’22 Programs
During ’22, in partnership with the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, we offered virtual programs of films and related discussions— all streaming free of charge to people across Maine. Each program was planned as a relevant conversation around Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Yom HaShoah, and LGBTQ Pride Month.
’22 Festival Archive
June: Pride Month
Ahead of the Curve, co-directed by Jen Rainin and Rivkah Beth Meadow
The film tracks lesbian visibility and community from the early ‘90s to the present day through the story of Franco Stevens, founder of Curve Magazine – the first to put the word “lesbian” on the cover. Presented with a recorded conversation between Bates faculty members Erica Rand and Stephanie Pridgeon.
April – Yom HaShoah
Gerda’s Silence, dir. by Britta Wauer
Following sixty years of silence, Gerda Schrage is finally ready to talk about her life in Auschwitz that pushed the limits of the unimaginable. But the cathartic effect of sharing her story is tempered her grown son’s resentment that he never knew about her past.
Prosecuting Evil: The Extrarodinary World of Ben Ferencz, dir. by Barry Avrich
A gripping profile of the youngest and now last surviving prosecutor at Nuremberg, who led the effort to bring members of the Nazi Einsatzgruppen (killing squads in Eastern Europe) to justice, securing convictions for all 22 he tried.
March – Women’s History Month:
Heather Booth: Changing the World, dir. by Lily Rivlin
This captivating documentary examined how social change happens through the lifelong social activism of Heather Booth, who has been on the front lines of change since the 1960s. Viewers were also invited to ask questions of Heather Booth during her conversation with MJFF’s Executive Director Barbara Merson.
February – Black History Month:
Shared Legacies, the African-American/Jewish Civil Rights Alliance, dir. by Dr. Shari Rogers.
This film, exploring the robust coalition between Jewish and African-American communities and leaders during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, was presented with a conversation between MJFF Executive Director Barbara Merson and Robert Weisbrot, Professor of American History at Colby College.
25 in ’23
Stay tuned for news about year-round engagement over MJFF’s 25th year. Our 25 in ’23 theme speaks both to the anniversary and the number of films (give or take!) we’ll be showing across a series of mini-festivals throughout the year leading up to our anniversary celebration.
We’re in the planning stages of our birthday celebration to be held in early Fall 2023. Details to follow!
