As the 2021 New York Jewish Film Festival kicks off on this Wednesday, January 13 and plays through January 26, expand your festival experience with Q&As and free live talks taking place throughout the celebrated annual event. Along with 17 features and seven shorts, the festival’s 2021 virtual lineup showcases will include a workshop with Peabody Award–winning filmmaker Judith Helfand, five live talks with filmmakers, and 12 pre-recorded Q&As included with your ticket rentals.

Live Talks: These talks are free and open to the public with registration required. They will take place on Zoom and attendees can submit questions via the Q&A button in your window. Film at Lincoln Center Talks are presented by HBO.

Q&As: Q&As are pre-recorded and will appear as bonus content with your film rental. They can be watched anytime during your rental period.

The New York Jewish Film Festival is presented by Jewish Museum and Film at Lincoln Center. 

NYJFF Q&As AND TALKS

Irmi

  • Film available Jan. 26 at noon ET to Jan. 29 at noon ET: Get Tickets
  • Live Talk with directors Susan Fanshel and Veronica Selver at Jan. 27 at 2pm ET

Past Talks/Films

Update: Please find a selection of the below Q&As on our YouTube channel.

Here We Are

  • Film available Jan. 13 at noon ET to Jan. 16 at noon ET
  • Live Talk with director Nir Bergman on Jan. 14 at 2pm ET

The Crossing

  • Film available Jan. 14 at noon ET to Jan. 17 at noon ET
  • Ticket includes Q&A with director Johanne Helgeland

Tahara

  • Film available Jan. 14 at noon ET to Jan. 17 at noon ET
  • Ticket includes Q&A with director Olivia Peace and writer/producer Jess Zeidman

Asia

  • Film available Jan. 15 at noon ET to Jan. 18 at noon ET
  • Live Talk with director Ruthy Pribar on Jan. 17 at 2pm ET

Shared Legacies: The African American-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance
This film is presented collaboratively by the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, the Jewish Museum, and Film at Lincoln Center. The JCC’s Cinematters: NY Social Justice Film Festival takes place January 14-18, 2021.

  • Film available Jan. 16 at 10am ET to Jan. 18 at 10pm ET
  • Ticket includes Shared Legacies Live Q&A on Jan. 18 at 2pm ET
    • Directed by Dr. Shari Rogers, Shared Legacies: The African American-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance delves deep into the longstanding relationship between Jewish and Black communities in the United States. Join Rogers, the scholar Susannah Heschel (Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College), and Reverend Jacques Andre DeGraff for a discussion on the role of the Black-Jewish partnership in the civil rights movement, its legacy in subsequent years of activism, and how the lessons of the past might help us chart a path forward. Moderated by Yolanda Savage-Narva, the Director for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Union for Reform Judaism.

Breaking Bread

  • Film available Jan. 17 at noon ET to Jan. 20 at noon ET
  • Ticket includes Q&A with director Beth Elise Hawk

The Red Orchestra

  • Film available Jan. 17 at noon ET to Jan. 20 at noon ET
  • Ticket includes Q&A with director Carl-Ludwig Retinger

Adventures of a Mathematician

  • Film available Jan. 18 at noon ET to Jan. 21 at noon ET
  • Ticket includes Q&A with director Thor Klein, producer Lena Vurma, and actor Philippe Tolkinski

Minyan

  • Film available Jan. 19 at noon ET to Jan. 22 at noon ET
  • Ticket includes Q&A with director Eric Steel, actor Ron Rifkin, and actor Samuel Levine

The Sign Painter

  • Film available Jan. 19 at noon ET to Jan. 22 at noon ET
  • Ticket includes Q&A with director Viesturs Kairish

Shorts Program

Winter Journey

  • Film available Jan. 21 at noon ET to Jan. 24 at noon ET
  • Live Talk with director Anders Østergaard and author Martin Goldsmith on Jan. 22 at 2pm ET

Love & Stuff 

  • Film available Jan. 22 at noon ET to Jan. 25 at noon ET
  • Live Talk: Filmmaker Focus: On Making the Personal Universal with Judith Helfand at Jan. 24 at 2pm ET
    • This year’s NYJFF features two films by the Peabody Award–winning filmmaker Judith Helfand: the feature-length Love & Stuff and the short, Absolutely No Spitting. In this workshop, Helfand will lead a connect-the-dots tour through her body of autobiographical work, exploring the power of transparency, juxtaposition, and humor in navigating personal and universal crises. Using clips from her films A Healthy Baby Girl, Blue Vinyl, Cooked: Survival by Zip Code, and Love & Stuff, she will demonstrate how her work engages audiences with some of the most serious issues of our time, while also making them laugh.

On Broadway

  • Film available Jan. 22 at noon ET to Jan. 25 at noon ET
  • Live Talk with director Oren Jacoby on Jan. 25 at 4pm ET

Who’s Afraid of Alice Miller

  • Film available Jan. 24 at noon ET to Jan. 27 at noon ET
  • Ticket includes Q&A with director Daniel Howald

Kindertransport to Sweden

  • Film available Jan. 25 at noon ET to Jan. 28 at noon ET
  • Ticket includes Q&A with director GĂŒlseren Sengezer

The Light Ahead

  • Film available Jan. 25 at noon ET to Jan. 28 at noon ET
  • Ticket includes Q&A with Sharon Rivo and Lisa Rivo, Co-directors of the National Center for Jewish Film