The sixth annual Gainesville Jewish Film Festival sold out during its first showing Sunday.
The event runs through March 22 and takes place nearly every night at the Hippodrome State Theatre, situated at 25 SE Second Place.
The films are free with a UF Gator 1 Card. Otherwise, tickets are $10 for one film, $45 for five films or $85 for 10, according to the Jewish Council of North Central Florida’s website.
“I want people to be exposed to very, very well done films that have something very interesting to say,” Jack Kugelmass, the director of UF’s Center for Jewish Studies, said.
Kugelmass said UF’s Center for Jewish Studies joined an ongoing partnership with the council three years ago.
The festival is different each year, he said, because its themes are always varied. And, aside from a Yiddish film released in 1939, each film is a recent release.
The films usually cost between $500 and $2,000 to play, Virginia Brissette Hirshik, the executive director of JCNCF, said.
Tickets are available online, and reservations for student tickets can be made by calling 352-371-3846, she said.
Hirshik said the festival is more of an effort to expand cultural awareness than a money-making machine.
“These stories that otherwise don’t get out there, we have a platform for sharing those,” she said.
