Jan 4, 2022

Yiddish & Jewish Cinema Between Two Worlds

The Miami Jewish Film Festival, the largest festival of its kind in the world, will launch its inaugural “Yiddish & Jewish Cinema Between Two Worlds” silent classic film program during its milestone 25th edition, occurring January 13-27, 2022. Celebrating masterpieces of silent cinema, the series of screening events will take place at The Betsy Hotel's Atrium for the first time located on the legendary Ocean Drive strip and will be made available for free to the public.

As part of its Knight Arts Challenge winning project, MJFF commissioned local artists to create original film scores that will be performed live alongside Yiddish and Jewish silent films newly restored by the National Center for Jewish Film. Included in the program are what was thought to be long-lost Broken Barriers and the Yiddish silent film Jewish Luck, both of which were adapted from stories by Sholem Aleichem, as well as Hungry Hearts, a cinematic landmark in documenting for the first time the Jewish immigrant experience that will be presented on its centennial anniversary.

Through this program, MJFF aims to create unique, multi-disciplinary synergies that will contribute to a richer ecosystem for artists and bring diverse South Florida audiences together in ways that provide opportunities for discovery, exchange of ideas, and sharing of experiences as one community.

The “Yiddish & Jewish Cinema Between Two Worlds” silent classic film program is made possible with the generous support of The Knight Foundation, The Betsy, and the National Center for Jewish Film. All the films featured in the program will be hosted for free at The Betsy rooftop over the course of three consecutive days during the festival, from Monday, January 17 through Wednesday, January 19. Seating is highly limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. To register or learn more about this event, visit miamijewishfilmfestival.org

You can find the complete “Yiddish & Jewish Cinema Between Two Worlds” silent classic film program below:

Broken Barriers (1919)

This silent film is notable for being the first American film based on the same Sholem Aleichem stories as Fiddler on the Roof, but produced 50 years before the blockbuster musical. Unlike most adaptations of Aleichem’s work, Broken Barriers (Khavah) focuses not on Tevye the milkman, but on his daughter Khavah, who falls in love with the gentile boy Fedka and must navigate the reverberations from this with both her community and her family. The film will be presented live with an original music score performed by Richard Vergez on Monday, January 17 at 7pm at The Betsy Hotel's Atrium. Click here to register for the FREE RSVP!

Hungry Hearts (1922)

Celebrating its centennial Anniversary and based on the short stories of Anzia Yezierska, the first writer to bring stories of American Jewish women to a mainstream audience, Hungry Hearts focuses on the members of the Levin family who emigrate from Eastern Europe to New York City's Lower East Side. The film will be presented live with an original music score performed by Sander Willig on Tuesday, January 18 at 7pm at The Betsy Hotel's Atrium. Click here to register for the FREE RSVP!

Jewish Luck (1925)

Based on Sholem Aleichem's series of stories featuring the character Menakhem Mendl (played by the famous actor Solomon Mikhoels), the film revolves around the daydreaming entrepreneur Mendl who specializes in doomed strike-it-rich schemes. The film will be presented live with an original music score performed by Rostislav Vaynshtok on Wednesday, January 19 at 7pm at The Betsy Hotel's Atrium. Click here to register for the FREE RSVP!

Full details on the Festival program can be found at miamijewishfilmfestival.org/films/2022

MORE INFORMATION:
All Festival films will be available to stream for free starting Friday, January 14 until Wednesday, January 26. More information is available at miamijewishfilmfestival.org or by calling 305-573-7304.

Follow the Miami Jewish Film Festival on Facebook (/miamijewishfilmfestival) or Twitter (@MiamiJFF) for updates with the latest information about the Festival and attending filmmakers.

The Miami Jewish Film Festival is a program of the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), a subsidiary of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.