Through the eyes of a strong-willed woman comes the remarkable true story of Irena Gut Opdyke and the triumphs of the human spirit over devastating tragedy.
At the CJFF, our goal is to inspire movie-goers to expand their understanding of Jewish culture and to bring a wide-variety of entertaining films, with a Jewish lens, to our community. We promote films that have a Jew-ish connection to life, culture, history both on-screen and behind-the-scenes. To qualify as a CJFF submission, films must meet the basic category requirements and resonate with our Jewish community. Film must have a connection to the Jewish values or themes of – trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, community, kindness, positivism, role modeling, stewardship of the earth, any Jewish holiday or historical event. Feature Film submissions must be over 60 minutes. Note: you must agree to your film being presented virtually.
To qualify as a CJFF submission, Short Films must meet the basic category requirements and themes of the film festival. Film must have a connection to the Jewish values or themes of – trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, community, kindness, positivism, role modeling, stewardship of the earth, any Jewish holiday or historical event. Short Film Submissions must be under 30 minutes including all intros and credits. Note: you must agree to your film being presented virtually.
Student filmmakers of all experience levels (all are welcome, you don’t need to be Jewish to apply!)
WHAT: New or previously created documentaries or narrative short films running 3-10 minutes in length, including credits.
WHERE: Filmmakers must reside in the Chicagoland area, surround suburbs or the state of Illinois or be a participant in a JCC Chicago program (including Camp Chi, Springboard, Jewish Student Connection, etc.)
WHY: Celebrate the Jewish experience connecting your film to (one or more) of the Jewish values or themes of – trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, community, kindness, positivism, role modeling, stewardship of the earth, any Jewish holiday or historical event. Teens through College undergraduates encouraged to apply.
Deadline: February 2, 2024 at 11:59pm
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Community members and businesses providing sustaining support:
Robin & Allen Berg
Lisa & Lee Bloom
Marci Horowitz
Laurie F. Lieberman
Lisa Reisman & Jason Busch
Vicki & Gerald Tenner
For more information about the JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival, call 847.763.3507 or email cjff@jccchicago.org.
