THREE EMAILS AND ONE RESPONSE.

Today I got three emails. I sent one angry response. Probably not to the right person.

The first email. The Yiddish Film was accepted to the Tucson Jewish Film Festival, in Tucson Arizona. Seems like in the West coast and in Middle America people, Jews and non Jews love the film. It's wonderful.

The second email. The Yiddish Film Was rejected by the NY Jewish Film Festival. I was somewhat shocked. A film about trying to save Yiddish culture in NY being rejected even by the NY Jewish Film Festival crowd?

Go figure.

Lastly, a woman from Florida read about the film in the Hadassah magazine and wanted to know when it'll screen in Florida. She thought her mother in law would love the film. Since our film was rejected by the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival. The heart of Jewish life in Florida, I assume Florida is also out of the picture, like NY.
Thus, I sent her a somewhat angrier than most response. Sadly, this innocent person that just wanted to see the film, got the negative energy that others deserved.

Here's my response to this woman :

"Hi Anita,
Thanks for the email.
The film will probably never play in NY or Florida.
Don't know why.
Seems like the heads of the Jewish Film Festivals there don't like the film.
That said, it is getting great response from the rest of the country.
So if she travels she could probably see it in most of the other
Jewish Film Festivals in the country and or in International Film
Festivals not run by Jews in middle America where they found the
subject matter interesting and not embarrassing.

Dan"

For history's sake, I've also included my rejection letter from the NY Jewish Film Festival. For all those skeptics out there that will email me that it's impossible that the NY Jewish Film Festival rejected a film about trying to save Yiddish Theater in NYC. A film that opens with a shot of Gov. Pataki of NY saying on a stage in NY to the Jewish consituency :
"More Than Fifty years ago, Hitler tried to kill a people and their culture. He failed at both"

The email from the NY Jewish Film Festival:

Dear Dan,

Thank you so much for submitting YIDDISH THEATER for consideration in The New York Jewish Film Festival. It was one of many fine films in an extremely competitive process and unfortunately we were not able to select it. We really appreciate you sharing it with us. While the work was not selected for this year’s Festival we hope that you will consider sending us future productions.

Sincerely,

Andrew Ingall, Assistant Curator
Broadcast Archive/New York Jewish Film Festival
The Jewish Museum
1109 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10128 USA
t +212 423 3234; f +212-423-3232
aingall@thejm.org
http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/site/pages/page.php?id=76&live_stats=NYJFFOverview