What makes for a Jewish movie? It’s not a simple question, but one worth examining given the inclusion of French drama “What’s In a Name?” in the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The critically acclaimed film, based on the filmmakers’ 2010 play, charts the progression of a dinner party where childhood friends poke at old wounds through snappy dialogue. The farce opened number two in France against “The Avengers,” no small feat given the action’s visceral, visual …More

German Jewish films inevitably wrestle with the legacy of the Holocaust. Either by directly tackling the subject or by subtlety atoning for the horror, these films demonstrate the resilience of German Jewish life despite the horror of the past. “Kaddish for a Friend” and “Wunderkinder,” playing at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival this week, each take responsibility for the past through the redemption of a child. Leo Khasin’s deeply felt “Kaddish for a Friend” draws on …More

Wednesday night, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival kicked off with a screening of the acclaimed “My Best Enemy.” The absurdist history has a Jewish prisoner and Nazi stooge swapping identities as they both search for a priceless Michelangelo drawing. But not all the films of the 22-day festival are so historically flippant. The largest film festival in Atlanta and the second largest Jewish film festival in the US, with more than 26,000 viewers last year, AJFF boasts an eclectic collection of 70 …More