The Rutgers Jewish Film Festival, sponsored by the Bildner Center, screens award winning international films over the ten-day festival. A broad approach is taken when choosing the films for the Rutgers Festival, offering a slate of critically acclaimed titles that explore the multi-layered, global Jewish experience. Some films tackle uniquely Jewish issues, while others address universal themes through a Jewish lens. With such a diverse selection, the festival draws a wide audience, reaching the region's Jewish population as well as the Rutgers University community and the general film-going public.

The Bildner Center makes each screening a multidimensional experience by inviting a guest speaker - either the director, a featured actor or a noted expert in the field - to preface each film and then engage in a dialogue with the audience at its conclusion. Year after year, attendees remark that this opportunity to ask the questions raised by these thought-provoking films makes the issues more personally relevant and their film festival participation more meaningful.

Unique, too, is the way the festival not only reaches out to the community, but also gives back to the university by exposing the general student body to these distinctive films. Professors of Jewish Studies and other academic departments at Rutgers are among the speakers invited to introduce the films, and they will often assign related films to their classes. Students also have the opportunity to meet visiting film directors and scholars.

Contact: 848-932-4166 or rujff@rci.rutgers.edu