UK Jewish Film's Honorary Patrons include David Kustow OBE, Louise and Hilton Nathanson, Tim Angel OBE, Dame Hilary Blume, The Right Honourable the Lord Collins of Mapesbury, Vanessa Feltz, Henry Goodman, Michael Grabiner, Romaine Hart OBE, Stephen Hermer, Zamir Joory, Dame Maureen Lipman, Lord and Lady Mitchell, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, Rick Senat, Jason Solomons, Paul Morrison and Chaim Topol.
He focused on increasing the profile and reach of the organisation as well as on supporting new creative talent through a new FilmLab programme and the creation of Film Festival Jury Awards.
The festival opened with the 1997 German film Comedian Harmonists (directed by Joseph Vilsmaier), which was introduced by journalist and author David Winner.
The festival closed with a showing of Matej Mináč's film All My Loved Ones, inspired by the story of Nicholas Winton, who saved hundreds of Czech Jewish children from the Nazis.
This Festival, the seventh, ran from 25 October to 6 November 2003 and opened with Wondrous Oblivion, directed by Paul Morrison, who attended the screening and took part in a question and answer session afterwards.
[17] The eighth Festival, held from 16 to 21 October 2004, opened with Sam Gabarski's Rashevski's Tango and also screened the UK premiere of Le Grand Role, attended by its director, Steve Suissa, and lead actor Bérénice Bejo.
The festival opened at the Curzon Mayfair with a screening of the film Sixty Six, introduced by its director Paul Weiland and attended by its leading actors Eddie Marsan and Gregg Sulkin.
The Festival collaborated with Jewish Book Week, screening The Garden that Floated Away, a film about the acclaimed Polish-Israeli writer, Ida Fink.
[24][25] It included a Sing-A-Long-A Hairspray event, the UK premiere of Sacred Language, Spoken Language (followed by a question and answer session with film director Nurit Aviv) and a special preview of award-winning animation Waltz with Bashir (followed by a question and answer session with art director and illustrator David Polonsky).
The London venues for the Festival included the Barbican Centre, the Everyman Hampstead, BFI Southbank and Vue West End.
[28] At the 15th Festival, from 1 to 20 November 2011,[29] 75 films were shown, from 16 countries[29] including Norway (Strictly Confidential), Russia (I Shall Remember) and Poland (Joanna, My Australia, The Moon is Jewish).
[30] Boyd Hilton, TV & reviews editor of Heat magazine, interviewed Robert Popper, the writer and producer of Channel 4's Friday Night Dinner.
[31] The Opening Night Gala was attended by many VIPs including French film director Sophie Lellouche, Israeli actor Ohad Knoller, British actor Maureen Lipman, journalist and film critic Jason Solomons, playwright Amy Rosenthal as well as UKJF Honorary Life Patron Sir Sydney Samuelson.
The highlights included a screening at the Barbican Centre of the 1925 Edward Sloman silent film, His People, accompanied by a live score played by violinist Sophie Solomons.
A full day of professional workshops, training and a networking session took place at the London Film Museum in Covent Garden.
[34] It opened on 31 October at BFI Southbank with a gala screening of The Jewish Cardinal,[35] a historical drama about Jean-Marie Lustiger, the Jewish-born head of the French Church and close confidant of Pope John Paul II.
[34] Perrier Award-winning comic Arnold Brown was joined by Miriam Margolyes, Bill Paterson, David Schneider and Jes Benstock to unveil their new film project.
"[44] Nick Cohen, writing in The Spectator, accused the Tricycle of inconsistency, as other groups' or events' funding had not, he claimed, previously been examined in this way.
Cohen also pointed out that the Tricycle itself accepted Arts Council funding during times that the UK was actively involved in military conflicts.
[46] Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport was reported as saying that the theatre had been "misguided" in demanding the festival drop its sponsorship by the Israeli Embassy.
Other films screened during the festival included UK premieres of 5 to 7, Experimenter, The Farewell Party, Amir Wolf's Fire Birds, I Smile Back, Labyrinth of Lies, Look at us now Mother!, My Nazi Legacy and Son of Saul.
In 2015 Chief Executive Michael Etherton launched a Best Debut Feature Award with a jury headed by producer and then director of the National Film and Television School, Nik Powell.
We were thrilled that the jury recognised the extraordinary achievement of the winner, as well as giving a much deserved special commendation for the funny, profound and warm-hearted Israeli feature The Farewell Party.
The Best Feature Film Award included Jason Solomons (head of jury), Kim Bodnia, Dave Calhoun, Peter Bradshaw and Tracy-Ann Oberman.
[57] The festival programme included an innovative live music and film event based around the 1963 crime thriller, The Small World of Sammy Lee, directed by Ken Hughes.
Key scenes from the film were accompanied by music from Gareth Lockrane and Band, inspired by the original be bop jazz tracks of Kenny Graham.
The event was presented in partnership with the 606 Club and Sound on Screen.work The 21st UK Jewish Film Festival ran from 9 to 26 November 2017,[58][59] with screenings in Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, as well as in London.
The 22nd UK Jewish Film Festival ran from 8 to 22 November 2018,[61] and opened with the Israeli drama Working Woman by director/screenwriter Michal Aviad.
Key films included Asia, Shiva Baby, Golden Voices, Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations, Man on the Bus, The Viewing Booth, A Call to Spy and Honeymood.
– an intergenerational project in partnership with Noam Masorti Youth to explore perspectives on Jewish contributions to British film and cinema heritage.