Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Tightens Structure & Rules

ATL Jewish Film, which presents the annual Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF), for the first time in its long history has adopted a comprehensive outline of its core values and the rules by which the organization is governed.

The document, which is the result of months of intense discussion by the organization’s Board of Directors, was created after Israel’s Atlanta Consulate withdrew from its partnership in this year’s event and the support that it provided.

According to Joel Neuman, board vice president and who co-chaired the discussions about the new rules, the organization was not prepared earlier this year to directly address the concerns of the Consulate when they were raised.

“When issues arose,” Neuman commented, “we didn’t have the comprehensive set of practices and policies and guidelines and a framework that we needed to really guide decision making when sensitive issues came up.”

The Consulate’s unprecedented action, which shocked many event supporters, was particularly damaging because it came just after the start of the nearly month-long series of this year’s films. The Israeli office’s criticism was of the festival’s selection of a student representative from Morehouse College on a Jury Award panel.

The student had apparently posted what the Consulate described as “antisemitic and anti-Israel content” on social media. The festival’s initial response was that they could not find any justification to ban a jury member for public comments that criticized Israel.

But it soon followed with a public apology for what had occurred and began the intense effort to clarify and codify the festival’s basic values. Shari Labovitz, who has been a leading supporter of the AJFF since its inception a quarter-century ago, and a co-chair of the Board’s governance committee, indicated that the effort involved a complete discussion of what the organization stood for.

“I think in, in large part, we were motivated by looking at the criticism,” Labovitz said, “evaluating the criticism, and what we did starts with our core values, and frankly, that’s where we started.”

Under a section of what is called “Standards for Public Representation,” the organization states that it will not knowingly include individuals that participate with the organization in any way, publicly, “whose public statements or actions materially conflict with the organization’s Core Values.” Specially, that is described as efforts to delegitimize Israel and engage in antisemitism and other forms of bigotry.

The document also outlines a concerted effort at making sure that all organizational representatives and invited guests, including film artists, abide by ATL Jewish Film’s mission and values as a Jewish cultural institution.

I think in, in large part, we were motivated by looking at the criticism, evaluating the criticism, and what we did starts with our core values, and frankly, that’s where we started.

But the organization also emphasized that it has not altered its commitment to artistic freedom, open discussion and the presentation of a broad selection of “films that explore complex, challenging or thought-provoking subjects.” That’s unchanged, according to Kenny Blank, ATL Jewish Film’s artistic and executive director.

“I think the framework, the policies that have been developed, articulate what we stand for, just as much as the things that, as a Jewish organization, we will not tolerate. I mean, this was really an opportunity to affirm what we stand for as an organization, and not a change in our mission.”

What has changed, according to the group, is the level of guidance and structure under which the organization functions. According to a statement that accompanied the new rules, “Together, these measures strengthen accountability and transparency, bring greater rigor and care to decision making and preserve the artistic freedom and curatorial independence essential to our mission.”

The Israeli Consulate’s sharp and swift reaction in February to the film group’s initial misstep was a dramatic departure in the relationship between the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and the Israeli government’s representatives in Atlanta.

The relationship between the two has generally been cordial and supportive over the event’s 25-year history.

The film festival has provided the community with an unparalleled opportunity to explore the often complex structure of social, political, and religious life of the Jewish state. Frequently, the films have been accompanied by the personal participation of Israeli actors, directors, and other important creative figures from the country’s important film industry.

This year, almost one-third of the films the AJFF screened were either from Israel or co-produced there; and three of the six Jury prizes were awarded to Israeli films.

Blank fully expects the future to sometimes pose difficult issues, but he’s confident there will be fewer bumps in the long road ahead.

“As a Jewish organization, as a Jewish film festival, we are tackling topics and issues that are sometimes thorny and difficult … now, we have this wonderful package of values and framework to help guide us in that work.”