27th NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival - Festival Sefarad

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 6, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The first month-long cultural celebration of the Greater Sephardic world in U.S. history will debut Sunday, June 8, with the Opening Night of the 27th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival (NYSJFF) at El Museo del Barrio on Fifth Avenue’s Museum Mile. Festival Sefarad NYC is a movable feast of more than 40 events across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island in June.

Organized by the American Sephardi Federation (ASF) in partnership with over 50 community organizations and supported by the UJA-Federation of New York, Festival Sefarad brings Sephardic scholarship, music, film, art, and spirituality to the forefront of New York’s Jewish cultural calendar.

“Festival Sefarad is a joyous and transformative series of events that exemplify the resilience, creativity, and inclusivity of Sephardic communities,” said ASF President David E.R. Dangoor. “This celebration embraces Jews of all backgrounds and showcases a powerful model of Jewish unity.”

Opening Night Highlights:
• A special concert by acclaimed Brazilian singer Fortuna with Trio Mediterraneo and Grammy-winning trumpeter Frank London.
• Presentation of the ASF Pomegranate Awards to outstanding Sephardic artists, writers, actors, directors, and performers: Michel Boujenah, Fortuna, Yael Naim, and Roya Hakakian. Past honorees include: André Aciman, Alexandre Arcady, Lisa Azuelos, André Azoulay, Helene Cixous, Ronit Elkabetz, Stella Levi, Albert Memmi, Saïd Ben Saïd, Eli Tahari, and John Turturro.
• The Pomegranates are sculpted by renowned Baghdad-born artist Oded Halahmy

Festival events continue June 9 with a presentation “From the Sacred to the Utilitarian…Exploring the Soul of Objects” by ASF Pomegranate Awardee Ghiora Aharoni at the Moise Safra Center followed, at the Florence Gould Theater, by a 40th anniversary screening of Boujenah’s THREE MEN & A CRADLE and the world premiere of YAEL NAIM: A NEW SOUL. All other screenings will take place at the ASF - Center for Jewish History. In all, the NYSJFF will be premiering seven films, including MATCHMAING 2, JINXED, HILULA, THE LAST RIGHTOUS MAN (on the Baba Sali), LE PAYS D’ORIGINE, and NEUILLY-POISSY.

International filmmakers are flying in to participate in the Festival, Jill Coulon (YAEL NAIM: A NEW SOUL), Meital Cohen Navarro (OVER MY DEAD BODY), and Rafael Balulu (THE LAST RIGHTEOUS MAN). Joseph Samuel, a survivor of the Farhud, will speak following a special screening of GIADO: HOLOCAUST IN THE DESERT.

Legendary French-Sephardi singer Enrico Macias will close the NYSJFF on June 15 with a concert at El Museo del Barrio.

“The NY Sephardic Film Festival is a celebration of the diversity of Sephardic culture and identity. With World, U.S. and NY premieres our movies are a reflection of the vibrant lives—past and present—of Sephardic Jews throughout the world: from Israel, the US and Europe. Like a good wine, the NY Sephardic Film Festival is getting better every year!,” says ASF Vice President & Festival Chair Raquel Benatar Laredo.

Festival Sefarad will continue with immersive cultural experiences: Sephardic Shabbat dinners, a Juneteenth and Bloomsday events, rooftop parties, calligraphy workshops, synagogue and walking tours, and lectures by leading scholars, including Dr. Hélène Jawhara Piñer, Dr. Edwin Seroussi, and Haham Hakki Sassoon.

“Just as Jewish peoplehood is a mosaic, not a monolith, so too are our events,” said ASF Executive Director Jason Guberman. “Festival Sefarad NYC is a citywide celebration of Jewish joy, diversity, and resilience.”

Learn more at: https://www.FestivalSefarad.com/program/
Press Contact:
Anna Vasquez
American Sephardi Federation
www.americansephardi.org

Jason Guberman
American Sephardi Federation
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