Enriching Lives Through Film
by Jane Gomez
Moviegoers in Greater MetroWest are privileged to have access to a wide variety of Jewish films from around the world. Our Federation sponsors film festivals that bring entertaining, enlightening, and thought-provoking movies to our community. Did you know that, without the dedication of many women who are also active in Women’s Philanthropy, these films might not make it to our local screens? Let’s go behind the scenes (so to speak!) to see how and why Women’s Philanthropy supports these efforts.
In addition to offering many opportunities for individuals to experiment with artistic creation and expression, Women’s Philanthropy also places a high priority on celebrating the arts as a community. Throughout the year and in various locales, Women’s Philanthropy co-sponsors a wide variety of film festivals and movie events that promote the Jewish experience. Designed to educate, entertain, and provoke discussion of Jewish issues, the various festivals bring internationally recognized films to our doorsteps.
The NJ Jewish Film Festival is taking place now and continues through April 2 at the JCC MetroWest in West Orange. This series presents a cornucopia of more than 20 films, shown day and night, about topics ranging from religion to politics to the human experience to comedy. Film Festival Committee co-chair Joni Cohen, who also serves on the Women’s Philanthropy Board, explains that the intent of the festival is to show the breadth and depth of the Jewish experience throughout the world. “Our purpose,” Joni says, “is to engage our community in the issues of the day.” To that end, the Film Festival Committee reviews hundreds of films throughout the year and strives to present a wide variety that relates to anything Jewish – films that not only promote Jewish life, but also showcase Jewish and Israeli producers and authors. Joni notes that “each year it gets harder to narrow the choices of films, as they keep getting better!”
Women’s Philanthropy is also a sponsor of the twice-yearly Jewish Film Festival presented by the JCC of Central NJ. In spring and fall, films are presented once a week over a span of several weeks at the Rialto Theatre in Westfield to audiences of about 250 people per film. It just so happens that the committee that selects all the films is co-chaired by two members of the Women’s Philanthropy Board, Elyse Deutsch and Marcy Lazar. (Many others on the committee are also involved with Women’s Philanthropy, including Board Members Phyllis Bernstein, Erica Needle, and Janice Weinberg.)
Co-chair Marcy Lazar describes the selection of films as a 40-week process, during which the committee meets every Monday to view movies from start to finish. The group likes to include Jewish-themed films from all genres, and tries hard to incorporate at least one light comedy. She notes that the film festival is a place where people come to catch up with old friends and to maintain exposure to what is happening in the greater Jewish world. Even the venue – the Rialto is a historic movie house in the center of town – helps draw people from near and far. Patrons can linger in the lobby before and after to discuss the show. Says Marcy, “We are not just showing films; we are helping to build community.”
This building of community is especially apparent with the events that surround film presentations in our area. At the JCC MetroWest in West Orange, opening and closing days of the film festival are accompanied by dessert receptions to give moviegoers a chance to connect and converse with one another. In Westfield, Women’s Philanthropy held “Light Bites on Movie Night” during the fall film festival. Hosted by Wendy Rosenberg, an art teacher and Women’s Philanthropy Board member who lives close to the Rialto Theatre, the gathering gave old and new friends a chance to socialize. After sharing supper and movie candy, the group of 20 or so made the short trip down the block together for the German film To Life!, about the modern-day bond between a Polish-born cabaret singer who survived the Holocaust and a young German man.
This spring’s festival at the Rialto begins on April 19; Women’s Philanthropy is sponsoring the May 16 showing of the detective thriller A Grain of Truth, about a maverick prosecutor in Warsaw, Poland who has to investigate a string of killings related to the country’s anti-Semitic past.
In November, Women’s Philanthropy sponsored one of the Dinner & a Movie evenings at the YM-YWHA of Union County. We promoted and supported the showing of the Academy Award-winning Son of Saul, the true story of a group of Jewish prisoners forced to assist the Nazis in carrying out an impossible task in 1944 at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Why not join us for our next Dinner & a Movie at the Y on April 26? We will be sharing a meal and watching Remember, about an Auschwitz survivor who discovers that the Nazi guard who murdered his family some 70 years ago is living as an American under an assumed identity.
The various film festivals throughout the Greater MetroWest community are true celebrations of Jewish culture, creativity, and contributions to the rich tapestry of the cinematic arts.
For more information on the NJ Jewish Film Festival in West Orange, visit http://jccmetrowest.org/njjff/. For the Jewish Film Festival in Westfield, visit http://www.jccnj.org or call (908) 889-8800. For the festival at the Y, visit http://www.uniony.org/about/jewish-film-series/ or call (908) 289-8112.