After four long years, PJFM’s spring film series returned in person for another excellent week of film. (HAUTE COUTURE, 4/1/23 at Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History)I remember it like it was yesterday. Twas the early months of 2020 and PJFM – formerly known as the Gershman Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival (GPJFF) at the time – was preparing for its annual Lindy CineMondays, a weekly film series where a new movie premieres every Monday night. The films had been picked out. The venues had been confirmed. The brochures had been made and shipped out. Suddenly…yes, you know what happened. A little pandemic had to come in and force us to cancel this program. We were gutted, and although the majority of films we had planned to show ended up streaming in that year’s Jewish film festival, it was still disappointing. PJFM’s spring series have always been wonderful. The weather gets hotter, the sun comes out, and folks flock to the theaters to see more movies. It has always been a joyful event, and having to cancel at the literal last minute was crushing.
CineMondays continued virtually in 2021, but let’s be honest: we were ALL tired of streaming by then. Despite the amazing movies we showed that year, it just wasn’t the same. Come 2022 and PJFM decided to pump the brakes on the spring series. There were several reasons for this, the main one being…you named it: COVID. COVID COVID COVID. That stupid word! So we missed a year of CineMondays, but all in all, this ended up being a blessing in disguise for us. We took a break and listened to what our audience wanted. Did they want our events to be in person again? Did they prefer them to stay virtual or that we offer a hybrid festival with both options? After the success of the 42nd Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival last November, we discovered that our audience prefers the week-long format of a film festival as opposed to the two-month, weekly schedule. So we listened, and for the first time, Lindy CineMondays became Lindy SpringFest. From March 25 – April 1, we debuted our first in-person spring film series since 2019. FOUR. WHOLE. YEARS. LATER.
It was well worth the wait. I and everyone at PJFM is so delighted and thankful for everyone who made it out this past week. Even pre-COVID, our spring series have always been a gamble with a lot of factors. There’s Passover, for a start, as well as the Israeli Film Festival and Philadelphia Film Society’s SpringFest series. It’s always a crazy month! Selecting the dates to ensure everyone can attend can be tricky, and we’re so happy that viewers showed up to experience these films on the big screen where they should be seen.
The series kicked off on March 25th with the premiere of MARCH ’68, Krzysztof Lang’s gorgeously shot, romantic epic about two young lovers amidst a rising extremist government in 1960s Warsaw. The next day was full of music. (Literally!) We kicked off the early afternoon with a 25th anniversary screening of THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, featuring storytime by Rabbi Abe Friedman of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel, refreshments, Pesach-themed coloring books, and much more. Families and children populated the fifth-floor ballroom of The Weitzman as this iconic animated classic – the Passover of all Passover movies – displayed onscreen. The evening concluded with an unforgettable performance by musical duo Donald Sosin and Alicia Svigals as they performed to THE CITY WITHOUT JEWS, a silent film from 1924. Audiences were captivated by both the tireless performers and their incredible knowledge of the history of this long-forgotten film. This was Sosin and Svigals’ second visit to PJFM, the first one being in December of 2018 where they performed for another silent film, The Ancient Law.
Monday the 27th kicked off out of Philly at Gratz College with the premiere of SHTTL, Ady Walter’s breathtaking, black-and-white Holocaust drama. The film would later screen two days after at The Weitzman where it would leave the audience speechless and unable to move from their seats. This film’s power is undeniable, and I can’t wait to see its further success. BERENSHTEIN, Roman Shumunov’s action docudrama that we have been waiting to show for a few years now, was the sleeper hit of Lindy SpringFest. Like SHTTL, it played at Gratz and The Weitzman where it amazed audiences with its riveting action sequences and astounding true story of commander Leonid Berenshtein.
VALERIA IS GETTING MARRIED was so well-received from its International Women’s Day premiere that we showed it again, sparking even more conversation as soon as the credits rolled. PJFM even headed to the historic Bryn Mawr Film Institute for the premiere of ONLY IN THEATERS, featuring director and narrator of the film, Raphael Sbarge, in attendance. Proceeding the film, it was a pleasure for me to speak with Raphael about the power of cinema and why movie theaters are so crucial to our lives. The film’s powerful message captivated audiences again at its encore screening at The Weitzman two days later.
As the week neared its end, PJFM debuted its annual JEWISH SHORTS. This marked the first time that this program was a part of our spring series. In the past, the JEWISH SHORTS program was typically only a part of the Jewish film festival in November. Because there are too many excellent shorts that deserve recognition, we debuted a variety of them for the first time at Lindy SpringFest. In attendance were Rachel Weinberg, director of IBACH (filmed in Philadelphia), and Rami Even-Esh (known professionally as Kosha Dillz), who debuted the world premiere of his new comedy, NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE SO SERIOUS. The real steal of the night, however, was undoubtedly FAVORITE DAUGHTER, Dana Reilly’s uproarious documentary short about Reilly’s conversations with her mother and grandmother during lockdown in 2020. You could hear the laughter from the audience a mile away.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. On Saturday, April 1, we closed Lindy SpringFest with HAUTE COUTURE, Sylvie Ohayon’s delightful tale of the friendship between a renowned head seamstress and the volatile peer she takes in. Staff from Moore College of Art and Design’s Fashion Department decorated the outside of the theater with their latest fashion designs as viewers mingled and delighted at the hard work these students did. Une nuit extraordinaire, non?! Not just an extraordinary night, of course. Lindy SpringFest was a positive reminder of why we, the staff at PJFM, are so happy we do what we do. To bring joy to people’s faces, as well as some amazing movies, is all that matters.
From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU to everyone who attended this season. Thank you to our Board of Directors, PJFM42 Sponsors and Ambassadors, Screening Committee, PJFM Staff, and Event Staffers for your unbelievable dedication to the organization. Thank you to Dan Bayer, Rabbie Abe Friedman, Nick Jann, Krzysztof Lang, Jean-Charles Lévy, Rabbi Geri Newburge, Sylvie Ohayon, Raphael Sbarge, Tali Segal, Roman Shumunov, Donals Sosin, Alicia Svigals, and Ady Walter for taking the time to participate in this festival. Whether you Zoomed with us from your home or helped us in person, we coudn’t be more thankful. Lastly, thank you to all the venues – Bryn Mawr Film Institute, Gratz College, and Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History – for allowing us to show these movies. An extra thank you to the projectionists who managed to put up with my instructions for each run of show and did a tremendous job! (To view all PJFM In Conversation discussions, both in-person and virtual, click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel.)
So what’s next at PJFM? UPHEAVAL, a remarkable documentary documenting the life of former Primer Minister Menachem Begin, will premiere at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History on Wednesday, April 26. Tickets go on sale Monday, April 3. In addition, PJFM is ecstatic to bring back its 2nd Jewish New Media Festival! Do you remember December 2019? Remember the duo from YidLife Crisis performing live onstage and a collection of digital content creators displaying their art on the 5th floor of the museum? It’s OK. 2019 is a blur to me as well. Anyway, this celebration of Jewish digital storytelling is back May 20-22. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 21. Who’s coming, you may be thinking? Just singer/rapper Kosha Dillz, Your Jewish Life Your Way star Karen Cinnamon, and the hosts of the Unorthodox podcast, to name a few….
And don’t forget! A select amount of films from Lindy SpringFest will be available to stream any time from April 18-20, 2023.
Tickets go on sale Monday, April 3.
MAZEL TOV to Our Lindy SpringFest 2023 Audience Award Winners!
Best Feature: BERENSHTEIN
Best Short: FAVORITE DAUGHTER
