This is the 14th year for the festival that runs March 13-30. What has contributed to its success over the years? Why the interest in Jewish films? Can they not be seen anywhere else in Connecticut normally?
Great films have always been windows into other worlds, and there’s nothing like the excitement of dimming lights, the hush of an audience and a great story unfolding on a giant screen. Thanks to our new partnership with the University of Hartford, who have joined the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, we’ve widened the lens in 2010, adding a live children’s opera and a student-composed symphony performance by The Hartt School accompanying a classic silent film. The Mandell JCC is a place for everyone, and by presenting our annual Jewish film and book festivals, gallery shows and stage productions, we roll out the welcome mat for the entire community to enjoy culture filtered through a Jewish lens. Most of this year’s picks have universal themes of love, coming of age, selfless heroism and courage, contemporary love and marriage, sports and the always-charged politics of Israel and the Middle East. After 13 years, the Hartford festival’s reputation for excellence is well known. We worked with international distributors to book first run Connecticut or Hartford premieres. Our devoted fans, generous sponsors, our co-chairs Mark Slitt and Ruthan Wein and the festival committee – who are never too busy to screen and review movies – have been critical to our success. The Festival’s two prior directors, Lisa Kassow and the late Lynne Gordon set very high standards, and our festival attendees have come to expect the best.
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How much money is required to put on a film festival? Is there ever a sense that in tough economic times the money for a film festival might be better spent on other things? Does the film festival serve as a fund raiser or is it designed to break even?
As a community agency with a long history of serving families, the Mandell JCC’s priorities are in the right place in these tough economic times. Social programs to engage seniors, families, children and teens, special needs adults and the newly jobless are offered every day of the year. The film festival results in additional net revenue for the JCC so the agency can continue meeting these needs. We are also asking attendees to bring donations of grocery items and cash to each screening to benefit our “Can Hunger” food drive. With more than 100 Jewish film festivals around the world, budgets vary from city to city. Costs include theater rentals, print shipping, technical personnel and equipment rental to accommodate the different international disc and 35mm formats. Fees and screening rights to filmmakers, studios, distributors and independent directors can range from $50 for some shorts to $1200 for first run features. Other costs include promotion and publicity, printing, website (www.hjff.org), receptions, box office and festival staff, travel for visiting directors and guest speakers. Our donors recognize that ticket sales contribute only a third of festival operating revenue and their generosity helps us keep this cultural jewel on the calendar. We offer discounts and free films for students and seniors. Sponsors underwrite donated tickets for special groups. In-kind donations of goods and services are enormously helpful and we are thankful to all our donors.The festival could not operate without the assistance of the Mandell JCC’s year-round administrative, building, and professional staff, the agency’s backbone.
How many people does it take to put on a film festival that will feature 30 films, aswell as an orchestra and opera? Is it mostly volunteer or a mixture of staff and volunteers?
Counting the people thanked in our brochure, plus our multi-tasking Mandell JCC staff and festival week volunteers, the number is well over one hundred! We’ll also welcome 70 student musicians from The Hartt School who will be on the Herbert Gilman stage performing on closing night.Â
Speaking of people, how much attendance does the film festival attract? How has attendance grown or dipped over the years with the festival?
Last year we welcomed 3,300 festival attendees. With more first-run feature films this year, the second season of Tribute – Observations On Survival And Spirit, (an evening of original dramatic short films about the Holocaust) a children’s film and opera and a closing night concert, we hope to attract even more people. An exciting new feature this year is The Mandell JCC’s Hartford Jewish Film Festival app has an interface designed by iDoTouch.com with graphics created by Steve Evans of Ledger Publications, West Hartford. Users can view the festival schedule, read about the movies, maintain a list of favorite movies, view online trailers, call the box office from within the app, and share their favorites with friends and family via email or Facebook. The app is available for free in the App Store at http://tiny.cc/qwO53
