The Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival (also known as the Gershman Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival (GPJFF))
is an annual
film festival in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States that presents movies and film-related programs about the Jewish experience, culture, values, and legacy.
Organization
The Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival is organized and hosted by the Gershman Y, an arts and culture
nonprofit organization that has its roots in the Philadelphia Young Men's Hebrew Association that was established in 1875, and offers cultural and artistic events. In November 2018 the Gershman Y switched its focus to center exclusively on film.
Olivia Antsis is the executive artistic director of the festival, as of 2018.
Kristen Evans is the executive managing director of the organization.
History
The Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival was founded and co-directed by Archie Perlmutter in 1981. It is the second-oldest Jewish-specific film festival in the United States, after the
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.
Among other notable winners, ''
Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel'' won the Best Documentary Audience Award at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival CineMondays 2018, ''
A Bag of Marbles
''A Bag of Marbles'' (french: Un sac de billes) is a Second World War autobiographical novel by the French Jewish author Joseph Joffo. It tells the story of his flight, as a small boy, with his brother Maurice to escape from Nazi occupied France ...
'' won the Best Narrative Audience Award at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival 37, ''
My Hero Brother ''My Hero Brother'' is a 2016 documentary film directed by the Israeli filmmaker Yonatan Nir. The film tells the story of a group of young people with Down syndrome who embark on a demanding trek through the Indian Himalayas, accompanied by their b ...
'' won the Best Documentary Audience Award at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival 37, ''
Fanny's Journey
''Fanny's Journey'' (original title: ''Le Voyage de Fanny'') is a 2016 French-Belgian children's war drama film co-written and directed by Lola Doillon. The film is inspired by the autobiographical memoir ''Le journal de Fanny'' by Fanny Ben-Ami ...
'' won the Best Narrative Audience Award at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival CineMondays 2017, ''
The Origin of Violence'' won the Best Narrative Audience Award at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival 36, and ''
The People vs. Fritz Bauer
''The People vs. Fritz Bauer'' (german: Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer) is a 2015 German biographical drama film directed by Lars Kraume, chronicling the German Jewish prosecutor Fritz Bauer's post-war capture of former Holocaust planner Adolf Eic ...
'' won the Best Documentary Audience Award at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival CineMondays 2016.
In November 2018 the festival had its 38th annual season.
The festival took place over 19 days, showing 39 films from 12 countries in 11 theaters.
References
External links
Official website
{{Jewish film festivals
Film festivals in Philadelphia
Jewish film festivals in the United States
Jews and Judaism in Philadelphia