The March 5 closing night celebration of the 25th annual Jewish Film Festival at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center, was chock full of highlights, news, awards and milestones.
The film selected to close out the Festival was a Brazilian dramedy, “Cheers to Life,” that was mostly shot in Israel. Special guests attended the closing night, including the filmmakers and members of the cast.
The Festival also announced that it would be holding “a classic reunion” of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) on Oct. 20 as a capstone of the 25th anniversary season. The live performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will feature iconic film scores from classic and contemporary Jewish cinema. The host of the event will be TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz, and it will celebrate the power of music and film.
“We are honored to partner with AJFF as they celebrate 25 years of impact on the Atlanta community,” said Jennifer Barlament, ASO’s executive director, in a statement. “Just as the drama of music heightens the emotion of all great films, this event, featuring the coming together of two of the leaders of Atlanta’s cultural community each bringing our respective strengths, will create an unforgettable evening.”
That ASO announcement was made by James Anderson, a marketing executive who will be the next president of AJFF for the next couple of years. He received the passing of the baton from Dina Gerson, who has been involved with the festival since its inception.
Anderson, who grew up Baptist, is the first Black president of the Festival.
“I believe in the mission of bringing diverse communities together for cultural understanding through film,” said Anderson, a believer in the magic of film.
Anderson became involved with the Festival about five years ago after getting to know Kenny Blank, AJFF’s executive and artistic director. The two got to know each other while they were both serving on the board of the Alliance Theatre.
Blank said the Festival has had five presidents since 2014, the year it became an independent entity after being founded by the American Jewish Committee, which continues to be a partner.
The closing night event began with the announcement of the 2025 Jury Award winners, selected by a panel of filmmakers, journalists, students and industry experts.
AJFF honored outstanding achievements in Jewish cinema across six categories:
- Narrative Feature: “Pink Lady”
- Documentary Feature: “Riefenstahl”
- Short Film: “The Sacred Society”
- Building Bridges Award: “Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round”
- Human Rights Award: “Sapir”
- Emerging Filmmaker: Tom Nesher for “Come Closer”
The Festival is also positioning itself for the future with a $2.5 million campaign called the Kenny Blank Vision Initiative. During the Festival, the Coca-Cola Co. announced $250,000 toward the campaign, which is designed to expand the Festival’s impact beyond its annual programming. The Initiative will help AJFF offer films year-round, provide educational outreach industry mentorship and ensure the Festival’s role as a force in Jewish and independent cinema.
“The 25th anniversary of AJFF was more than a celebration of film — it was a defining moment for our organization, reaffirming the power of storytelling to connect communities, spark dialogue, and inspire change,” Blank said in a statement.
Although the last day of in-theater movies will take place on March 6, audiences will still be able to enjoy AJFF’s Virtual Cinema starting March 7. All of the Festival’s short films and 21 feature films will be available for streaming until March 16. Passes can be purchased here.
