Best of the Fest
The Miami Jewish Film Festival Shows Its Less Serious Side

By Mary Damiano

	A scene from Syrian Bride, one of the films to be screened at the Miami Jewish Film Festival

You don’t have to be Jewish in order to enjoy the Miami Jewish Film Festival.

That’s one of the messages from Festival Director Ellen Wedner, who wants people to know that the festival offers something for everyone.

"In this world of Jewish film, there are so many choices," says Wedner, who has been director of the MJFF for three years.

Miami’s first film festival of 2006, the Miami Jewish Film Festival will take place January 21-29 at several locations around Miami.

Wedner says that one of the things the festival tried to do this year is make the image the festival projects to the public more fun and less serious.

"I think that for non-Jews or for non-observant Jews it sounds like a religious festival, and it really isn’t," says Wedner. "There’s something for everyone whether you’re Jewish or not."

A good example of the diversity featured in the festival is Miami-bred filmmaker Monica Haim’s film, Awake Zion.

"If you love reggae music you’ve got to see this film," says Wedner. "You’d be missing something really spectacular if you didn’t."

Ellen Wedner, director of the Miami Jewish Film Festival

The opening night of the festival on Saturday, January 21 is another example of the inclusiveness of MJFF. Rather than a screening in a big venue and a dressy after party, this year the Miami Beach Botanical Garden will be the scene of Cinema Alfresco. About 200 patrons will watch the opening night film, Go for Zucker, the first Jewish comedy made in Germany since World War II, outside under the stars, and will enjoy a kosher dessert reception after the movie.

Wedner says the fact that the festival received a sizable grant from the City of Miami Beach put her in a celebratory mood and played a part in booking the venue.

"I think the Botanical Gardens is one of the hidden gems of Miami Beach," she says.

The event also shows the MJFF’s commitment for making the festival accessible to everyone. The cost for opening night is only $25.

	iNatalie Portman, who stars in the film Free Zone, featured at the Miami Jewish Film Festival

"Go for Zucker has been a box office smash in Europe. It’s a German-Jewish comedy, and it’s been a long time in coming that people are comfortable enough to make that kind of film again," says Wedner. "I wanted to make sure that enough people got to see it and we didn’t price people out."

Wedner chooses the films each year, and while she’s stopped counting how many she sees in order to select the films for the festival, she stresses that these films are the cream of the crop.

"I reject so many more than I can afford to put in the festival, that really the ones that I pick I call the best of the best of the best," she says. "I make sure the films are of universal interest and not just my interest."

While Wedner says she’s excited about every film in the festival, she urges people to especially not miss Live and Become, Syrian Bride and, for those with a serious bent, Forgiving Dr. Mengele, a documentary about a woman who forgives Joseph Mengele for experimenting on her and her twin sister during the Holocaust.

"It’s a controversial idea, but I think that’s what all film festivals are about," says Wedner. "A good film festival offers controversy, something to talk about."

That need to talk about a film is reflected in the panel discussions that follow several of the films, including Forgiving Dr. Mengele.

While the MJFF usually takes place in March, this year they’ve moved it to January. The festival now coincides with the first ever United Nations Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27. An observance of this day is included in the festival with the film Weapons of the Spirit, which Wedner says focuses on the good people who try to make a difference.

	A scene from the comedy Go for Zucker, the opening night film of the Miami Jewish Film Festival

"It’s hard, with the news that we hear every day about anywhere, to remember that no matter

 where we are in conflict there is always someone trying to help," says Wedner.

The MJFF will also honor two arts patrons, Sheldon and Myrna Palley, for their contribution to the world of education and arts in Miami.

"The recipients of these awards are people who make that world complete," says Wedner. "I contend that none of these smaller film festivals would be here if Sheldon Palley wasn’t one of the founders of the Miami Jewish Film Festival and the Miami International Film Festival."

While Wedner acknowledges that while no festival can be everything to everyone, she has made sure that there is a lot of niche programming, geared toward young people, professionals, observant and non-observant Jews, but believes that you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy the festival.

"You don’t have to be Jewish to understand the films," says Wedner. "Film is a universal language."

Tickets for the Miami Jewish Film Festival are now on sale. To purchase tickets and get a complete film and event schedule, visit www.caje-miami.org.