Off to a Great Start at The Miami Jewish Film Festival

The Miami Jewish Film Festival, one of the worlds largest and most respected Jewish film festivals and the largest Jewish cultural event in South East United States, kicked off its 20th iteration this past January 12th with an incredible roster of international films.

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On Tuesday night, FIU Film Studies Department Director Andrew Strycharski guest-hosted the screening of Asaph Polonsky’s “A Week and a Day.” Part of the festival’s “New Voices” line-up, the young director’s film received a standing ovation at Cannes Critics’ Week, and won Best Israeli Feature, Best First Film and Best Script at the Jerusalem Film Festival. We certainly don’t disagree, “A Week and a Day” is a grounded, dead-pan exploration of two parents’ grief that confidently oscillates between hilarious and heart-wrenching scenes with some original camerawork. The film was followed by an enthusiastic Q&A led by Dr. Strycharski.

The Miami Jewish Film Festival continues until January 26th in several of Miami’s art house cinemas. For a full schedule, you can check out the MJFF’s website  and you can read about the festivals’ highlight films in this article by FIU alum Juan Barquin in the Miami New Times.

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Article by Carlos Paolini.

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Carlos Paolini is a senior at FIU, pursuing a Bachelors degree in English Literature, a Minor in Sociology and the Certificate for Film Studies.