"50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" in 2020, 2021, 2022
- MovieMaker Magazine
"One of the Best Jewish Film Festival's in the US"
- The Forward
"One of South Florida's Best Film Festivals"
- Miami New Times
"Best of Miami, Readers Choice"
- Miami's Community Newspapers
"An important stop for any filmmaker"
- Sun-Sentinel
"A monumental festival"
- The Miami Herald
The Miami Jewish Film Festival (MJFF) is the world's preeminent Jewish film festival and the largest festival of its kind dedicated to celebrating new film and media exploring universal themes of identity, history, and culture. Presenting its 27th edition from January 11-25, 2024, the Festival showcases the work of the world's best emerging and established filmmakers and offers cash awards totaling more than $40,000 in juried competition categories. Among the 105 films that premiered at the 2023 Festival which featured the largest Jewish film program in the world, more than 50 were selected from FilmFreeway submissions. Miami Jewish Film Festival has also made the prestigious "One of the 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" list by MovieMaker Magazine in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
In 2023, the Miami Jewish Film Festival drew more than 35,000 filmgoers and attracted more than 100 filmmakers, producers, talent, and industry professionals to its two-week event of inspiring films, events, panels, and parties that are hosted at 7 major venues throughout Miami. In all, the Festival presents more than 100 feature narratives, documentaries, and short films of all genres, from more than 25 different countries.
MJFF presents dramatic and documentary features, experimental, and animated features and shorts about Jewish history, culture, and identity as well as films that reflect life through a Jewish lens. The programming staff takes a broad view of what makes a film Jewish and have been known to curate films that are Jew(ish) as well as films about issues that are relevant to Jewish communities and resonate with other cultural communities across the globe. Works in all forms and genres are considered.
The Festival receives significant industry recognition; each year several films premiering at the Festival are acquired for US distribution. Recent distributors who have acquired films directly from the Festival include Kino Lorber ("The Last Resort"), Samuel Goldwyn Films ("Saul & Ruby, To Life!," "Sobibor"), Netflix ("Curtiz"), Strand Releasing ("The Other Story"), Menemsha Films ("Tiger Within," "If You See My Mother," "1945," "In Search of Israeli Cuisine," "Leona"), Film Movement ("Shtetlers," "God of the Piano"), Breaking Glass Pictures ("Extra Innings," "Children of the Inquisition"), Passion River Films ("The Barn"), and Go2Films ("Sefarad"), among others.
GRAND JURY PRIZE - $18,000
Miami Jewish Film Festival's top award, presenting $18,000 USD prize to the jury-selected feature film (60 minutes or longer) that is open to any filmmaker whose work – feature narrative or documentary – presents either a substantial portion of its content as Jewish interest or is produced in Israel.
DOCUMENTARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - $18,000
The award offers a cash prize of $18,000 USD to the jury-selected documentary feature film (60 minutes or longer) that is open to any filmmaker whose work presents either a substantial portion of its content as Jewish interest or is produced in Israel.
NEXT WAVE JURY PRIZE - $5,000
A juried prize selected by 21-35-year-olds presenting $5,000 USD to a film of any genre that is a directorial debut.
SHORT FILM COMPETITION JURY PRIZE - $500
Winner receives a non-exclusive US distribution release of their film through Film Movement, as well as a $500.00 USD prize.
CRITICS JURY PRIZE
Presented to a film of any genre voted on by all accredited film critics covering the annual Festival, for the film they consider the best of that year’s selection.
AUDIENCE AWARD FOR NARRATIVE
Presented to the filmmakers of the Festival audience’s choice of best narrative feature (60 min or more).
AUDIENCE AWARD FOR DOCUMENTARY
Presented to the filmmakers of the Festival audience’s choice of best documentary feature (60 min or more).
