“The ancient rabbis understood that a person who saves a single life has really saved an entire world. NCJF has really saved an entire world of Jewish film—a world that but for its efforts would long ago have crumbled into oblivion. NCJF is a great historical treasure.”
-- Jonathan Sarna, Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University“The work of NCJF in preserving the legacy of Jewish cinema is second to none in its importance and value to future generations. Not only to researchers, movie critics and film historians, but also—and more significantly—to the preservation and distribution of these films in the collective memory of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. The Israeli film community stands in awe of this singular and impressive project.”
-- Yehuda Stav, Chief Film Critic, Yediot Ahronot, Israel’s largest daily newspaper"One could go on, and one will, praising the National Center for Jewish Film for releasing Yiddish films in restored editions. But the DVD player is beckoning, and I think it is time for me to get back to the couch."
--The New York TimesThe National Center for Jewish Film is a unique, independent nonprofit motion picture archive, distributor, resource center and exhibitor. NCJF's ongoing mission is the collection, preservation and exhibition of films with artistic and educational value relevant to the Jewish experience and the dissemination of these materials to the widest possible audience. NCJF exclusively owns the largest collection of Jewish content film in the world, outside of Israel. The Center's 15,000 reels of feature films, documentaries, newsreels, home movies and institutional films date from 1903 to the present.
Founded in 1976, NCJF is recognized as a world leader in the collection, restoration and exhibition of Jewish art and culture. The center has led the revival of Yiddish Cinema, rescuing these languishing films from oblivion. NCJF's priority is the preservation and restoration of rare and endangered film materials. To date, the Center has restored more than 100 rare and orphan films that document the diversity and vibrancy of Jewish culture, including 44 Yiddish films.
In the scope of its collections and the range of its activities, NCJF is the only organization of its kind. As the largest and oldest resource center for programming Jewish content film materials, NCJF is the world's premiere resource for and about Jewish film. Each year, NCJF provides programming consultation and research assistance to 7,000 filmmakers, artists, educators, curators and organizations. The Center helped launch the now de rigueur programming of Jewish film festivals and is responsible, in part, for the development of Jewish and ethnic film as a subject for academic study and public exhibition. NCJF is also an exhibitor, producing programs for the public, including 23 Boston-area film festivals. Under its fiscal sponsorship program, NCJF provides a non-profit umbrella to independent filmmakers; several dozen films are currently in production under NCJF's aegis.
NCJF fosters cultural, artistic and educational programming worldwide through its extensive access programs. The Center is a major distributor of Jewish-content films and represents the work of more than 100 independent filmmakers from around the world. In all, more than 250 films--restored classics and contemporary independent films--are available for public exhibition and DVD purchase. Each year, NCJF provides films to over 400 venues world wide, as well as for television broadcast including creating the series "Jewish Film Showcase" for American Public Television. NCJF film materials are used in thousands of classrooms and many hundreds of documentaries, TV newsmagazines and museum exhibitions.
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