AJFF Rebrands and Expands Its Programming

Halfway through its 25th anniversary year, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival has a new name and a new focus. Going forward, the word, “festival,” has been dropped from the name and Atlanta gets abbreviated. It’s now ATL Jewish Film. The familiar director’s chair logo with a Jewish star in the center becomes a kind of punctuation mark for the new design.

What is being added is a new emphasis on education and what Kenny Blank, the organization’s executive and artistic director, described as “bridge building” between school-age young people.

The organization will also broaden its support for professional filmmakers in what has become a city with a thriving center for new productions.

“A new filmmaker fund will provide direct financial support to film artists,” Blank said, “uplifting these cinematic storytellers, while creating a pipeline of innovative film projects that explore the breadth of the Jewish experience.”

The redesign and the expanded programming initiative is part of an unprecedented push for new funding. What has been termed the Kenny Blank Vision Initiative has raised most of the $2.5 million it had as its goal this year.

Board President James Anderson, who took over in June, sees the new plan as sharpening the focus of the organization.

“ATL Jewish Film will carry all of our programs under one roof, helping the community see the breadth of our organization and recognize every event, screening and conversation as part of the same vision they’ve helped to build.”

Though the word festival has disappeared from the name, the festival event still remains very much the work of the organization. Next year’s film showcase will be a 25-day theatrical and virtual screening event that will run from Feb. 18 to March 15, 2026.

A student filmmaking competition was kicked off at The Westminster Schools on Aug. 27. It’s led by Kaylin Bennhout, senior manager of education and community relations. It’s hoped that a broad cross section of students from public and private schools will participate.

A similar event is planned in Clarkston, which has a rich mixture of racial and ethnic identities. Faculty advisors will guide student teams through the production process which concludes with a public screening and award ceremony on Nov. 19.

The student filmmaking competition has been made possible by the generous support of Sheri and Steve Labovitz who have been long-time supporters of the organization.

“We believe deeply in the power of film to build bridges across cultures, generations and perspectives,” the Labovitz’ commented. “This program empowers young people to share their voice, express their identities and connect with other through creative expression.”