By Julie Sherman
The Edward S. Finkelstein Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival is going virtual this summer, from June 28th-July 30th. Meaning, you will not have to wait for September only to find that we have had to postpone our 2020 season even further due to Covid-19 uncertainties. Instead, the superb selection of films – and accompanying special events – your committee chose for you this season will be available for you, at home, over the course of five weeks this summer.
And now for the other good news: we are offering the Festival to the community free of charge. You will have to register at the Festival website, but that’s more housekeeping than anything else: once registered, you will be given access to the films (each on its own 24-hour screening day) on your computer, laptop, or phone.
A virtual Festival has its own set of challenges, and in the weeks ahead -- on our website, Facebook page, Federation e-blasts, and here in the Community Review -- we hope to prepare you to enjoy the experience.
We will do our best to help you with the technology – instructions for different options for viewing are available on our website. If you are not already a member, you will need to join Vimeo (which you can also do from our website); it is a free membership that you will enjoy long after our Festival ends.
And while we won’t be able to gather before or after the films as we did – and will soon again, we hope – at Midtown Cinema (our partner in this virtual festival), perhaps we can recreate the “office water-cooler” experience of days past (with a 21st Century twist): watch the films in the privacy of your homes, then join us at the end of each film’s screening day for online discussion via Zoom (instructions for that on our website too).
So register for our virtual Festival today at www.hbgjff.com, and while you’re at it, check out the tremendous slate of films and guest speakers we look forward to sharing with you this summer. It’s going to be different, but it’s going to be great.
See you – somehow, someday (and meanwhile, virtually) – at the movies!