Welcome
With our new title of UK Jewish Film we are taking on a more inclusive role that will bring you year-round excellence. UK Jewish Film promotes awareness of international Jewish life and cultures for a diverse audience. We also provide a dynamic on-going forum for independent filmmakers working with Jewish themes. However, the annual Festival remains a huge focus of our identity and when something in life is so important it is both a privilege and a joy to be able to pursue that challenge.
Now in its 15th year, the Festival continues to be a much anticipated event for so many people. And this year our programme includes films from 16 countries including Norway (Strictly Confidential); Russia (I Shall Remember) and Poland (Joanna, My Australia, The Moon is Jewish), which gives us a fascinating insight into the history and cultures of these countries. Israeli film remains a huge focus of our programme and we are delighted to bring to the Festival Joseph Cedar’s impressive new feature Footnote for our Bank Leumi (UK) Gala.
Each of the films that we invite to make up this unique programme represents many years of work and dedication for the filmmakers and their crews. It is a matter of huge dedication and determination to complete a film and we commend our filmmakers for their achievements. We feel enormously privileged to be able to enjoy this hugely diverse cornucopia of films and plethora of talent that is offered to us. We benefit when we retain the ability to sustain a sense of wonder at the stories that these films bring to our screens. The UK Jewish Film Festival brings you all this potential and again this year we invite you to join with us to be both excited and entranced by this programme of outstanding films. Thank you for being wonderful audiences and we look forward to meeting you at the cinemas and to sharing this sense of wonder with you all.
Judy Ironside
Founder and Executive Director, UK Jewish Film
