By Erin Levi
Ditch Netflix for some actual cinema — Jewish cinema.
Presenting films from around the world that explore the Jewish experience, the 33rd annual New York Jewish Film Festival (NYJFF), put on by the Jewish Museum (JM) and Film at Lincoln Center (FLC), will run from January 10–24, 2024 at Lincoln Center.
The 2024 edition line-up showcases 28 wide-ranging and exciting features, documentaries, and shorts, as well as the U.S. premiere of a restored 35mm print of a rarely shown 1939 Yiddish classic, ‘Mothers of Today,’ a domestic melodrama starring 1930s radio star Esther Field as an immigrant widow in New York. All screenings will take place at the Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th Street, NYC.
In the Opening Film, ‘One Life,’ directed by James Hawes and based on true events, two-time Academy Award winner Sir Anthony Hopkins gives an intensely moving performance as Sir Nicholas Winton, a British stockbroker who during World War II helped Jewish refugee children escape to safety from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.
In this year’s Centerpiece Film, ‘Valeria Is Getting Married,’ an acclaimed second dramatic feature by Israeli filmmaker Michal Vinik, the debated ritual of arranged marriages in our contemporary world is explored with sensitivity and complexity. The 76-min film (in Hebrew, Russian, and English with English subtitles) focuses on a pair of Ukrainian sisters who come to Israel to start anew only to find themselves questioning their decisions.
The Closing Film, ‘Remembering Gene Wilder,’ is an enrapturing and heartfelt documentary that takes a close look at the life and career of American original Gene Wilder, beginning with his Jewish upbringing in Milwaukee, including interviews with Alan Alda, Mel Brooks, Carol Kane, Karen Wilder (Gene’s wife), Rain Pryor, and others. Ron Frank’s film shines a light on an essential performer, writer, director, and all-around mensch.
Additional highlights include Looking for Chloé, a colorful documentary about Gaby Aghion, the Egyptian Jewish woman who founded the revolutionary French fashion house Chloé and transformed the clothing industry by giving women lighter, more wearable wardrobes.
In-theater ticket prices are $17 for the general public; $14 for students, seniors, and persons with disabilities; and $12 for FLC and JM members. Buy tickets to three films and save $2 off each ticket (with the exception of the Opening Film). Opening Film tickets: $25 for the general public; $23 for students, seniors and persons with disabilities; and $20 for FLC and JM members.
To buy tickets and learn more, visit www.nyjff.org.