The alchemy of a darkened theatre, a room full of peers, and a larger-than-life story transforms a film into something much greater than the sum of its parts. It is an art form and a community building experience. It is entertainment and a reflection of our collective humanity. It is a magic that cannot be replicated on-demand or on ever-shrinking screens. When you see someone’s identity and values revealed on the big screen, their experience – their existence – is validated. That is the impact of a Jewish film festival – to declare to our community at large, despite lingering anti-Semitism or notions of what movie stars or subjects should look like, that we have a diverse array of stories to share.  Film festivals are the vessels that carry these diverse stories across the globe, to many thousands of like-minded cultural consumers.