In September, when the Israeli Film Festival and the Jewish Film Festival of this year were advertised, we did not know that exactly in the days of the festivals violent conflicts would outbreak in Israel again. The Israeli Film Festival of Budapest is a tradition that goes back to some years and its aim has been to introduce Israeli culture to the international audience of Budapest (there are screenings with English subtitles as well) and first of all to show Israel how it is in days of peace. I like very much that the organizers bring many films which are highly critical towards Israel. We can see in several films Russian immigrants, who cannot bear the climate and the atmosphere, unsatisfied Mizrachim (Jews coming from the Arab countries of the Near East) oppressed by the Ashkenazi elite and many other characters. The Israeli Film Festival used to take place in Odeon cinema, which has been closed a few months ago. (Now it is the new place of Budapest Jazz Club.)
The Jewish Film Festival is a new invention, it was introduced this year and takes place in Kino and in Cirko Gejzir cinema. Kino will be closed in the beginning of December. Not the best signal for a new initiative, but hopefully does not imply the failure of it. You might know the Cirko Gejzír, if you have gone to the Verzió Documentary Film Festival.
Unlike the Israeli Film Festival, where many films do not have anything to do with Jewish issues, but all the films are Israeli productions, the Jewish Film Festival strives to present films connected to “Jewishness”, from as many countries as possible (for instance: England, Belgium, US, Australia, Germany, Ukraine, Poland…). At that point we may raise the question: what is a “Jewish issue”, how to define “Jewishness”? Well, after having watched all the trailers, I concluded, that every film was considered “Jewish” in which there was an intention from the parts of the producers to touch topics connected either to Judaism, or to lives of Jewish characters.
Agnes Kelemen
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