The inaugural Jewish Motifs Film Festival was held in 2004. According to the festival director, Polish film producer and publisher Mirosław Chojecki, it was originally conceived as a one-time event focusing on the diversity of the Jewish cinema, from pre-war Yiddish films to contemporary movies. However, the festival was such a great success among both local audiences and international guests that during the closing ceremony Chojecki said “See you next year.” He stuck to his promise and the Jewish Motifs Film Festival became an annual event.
The main aims and objectives of the festival are to use the art of cinema to address issues related to Jewish identity and the preservation of Jewish culture and tradition, to promote films on Jewish culture, and to bring together people from different cultural, national and religions communities. Special attention is paid to introducing young people to films addressing complex problems such as xenophobia, intolerance and terrorism.
As an international film event, the festival screens films from different countries with a special focus on films produced in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe such as Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Hungary, and others. Of course, there are many films by Israeli directors, too. The program includes feature films, documentaries, experimental films, animation, and short films.
Since its first year, the festival has been presenting the Warsaw Phoenix Award. The Grand Prix (Golden Warsaw Phoenix) is awarded to the best film. Other award categories include Best Feature Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Short Film, Best Experimental Film. All films screened at the festival, even those screened out of competition, are eligible for the Audience Award.
Alongside film screenings, the program of the Jewish Motifs Film Festival includes Q&A sessions with filmmakers, industry events, and more. The opening and closing ceremonies used to be presided over by Polish film director Andrzej Wajda (until his death in 2016) and Polish author Józef Hen.
Photo: jewishmotifs.org.pl
