Berkshire Jewish Film Festival

On behalf of Knesset Israel and the Berkshire Jewish Film Festival, we extend a warm Welcome Back to you as BJFF embarks upon its 38th season. We are so happy to be able to present six Mondays of excellent film programming in person at the Duffin Theater at the Lenox Memorial Middle and High School.

Our screening committee has chosen the best of the many films they watched this year. We are excited to bring you a wide range of documentaries and narrative films from the US, Israel, Germany, Italy and Canada. Please visit our website to read about the films and speakers, sign up for our e-newsletter, make a much-appreciated donation, and purchase your Season Pass. As in past years, individual tickets can only be purchased on the day of the show.(Cash or Check Only)

Schedule:

4pm - The Anne Frank Gift Shop (short)

How can the gift shop at this iconic house museum in Amsterdam be reimagined in a way that will appeal more to Gen Z? How do you update the “brand” for Anne Frank? Answering these questions is the charge of the motley crew in the design firm who are at the center of this dark comedy. With provocative, fast-past writing, this film covers a lot of ground in 15 minutes with dialogue about history, anti-semitism, trauma and tote bags. By Mickey Rapkin, whose book “Pitch Perfect” was made into a film by that name, The Anne Frank Gift Shop is edgy. It raises important questions about.

USA 2023, English, Narrative, 15 minutes

Director: Mickey Rapkin

4pm - Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella

A Holocaust survivor’s daughter becomes Canada’s first female Jewish Supreme Court judge, reshaping the legal world with landmark decisions on inclusivity, diversity, and equity. Rosalie Abella studied law in Toronto, achieving success as an attorney before being appointed as a judge at the age of 29 in 1976. Her historic appointment to Canada’s highest court came in 2004, capping off a long and distinguished career. Her remarkable journey, marked by intelligence, accessibility, and a spirited nature, established her not only as a respected jurist but as a national treasure, often compared to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This edifying, inspiring profile provides candid insights into both her arc from refugee child to profoundly impacting Canadian human rights, and her marriage to famed historian Irving Abella, featuring interviews with a diverse array of admirers who celebrate her lasting legacy. Credit Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.

Canada 2023, English, Documentary, 85 minutes

Director: Barry Avrich

8pm - Kidnapped

Edgardo Mortara, a six-year-old Jewish boy in mid-19th century Italy, is abducted and forcibly converted to Christianity by virtue of papal decree after it comes to the attention of authorities that his housekeeper secretly baptizes him. This richly filmed and suspenseful period drama is based on true events that created an international scandal. The struggle by Edgardo’s parents to free their son became part of a larger – and triumphant - battle by a revolutionary nationalist campaign to end the dominance of the Catholic Church and establish a modern and unified secular Italian state. Director Marco Bellochio’s film is gripping and operatic, featuring a powerful and painful clash of two faiths.

Italy 2023, Italian (English subtitles) Narrative, 134 minutes

Director: Marco Bellocchio

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Date: July 8 - August 12