In association with over 200 synagogues and Jewish film festivals across North America, the first annual Hanukkah Film Festival will be held beginning November 28th and continuing for a total of eight nights. This important event brings together the potential of every community no matter how big or how small to celebrate the Festival of Lights together.
8 days and 11 films featuring both World and US premieres all for one Gold Pass of 36 dollars. Subscribers can share this holiday experience with their family.
This is a holiday of shared joy and celebration, remembering who we are, where we have been and especially what our values are. The additional purpose is to keep the benefit within each sponsoring community. Half of the total revenue is shared with each of the participating festivals and synagogues . Cantor Paula Baruch of Temple Anshe Sholom (Hamilton, Ontario), a sponsoring member of the festival, highlights the benefits to each community as follows:
“What a fabulous program you have put together. It’s a great concept and so needed by the many smaller congregations who cannot afford to run film festivals in the traditional way. You’ve made it affordable and fun and accessible. You have partnered with us in the most life giving way. I hope this becomes a yearly event.”
Highlights include:
- Opening night: The World Premiere of the animated Hanukkah short “The Broken Candle”.
- Also featured are 2 premieres of stories illustrating the unique diversity of our origins, histories where you least expected it, from the Inquisition (“Xueta Island”) to a story of Pancho Villa (“UnRaveling”).,
- Closing night premieres the most awarded family drama and winner of 4 Israeli Academy Awards, as well as the most popular Audience Award winner of the season, the film “Here We Are”.
Where to watch: https://austinjff.org/events/hanukkah/
Complete Schedule:
Night 1 – November 28th, 2021:
The Broken Candle (short film)
UnRaveling (short film)
Xueta Island (feature documentary)
– Includes discussion with Producer / Narrator / Protagonist Dani Rotstein
Night 2 (November 29th, 2021)
Kiss Me Kosher (feature film)
– Includes discussion with director Shirel Peleg, producer Christine Guenther, and stars Moran Rosenblatt, Luise Wolfram, Rivka Michaeli and John Carroll Lynch
Night 3 (November 30th, 2021):
The Tattooed Torah (short film)
– Includes discussion with star Ed Asner, director Marc Bennett, producers Melinda Goldrich and Stephen Smith of USC Shoah Foundation
Mish Mish (feature documentary)
– Includes discussion with director Tal Michael and more
Night 4 (December 1st, 2021):
Latter Day Jew (feature documentary)
Night 5 (December 2nd, 2021):
Leona (feature film)
– Includes discussion with director Isaac Cherem and star/co-writer Naian González Norvind
Night 6 (December 3rd, 2021):
The Crossing (feature film)
– Includes discussion with director Johanne Helgeland
Night 7 (December 4th, 2021):
A Starry Sky Above the Roman Ghetto (feature film)
– Includes discussion (special guests TBA)
Night 8 (December 5th, 2021):
Here We Are (feature film)
– Includes discussion with director Nir Bergman
