About Us
The first annual Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival was held in spring 2005 and from the start it was a smash hit. The community has joyfully embraced the well-chosen films that look at Jewish life through the eyes of American, Israeli and other foreign filmmakers. These high-quality offerings make us laugh, make us cry, and, above all, make us think. Months after each year's event, attendees are still discussing what they saw at the festival.
The sixth SBJFF will be held April 7-10, 2011. It kicks off on Thursday evening with a gala reception for All-Festival Pass Holders and donors at the La Cumbre Country Club in Hope Ranch. The party includes a full sit-down dinner and live klezmer music. Our opening night film will be at a downtown theatre following the dinner.
The festival continues with showings on Friday and Saturday afternoon. On Sunday morning, April 10th, there will be a full breakfast at Congregation B'nai B'rith with our filmmaker-in-residence on hand. After three film showings throughout the day, it’s a “wrap.”
What Attendees Said About Last Year’s Festival
“You are doing your own version of ‘A Living Lens’ with the wonderful film festival you continue to bring all of us….We are happy to support all your hard work.”
—Anne Smith Towbes
“It was clearly another wonderful, successful festival….I was thrilled with ‘Mechina,’ Maital’s presentation and ‘A Touch Away.’ Zafrir Kochanovsky was fantastic at Sunday A.M. Live.”
—Rabbi Stephen Cohen
“You really gave Santa Barbara something special to enjoy and remember—can’t wait for next year.”
—Lois Kaplan
“Congratulations on another successful festival! We enjoyed it a lot.”
—Nancy Robins & Scott Tevis
“Thanks for creating the extraordinary experience that you do through this festival.”
—Bryan Conyer
“….Not a single missing link!” —Ruth and Jerry Harter
“The only way to make it more perfect is to pick us all up by taxi!”
—Jeri Eigner
“It just gets bigger and better—You have ideas all over the place.”
—Susette Naylor
“Another wonderful film festival that was educational and entertaining.”
—Bob Fulmer
“The SBJFF was a huge success…every detail from the magazine to the program added so much to the professionalism of the event.”
—Dale & Mike Nissenson
“This is the first year I’ve done the whole event and it was great. The dinner was outstanding, the films were diversified and everything went so smoothly. My kudos to all of you who worked so hard to make it happen.”
—Lynn Rabinowitz
“You did a marvelous job….What I love about the film festival is that it brings all factions of the Jewish community together.…I don’t believe there was a dry eye in the house during the film on children’s art in the concentration camps.”
—Bernice Weider
“I’d like to thank you very much for doing such a wonderful job with the Jewish Film Festival.”
—Doris Medved
“Mazel tov on the film festival. I heard it was fantastic in every way.”
—Ellen Raede
“Congratulations on another wonderful film festival. Glad we were there. My Mom enjoyed it a lot.”
—Jere Ziffer Lifshitz, RN, MS |
