Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival retools itself as virtual event
Updated Feb 01, 2021;
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This year’s Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival to be presented virtually will feature seven film screenings, including one about Northampton’s Rabbi Kevin Hale, who has dedicated his life to the 613th biblical commandment to write a Torah scroll.
Miriam B. Lewin is the director and producer of that short documentary, “Commandment 613,” and she is Hale’s cousin.
“A few years ago, he started telling me about his work on a particular set of Torah scrolls, the ones that belong to the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London, and are loaned out to communities around the world,” she said. “These scrolls come from communities in Czechoslovakia and were saved there during World War II. When he described to me the deep feelings they bring out for the people who now care for the scrolls, I thought it sounded like a good subject for a documentary.”
Arts Briefs: Jewish Film Festival goes virtual starting Feb. 6
Published: 1/19/2021 3:54:08 PM
SPRINGFIELD The Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival, presented by the Springfield Jewish Community Center, marks its 16th year with a virtual mini-festival that kicks off Feb. 6 and runs through March 22.
The 2020 festival was postponed due to COVID-19, just days before launching last year. PVJFF will present seven online film screenings, as the festival continues its tradition of showcasing some of the best independent Jewish cinema from around the world.
Thought-provoking Zoom discussions are planned for nearly all of the films, featuring directors, screenwriters, and experts on an array of topics of cultural and historical significance. This year’s festival includes an eclectic mix of dramas and documentaries, plus a short film.