ABOUT
FESTIVAL HISTORY
Since 2002, audiences throughout Central Mississippi have looked forward to Jewish Cinema South’s Jackson Jewish Film Festival, a partnership between Beth Israel Congregation, the Student Culture Organization at Millsaps College and the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute for Southern Jewish Life (ISJL). Jewish Cinema South was created by the ISJL to form a regional network of film festivals that highlight the Jewish experience. The Jackson festival shared with its sister cities the ISJL goals of educating the public, enhancing Jewish life, strengthening ethnic pride, promoting multi-cultural and multi-ethnic dialogue, celebrating diversity and encouraging and promoting tolerance and understanding.
Over the years, the Jackson Jewish Film Festival has showcased Israeli and Jewish-themed independent films, films that are shown in major Jewish film festivals around the world. Film choices have ranged from contemporary dramatic features, provocative documentaries, entertaining short subject films, comedies and archival selections. Many of the screenings included appearances by filmmakers, actors and individuals with special expertise on a particular topic. Over the years, the Film Festival has also brought thought-provoking films to local private and public high schools.
It has always been the goal of Jewish Cinema South to transition each participating film festival community from a jointly sponsored activity to an independent, stand-alone organization. Towards that end, Beth Israel Congregation and the Student Culture Organization at Millsaps joined forces to sponsor a new film festival, Jewish Cinema Mississippi. This will continue the tradition of bringing important Jewish-themed films to the residents of Mississippi and honor the important contributions that the ISJL has made in helping communities start film festivals.
Over the years, the Jackson Jewish Film Festival has showcased Israeli and Jewish-themed independent films, films that are shown in major Jewish film festivals around the world. Film choices have ranged from contemporary dramatic features, provocative documentaries, entertaining short subject films, comedies and archival selections. Many of the screenings included appearances by filmmakers, actors and individuals with special expertise on a particular topic. Over the years, the Film Festival has also brought thought-provoking films to local private and public high schools.
It has always been the goal of Jewish Cinema South to transition each participating film festival community from a jointly sponsored activity to an independent, stand-alone organization. Towards that end, Beth Israel Congregation and the Student Culture Organization at Millsaps joined forces to sponsor a new film festival, Jewish Cinema Mississippi. This will continue the tradition of bringing important Jewish-themed films to the residents of Mississippi and honor the important contributions that the ISJL has made in helping communities start film festivals.
Our artwork was designed by Christina Mattison.
Originally from Columbia, Maryland, Christina currently resides on Galveston Island, Texas, just south of Houston. Christina is an illustrator, graphic designer and mixed media artist working on a range of projects including children’s book illustration, editorial illustration, book design, stationery design and Judaica. While largely self-taught, Christina credits a good deal of her early artistic development to spending time at the Maryland Institute College of Art throughout high school and on college breaks, where she took a variety of courses in drawing, painting and design whenever possible.
Some of Christina's recent honors include a 2014 IPPY Gold Medal Award along with author Rabbi Shoshana Hantman for the cover design of Hantman's Passover Parodies: Short Plays for the Seder Table and a Royal Dragonfly 1st Place Book Award in the category of Spirituality, Religion and Philosophy along with author Debo Dykes for the illustration of Stellarella: It's Saturday! Learn more about it here.
Originally from Columbia, Maryland, Christina currently resides on Galveston Island, Texas, just south of Houston. Christina is an illustrator, graphic designer and mixed media artist working on a range of projects including children’s book illustration, editorial illustration, book design, stationery design and Judaica. While largely self-taught, Christina credits a good deal of her early artistic development to spending time at the Maryland Institute College of Art throughout high school and on college breaks, where she took a variety of courses in drawing, painting and design whenever possible.
Some of Christina's recent honors include a 2014 IPPY Gold Medal Award along with author Rabbi Shoshana Hantman for the cover design of Hantman's Passover Parodies: Short Plays for the Seder Table and a Royal Dragonfly 1st Place Book Award in the category of Spirituality, Religion and Philosophy along with author Debo Dykes for the illustration of Stellarella: It's Saturday! Learn more about it here.
2023 MEMBERS
Jewish Cinema Mississippi would not be possible without the assistance of the following individuals.
- Cheryl Katz, Co-Director
- Abram Orlansky, Co-Director
- Peter Zapletal, Film Selection Chair
- Rabbi Joseph Rosen, Film Selection Committee
- Shira Muroff, Film Selection Committee
- Sheila Rubin, Film Selection Committee
- Marla Hearon, Film Selection Committee
- Jarmila Zapletal, Film Selection Committee
- Christina Mattison Klaven, Featured Artist
- Sheila Hailey, Administrative Support