduled for Feb. 12, and the screening of “Mazel Tov,” directed by Adrián Suar, is now scheduled for Feb. 19, all at the Sam Lerner Center for Cultural Arts.
For a full list of this year’s films and to stay up to date on any additional weather cancellations or changes, visit charlottejcc.org/charlotte-jewish-film-festival/.
As the festival looks to grow each year with more films and more attendees, Turk hopes to keep adding selections from each genre that resonate with diverse audiences and make the experience memorable for everyone.
Queens University News Service stories are prepared by students in the James L. Knight School of Communication with supervision and editing from faculty and staff. The James L. Knight School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte provides the news service in support of local community news.