Buffalo Rising Online

May 31st 2007, 11:51am By Gabrielle Bouliane

So, we celebrated the Buffalo-Niagara Film Festival (BNFF), and the Buffalo International Film Festival (BIFF) is on the way -- but there's another Buffalo film festival that you may not have heard of -- The Buffalo International Jewish Film Festival. Sponsored by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo, the festival is one of the oldest of its kind in the nation, with co-chairs Ruth Goldman and Michael Silverman and the Film Festival Committee developing the content for this year’s Festival and adding to Buffalo’s rich pageant of artistic events.

Film takes a very special place in the heart of a culture, capturing stories in both visual and verbal form in a way that few other mediums can -- it preserves history, explores emotions, and illustrates the subtle dynamics of human relation on we don’t even know we’re experiencing. A film festival of this caliber and depth is, therefore, a real gift to the city and to every participant, opening doors to worlds we may never otherwise explore, all for the mere cost of a ticket.

The 22nd Annual Buffalo International Jewish Film Festival will take place from June 2nd through June 10th, and will be held at the Market Arcade Film and Arts Centre, the Dipson Amherst Theater, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The 2007 Festival brings us films from Israel, Uruguay, Canada, England, France, and the United States. The seven feature films, six documentaries and three short films range from the dramatic to the comic to the controversial, with almost all films having already won at least one distinguished award and many being multiple award winners. All have been carefully chosen to entertain, inform, and inspire. Opening night filmgoers will also enjoy entertainment by BUPKES, a new local klezmer troupe and a dessert reception provided by Catering By Karen.

The central theme of 2007 is the evolving Jewish family in its many variations across the globe. The offerings include stories of families told from many perspectives and with many voices – feature films evoke decades of history within a family, and cross-cultural love between competing falafel stands, modern women exploring sexual identity within an ancient faith, and a family torn by an interfaith marriage -- even the story of a teen activist’s effort to establish a gay-straight alliance at her Jewish high school. Also, each year the Festival offers films on the Holocaust and on the persistent problem of anti-Semitism. Three varying films will deal intelligently with the complexities of race and religion in a rapidly changing world. There will also be a fine selection of short films.

The festival culminates with the The Rape of Europa, a breathtaking chronicle depicting the systematic theft and deliberate destruction of many of Europe’s art treasures during the Third Reich and the Second World War – and the miraculous stories of the survival of certain works thanks to various young art professionals as well as ordinary heroes such as truck drivers and department store clerks who fought back with extraordinary effort to safeguard, rescue and return the millions of lost, hidden and stolen treasures.

With the generous help of many donors and sponsors, including the New York State Council on the Arts, the Jewish Film Festival is able to provide our community annually with the best in Jewish content film. Festival Guide brochures provide details about films, tickets, times, and locations and are available at both JCC locations as well as at many local businesses, religious and cultural organizations in the area. Please join one of Buffalo’s most mature Film Festivals for a week of entertainment and enlightenment.

Image from Entrusted.

June 2 – June 10, various times
Festival passes (good for all films) $85 - $7 for a single ticket. (various options available here.)
Buffalo International Jewish Film Festival
Films will be held at the Market Arcade Film and Theater Centre, the Amherst Theater, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Opening night tickets and special Festival Passes may be purchased in advance at either JCC location, 787 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo or 2640 North Forest Road in Getzville. Tickets for the closing event are also available at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery at 1285 Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo. For additional information, please call Sandy Saada at 688-4114 ext. 337 or email sandysaada@jccbuffalo.org, or visit the festival website.