It aims to gather in the program features, documentaries, shorts and animated films on the subject of Jewish culture, history and national identity and contemporary problems.

The jury was chaired by writer-director Konstantin Fam, and the other members were Rabbi Alexander Boroda, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia; Catherine Mtsituridze, television presenter, film critic and head of Roskino; Alexander Kott, director, screenwriter and producer, and Ruslan Sorokin - writer and producer.

[9][10] The festival opened with a film called A Tale of Love and Darkness directed by Natalie Portman.

[21][22] The jury was chaired by Alexander Rodnyansky,[23] producer of TV-shows and feature films, member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, founder of the first independent Ukrainian TV channel 1+1, CEO of CTC Media broadcasting company.

[24] The welcome speech at the Opening ceremony was held by the President of Jury Alexander Rodnyansky and famous American director and producer Brett Ratner.

The total number of people who attended screenings and educational events of the Festival exceeded eight and a half thousand.

The Ark Foundation was created with the aim of developing Jewish culture and preserving history, as well as promoting the ideas of humanism, tolerance and equality through the creation and distribution of cinematographic works and the organization of events in the field of cinema.

[31] To be considered for exhibition, submissions must have relevance to Jewish themes, issues, history, heritage, and culture.

A public council, created in 2017, continued its work and included the following filmmakers and leaders of the Jewish community: The award of the MJFF is called the "Key to Discoveries".

In different years the lecturers were Shakespearian and theater historian Aleksei Bartoshevich, researcher of Jewish thought Uri Gershovich, musicologist Lyalya Kandaurova, religious scholar and historian Yuri Tabak, cinematographer Valery Davydov, Russian philosopher Igor Chubarov, flash fiction author, poet and essayist Linor Goralik, director and screenwriter Oleg Dorman, film critic Valery Davydov, Alexander Bartosiewicz, Alexander Mitta, Lyudmila Ulitskaya, the lead actor in the movie Son of Saul Géza Röhrig,[38][39][40] film director and screenwriter Andrei Konchalovsky, Russian artist Nikolay Polissky, the son of Yitzhak Rabin - Yuval Rabin, film director Amir Yatsiv and others.

[42]Films that talk about Jewish themes are a great contribution into dialogue between cultures, which is undoubtedly important for a multinational country that Russia is.