Atlanta Jewish Film Festival
{{Short description|Jewish Film Festival in Atlanta}}
{{distinguish|Atlanta Film Festival}}
{{Infobox Film Festival
| name = Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF)
| image =Atlanta_Jewish_Film_Festival_logo.jpg
| caption =
| location = Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| awards =
| founded = 2000
| host =
| number =
| language =
| website = {{url|http://www.ajff.org/}}
|founders=American Jewish Committee|artistic_director=Kenny Blank}}
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is the largest film festival of any kind in the state of Georgia and is the largest Jewish film festival in the world. The 23-day festival is held in late winter at multiple venues in Atlanta, Georgia and in the suburbs of Alpharetta, Marietta and Sandy Springs. Contemporary and classic independent Jewish film from around the world feature at the festival.
History
The festival was founded in 2000 by the Atlanta regional office of American Jewish Committee and continues to grow each year, with an estimated 20,000 attendees by 2010.{{Cite web|title=Blank and Frank Look Back Over AJFF's 20 Years|url=https://atlantajewishtimes.timesofisrael.com/blank-and-frank-look-back-over-ajffs-20-years/|last=Bahr|first=Bob|date=2020-01-29|website=Atlanta Jewish Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-12}} In 2015, more than 38,600 attended the festival. The festival was incorporated as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2014.{{cite news|last1=Staff |first1=ArtsATL |title=Leaving founders' nest, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is now an independent nonprofit |url=http://www.artsatl.com/2014/12/news-leaving-founders-nest-atlanta-jewish-film-festival-independent-non-profit/ |accessdate=26 March 2015 |work=ArtsATL.com |date=18 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402161426/http://www.artsatl.com/2014/12/news-leaving-founders-nest-atlanta-jewish-film-festival-independent-non-profit/ |archivedate=2 April 2015 }} Kenny Blank (son of Atlanta businessman Arthur Blank) serves as the executive director of the organization.{{Cite web|title=Kenny Blank on the enduring success of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival|url=https://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/kenny-blank-on-the-enduring-success-of-the-atlanta-jewish-film-festival/|last=Wheatley|first=Thomas|date=2017-12-21|website=Atlanta Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-12}}
AJFF has honored Lawrence Kasdan (Screenwriter, Director, Producer) in 2016 and Itzhak Perlman (World renowned Israeli-American musician) in 2019 with AJFF Icon Awards.{{Cite web|title=Atlanta Jewish Film Festival to Honor Lawrence Kasdan with Inaugural Icon Award|url=https://georgiaentertainmentnews.com/2016/05/atlanta-jewish-film-festival-to-honor-lawrence-kasdan-with-inaugural-icon-award/|website=georgiaentertainmentnews.com|date=4 May 2016 |access-date=2020-05-12}}{{Cite web|title=Past AJFF Icon Award Honorees|url=https://www.ajff.org/programs/iconaward/pasticons|website=Atlanta Jewish Film Festival|language=en|access-date=2020-05-12}}
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary in February 2020 with a lineup of 64 films from 17 countries.{{Cite web|title=The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Celebrates 20 Years Of Diversity In Cinema|url=https://www.wabe.org/the-atlanta-jewish-film-festival-celebrates-twenty-years-of-diversity-in-cinema/|date=2020-02-06|website=90.1 FM WABE|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-12}}
In 2020, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival launched a series of virtual programming prompted by the COVID-19 crisis.{{Cite news|title=Atlanta Jewish Film Festival announces virtual programming|url=https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/atlanta-jewish-film-festival-announces-virtual-programming/hlbgaB72tCjPgXNfUsqf8M/|last=Kiersten Willis|first=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|language=English|access-date=2020-05-12}}{{Cite web|title=Atlanta Jewish Film Festival launches virtual programming|url=https://theatlanta100.com/lifestyle/arts-music/2020/05/07/jewish-film/20483|last=Companies|first=The 100|date=2020-05-07|website=The Atlanta 100|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-12}}
Audience Award winners
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.ajff.org Official website]
- [http://facebook.com/atljewishfilm Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on Facebook]
- [https://twitter.com/atljewishfilm Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on Twitter]
{{American Jewish Committee}}
{{Jewish film festivals}}
{{Atlanta events}}
Category:Film festivals in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Jewish film festivals in the United States
Category:Film festivals established in 2000
Category:2000 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Jews and Judaism in Atlanta
Category:American Jewish Committee
{{US-film-festival-stub}}