Thousands of you laughed, cried, learned, discussed and cheered together over 11 days in 9 venues with 54 films and programs
plus more than 40 special guests from around the world.
Congratulations to our Audience Award Winners!
Our audience voted and selected this year's outstanding film favorites
FEATURE - KADDISH FOR A FRIEND
Director Leo Khasin: "I feel very honored to win this year's Audience Favorite Feature Award at the Washington Jewish Film Festival. That means that I touched the heart of the audience with a controversial subject that is not easy to solve perhaps, but worth thinking about. . My film is in a way a very personal story. It reflects my own experience as an immigrant in Germany. The fate to be caught between two worlds is what binds me with my conflicting heroes. I feel (and hope) that it is not only the Jewish-Arab conflict in my film, but an honest and universal story about friendship beyond social conventions that will stay in the mind of the people."
DOCUMENTARY - DOLPHIN BOY tied with THROUGH THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE--THE ART OF ESTHER NISENTHAL KRINITZ
DOLPHIN BOY director Dani Menkin: "This documentary touches on universal themes of love, family and human nature, and I'm delighted that it moved the audience. I made this film out of love for the characters, the dolphins and the story. Together with my director partner Yonatan Nir and our co-producer Judith Manassen, we understood (that) we have a tremendous story in our hands and worked hard to make it special. I am honored the Washington Jewish Film Festival received this film that way and hope it will touch other people’s hearts and will benefit them in many ways. I certainly enjoyed my visit and would be happy to come back. Thank you on behalf of all the partners."
THROUGH THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE--THE ART OF ESTHER NISENTHAL KRINITZ director Nina Shapiro-Perl: "More than 20 years ago, when I saw the art of Esther Krinitz on the walls of the house of her daughter, my friend, Bernice Steinhardt, I was struck with the unexpected beauty of such a tragic Holocaust story and the way each stitch seemed to capture a memory. I wanted my film to be a beautiful telling of Esther's eyewitness account of genocide, as a teenager, and bring the story to new generations. The WJFF Audience Award is the highest compliment. It means that people have connected with my intention and vision."
SHORT - ESTHER AND ME
Director Lisa Geduldig: "I am thrilled by the news that my (first) film was voted Audience Favorite Short by the Washington Jewish Film Festival! I turned the camera on Esther because I thought she was a character, and I wanted to share her with the world. Now audiences have enjoyed her from DC to Toronto to Berlin. I hope your film fest attendees who got to meet Esther through the film will take away a few things: *friendships should know no age difference; *get to know elderly people--they were young once, have been around the block and have a lot to share; AND *live life to the fullest. Esther sure did. Thank you so much for having us at your festival: Esther in spirit and me in person."
Share the fest!
Click here to see more pictures from this year
To download a PDF of the 2011 WJFF catalog, click here
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
Please take a moment to share your opinion on WJFF
films and programs. Click here until January 15 to link to our short survey. Your responses help us make the Festival even better
each year and provide important statistical information for our
fundraising and marketing efforts. All responses are confidential.
As a special “thank you” from us we will send you a free pass for two to
any WJFF Year-Round film program valid until November 30, 2012.
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WJFF IN THE NEWS
Just a few of the many listings for the Festival...
Washington Post (Best Events This Weekend)
GW Hatchet
Washington Jewish Week (WJFF feature)
Examiner (Aviva Kempner feature)
Jewish Press International
Shalom DC
Bethesda.com
Gather the Jews
AFI
Cultural Tourism DC
Baltimore Jewish Times
Examiner
Culture Capital
Washington Post blog
Washingtonian
WUSA9
AFI News
| THANK YOU TO OUR FESTIVAL CO-SPONSORS
Funded
in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency
supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
... AND OUR DAY SPONSORS
• JACOB AND CHARLOTTE LEHRMAN FOUNDATION Opening Night Sponsor
• THE CROSSCURRENTS FOUNDATION Closing Night Sponsor
• ESTELLE FRIEDMAN GERVIS FAMILY FOUNDATION
• LOUIE AND RALPH DWECK
• THE ARTHUR TRACY “THE STREET SINGER” ENDOWMENT FUND
Israel programming through the Arts is supported by a priority grant from
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington
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