The festival opened with framing remarks from Brad Pilcher, Assistant Director of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Brad helped us understand the difference between films that we watch purely for enjoyment and those that we watch in order to learn, grow, and think about our life and the world around us. He shared a bit about how the AJFF selects films for the Festival as well as some of the challenges that come with using film as a vehicle for education and community building.
While watching the films, students were asked to fill out a ticktacktoe form that had different High Holy Days themes such as: repentance/teshuvah, sin, judgment, redemption, respect/kavod, faith/trust, and others. These ticktacktoe forms yielded profound discussions following each film.
The Film Festival concluded with a series of silent writing prompts that asked students to identify with different characters in the films, reflect on whether they felt the films were true to life, and more. The written responses of the students convey a deep understanding of the films and the themes of the High Holy Days and confirm the fact that this is an incredibly meaningful and impactful day of learning.
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