Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media Brings Groundbreaking Online Media to the Weitzman Museum with Digital Media Festival
Philadelphia, PA – (August 15, 2024) – Going into the third year of their Jewish digital media festival, titled Digital Chutzpah 2024, Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media (PJFM) brings together some of the most creative and audacious Jewish minds from around the world to the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History for a four-day series. Co-presented by PJFM Presenting Sponsor Elaine Lindy and the museum itself, the festival, running September 19-22, displays how the Jewish community continues to change the world through film, music, and interactive digital experiences.
Digital Chutzpah 2024 opens Thursday, September 19, with the finale to the organization’s first-ever national social media contest, UNAPOLOGETICALLY JEWISH, featuring the finalists themselves and musical performances by Mara Jill Herman and Bryan Lesnick. The contest participants, who amass over 100,000 followers on their various social media platforms, showcase the digital content they have created throughout the summer in partnership with PJFM and speak about how their Jewish heritage informs their social media journey in a special meet-and-greet and hour of dedicated video presentations.
Participants include Los Angeles storytelling creator Dia Morgan Chaimovitz (@warningitsdia), the face of the brand Tokin’ Jew William Cohen (@tokin.jew), poet Elyse (@poetrymission), Jewish rapper Numoon (Jamey Roberti) (@numoontalk), language-learning content creator Sarah (@learnyiddishwords), musical enthusiast Erez Shek (@jewsical101), and the founder of the nonprofit organization Upside Down Crab Bucket Inc. Odellya Sohnis (@upsidedowncrabbucket). Proceeding the meet-and-greet and presentations, engagement numbers are tallied while the reception with musical guests begins. Upon tallying the highest engagement rates, the evening ends in a penultimate crowning of the contest winner who receives a $5,000 monetary prize.
During each day of the festival from September 19-22, both Weitzman visitors and Digital Chutzpah attendees may attend the museum to view GENESIS: SEED 913, an AI art installation created by Ariel Leon Azeus and Naama Dashevski. GENESIS tells the story of Creation, as told in the book of Genesis, through computer-generated imagery.
“In GENESIS: SEED 913, themes of humanity and technology blend to illustrate the duality of existence, where each individual is both a creator and a creation,” says directors Azeus and Dashevski. “Set in Jerusalem, the film explores themes of creation and destruction, mirroring humanity’s cyclical struggles with conflict and creativity.”
GENESIS plays on a continuous loop during special hours in the festival for visitors to see.
The festival concludes on a packed day on Sunday, September 22, with three events. JEWISH ANIMATED SHORTS features a series of acclaimed, digitally animated shorts from around the world, including Humo (2023), a recent submission for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short. The shorts span many unique styles, including modern CGI approaches. Movies include Flickering Moments (2022), directed by local filmmaker Jelly Galapo, The Waltz (2022), a “virtual Yiddish poem” from famed poet A. Lutzky, and Ariel (2024), an adventure about a poor Jerusalem boy’s exhilarating journey to Cairo to save his family.
TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT: 360° in Auschwitz VR Experience takes guests on an unforgettable trip to the former concentration camp without leaving the museum. This VR (Virtual Reality) experience occurs in two 48-minute sessions, each limited in capacity, where attendees are transported using special VR headsets and given an extended tour by acclaimed Holocaust lecturer and researcher Rabbi Yisrael Goldwasser. Triumph of the Spirit, created by Miriam Cohen, Chani Koplowitz, and Yuti Neiman, continues to bring this VR experience to synagogues, schools, and more across the globe, creating an experience that is as equally impactful and important as an in-person visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
“This is undoubtedly an important addition to the ‘toolbox’ used by us teachers, educators, counselors, and directors of delegations,” says Dorit Talmon, Guide for Youth Expeditions to Poland. “It’s an original and innovative way to instill the subject of the Holocaust.”
Digital Chutzpah 2024 closes with BEHIND THE PODCAST: THE NIGHTINGALE OF IRAN | Concert and Conversation, co-presented with the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies. Dr. Galeet Dardashti, vocalist/composter and the granddaughter of renowned Iranian Jewish singer Younes Dardashti, gives a musical performance that honors and preserves her grandfather’s legacy. The concert continues with a multimedia presentation by Galeet and her sister, storyteller/documentarian Danielle Dardashti, both of whom are hosts of the award-winning podcast The Nightingale of Iran. Released in March 2024, The Nightingale of Iran, presented by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, is a personal exploration into the lives of the Dardashti’s grandfather and his musical journey. The podcast continues to resonate with listeners from around the world with its deep and heartfelt look at family, music, and identity.
Whether you are a member of the tribe or just an enthusiast of the arts, Digital Chutzpah 2024 should awe and inspire audiences throughout Philadelphia. The festival takes place September 19-22, 2024, at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.
Full festival details available at https://phillyjfm.org/.