By Jeanine Budd
The Boston Jewish Film Festival (BJFF) will deliver a mix of romantic, comedic and educational films to Boston through Nov. 15.
During the festival, 40 different films are being shown at eight different venues from the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) to the AMC in Framingham and the Hollywood Hits Premier Theater in Danvers.
The BJFF is New England’s largest Jewish cultural event. Last year, 12,500 people attended and it is expected to reach at least that many this year, said Sara Rubin, BJFF executive director.
“This year, we have a very focused festival that’s centered on Israeli films,” Rubin said. “We’re featuring Israeli films that have won awards, such as ‘Beaufort’ and ‘Jellyfish.'”
“Beaufort” won the Silver Bear Award for Best Director at the 2007 Berlinale International Film Festival and is about Israeli Defense Force soldiers who have to guard Beaufort Castle as Israel prepares to withdraw from Southern Lebanon in 2000.
“Jellyfish” is about the lives of three Tel Aviv women who the BJFF website calls “poignant, often witty and exceedingly dramatic.” It won the Camera d’Or award for Best First Feature at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival in France.
“The impact of the first Israeli film to explore the painful subject of Israel’s 18-year war with Lebanon is devastating,” according to the BJFF website.
Four films will be screened at three venues tonight. “The Cemetery Club” and “Saved by Deportation: the Unknown Odyssey of Polish Jews,” will be screened at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. respectively. At 7 p.m., “My Mexican Shiva” will be screened at the Hollywood Hits Premier Theater in Danvers.
Also at 7 p.m., “Three Mothers” will be playing at Showcase Cinemas in Randolph.
The festival features the work of film artists from 12 different countries. It includes three world premieres, three North American premieres, one United States premiere and 14 New England premieres.
“We have more local films than ever before this year, but unfortunately, they’ve all sold out,” Rubin said.
Local films being screened include, “The Powder and the Glory” by Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman Nov. 4 at the MFA and Nov. 7 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre; “Matzo and Mistletoe” by Kate Feiffer Nov. 8 at Coolidge Corner; and “Orthodox Stance” by Jason Hutt, a Harvard Graduate, and “Making Trouble” by Rachel Talbot Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 at Coolidge Corner.
“I am very, very excited to have these films here,” said Branka Bodanov, Director of Film and Video at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). “We’re screening four films, and we’re expecting all of them to be sold out.”
The ICA is hosting four BJFF films and has expanded its theatre from 100 to 325 seats after its move to Northern Avenue.
“We want to attract a diverse Boston audience to the ICA,” Bodanov said. “This year we have a whole range of different films and documentaries for this festival.”
Bodanov said students should enjoy the new ICA building, which she described as “mesmerizing.”
Tickets cost $10 for general admission, and $9 for students. For $25, a three-film pass, called a ReelPass, can be used for any BJFF film and also for one film during the festival’s spring Encore series.
For more information about the films, visit the BJFF’s website: www.bjff.org.
