I’ve always wondered why there is no English equivalent of the phrase embarras de choix. The invasion of TV streaming platforms into our homes has created a peculiarly modern malaise: With so much content, it’s easy to feel that there is already far too much available, and that it’ll always be there at the touch of a button. The reality is, however, that the vast majority of films reflecting Jewish and Israeli life and experience will never make it onto your commercial home streaming platform. You won’t find the beautifully poignant, warm, funny, French-Jewish family saga that is Rose on any of your home platforms. Nor the little-known, true story of the bravery of Truus Wijsmuller in Truus’ Children; nor the crazy and joyful laugh-out-loud antics of Kiss Me Kosher. You will find all of these and many more in cinemas and online at this year’s 25th anniversary UK Jewish Film Festival.
The last 18 months have been a demanding lesson for UK Jewish Film in adapting to the needs of audiences. After the steep learning curve of shifting from a mostly cinema-based organisation to an entirely online one, at the start of this summer, we finally tried our luck at leading audiences back into real cinemas. The results of our nationwide Back to the Cinema season provided the feedback that we urgently needed ahead of the festival: Younger audiences flocked back to the big screen, older audiences largely stayed away. That experience fed into our internal debate and discussion about the nature of the 25th anniversary edition of the UK Jewish Film Festival. The result we have come up with is a gentle mix of the best of both worlds. This year’s festival brings you a small handful of key films and events in cinemas in London and Manchester, as well as a really wonderful and unique line-up of more than 50 brand new , Jewish and Israeli films that we are making available online through a Festival Pass costing only £45.
It’s ironic that as filmmakers strive to make their films in ever higher definition, the results of their efforts are often watched on the tiny screens of a mobile phone. It’s amazing how our perceptions of the cinema have collapsed so quickly. Let’s not forget the visceral power of a vast screen, the embracing resonance of surround sound, the feeling of shared experience that comes with watching a film about our community as a community. I certainly enjoy watching a film in the comfort of my own home as much as the next person, but how wonderful it also to remember that going to a real cinema is an incomparable physical experience.
The financial viability of small independent films is tenuous at the best of times, and Jewish films rely especially on festival audiences to secure the modest budgets they need to get made in the first place. The reality is that, if you stop watching them, they simply won’t be there in the future. That’s why 25 years ago, when the UK Jewish Film Festival started out in Brighton, it was hard to pull together even ten decent films with Jewish themes or story lines. Now, the situation is very different, with dozens of fascinating Jewish films to choose from. A huge but enjoyable challenge for our dedicated programming team.
Over these last 18 months, Jewish culture has been crucial for our well-being, helping retain our sense of community, making sure the most isolated among us are still connected, creating dialogue and conversations between us. Now that society is opening up again and we are faced with a broad and appealing array of choices for our free time, we need to make a positive decision to engage again with Jewish culture so that films reflecting the diversity of Jewish and Israeli life will still be there to enjoy in the future. However you choose to engage with the festival this year, be it online, be it in cinemas, the key thing is to make that decision to engage and support the festival, to celebrate, and to take pride in Jewish culture.
25th UK Jewish Film Festival runs 4-18 November ukjewishfilm.org
Michael Etherton is the CEO of UK Jewish Film
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