In-person screenings return to the Tucson Jewish film fest

The Tucson International Jewish Film Festival is giving filmgoers options in 2023.

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, the festival, which begins Thursday, Jan. 12, will be holding in-person screenings for 10 films; nine at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road, and one at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway.

Those films, along with several others, will also be available for virtual viewing, starting on Jan. 12 through the rest of the month at tucsonfilm.eventive.org.

Jennifer Selco, director of Jewish life and learning at the TJCC, said one of the side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the festival to go 100% virtual in recent years, is that many festivalgoers have grown to appreciate the convenience of watching films at their leisure from the comfort of their homes.

“We are genuinely excited to provide a festival experience that meets people’s needs across the board,” Selco said.

No matter how you watch, the festival’s selection of works this year, 15 full-length films, eight shorts, and a four-part docu-series, covers a wide range of topics that provide a little something for everybody while speaking to the Jewish experience.

In “The Man in the Basement,” which will kick things off Jan. 12 at the JCC, a family in Paris uncovers the unsettling, antisemitic past of their new tenant.

“The Levys of Monticello,” premiering at The Loft on Wednesday, Jan. 18, looks at the Levy family and their efforts to preserve Thomas Jefferson’s prized Virginia plantation, amid its complex history, after purchasing the property in 1834.

The docu-drama “Exodus 91“ follows the efforts of Israeli diplomat Asher Naim as he worked to bring 15,000 Ethiopian Jews from their war-ravaged home country to Israel.

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And for a bit of the familiar, movie fans can enjoy a look at what it took to make the classic musical, “Fiddler on the Roof” with “Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen.” The film is narrated by Jeff Goldblum and will screen Jan. 15.

More than 50 films were submitted for consideration.

“When choosing films for this year’s festival, we asked ourselves, ‘How can we tell the diverse story of the Jewish people, and which films are going to help us tell that story,’” Selco said.

Several of the films, including “The Man in the Basement,” “The Levys of Monticello” and “Exodus 91” will include post-film programs.

“The Man in the Basement,” for example, will include a panel discussion with Deborah Kaye, senior lecturer at the University of Arizona, and Lori Shepherd, executive director of the Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center, about the rise of antisemitism today.

“They are the experts on the history of antisemitism,” Selco said. “They are going to give us guidance and advice on how to collectively work toward reversing some of these troubling trends that we are seeing.”

For a full rundown on the festival, visit tucsonfilm.eventive.org.