Digital Chutzpah 2024! PJFM’s Digital Media Festival
Thursday, Sep 19, 2024
Thursday, September 19th – Sunday, September 22nd
Live at the Weitzman
Learn More About Digital Chutzpah 2024! Here
Tickets On Sale Now!
Digital Chutzpah 2024! PJFM’s annual Jewish Digital Media Festival, celebrates innovative visual storytelling by directors, designers, content creators, video artists, and more from around the world. This four-day program features interactive media, films, music, and panels around Judaism in the ever-evolving digital world. PJFM provides a space for all storytellers to thrive and present their groundbreaking work.
Opening Night | Thursday, September 19th from 6 PM – 10 PM
Presentations, Reception and Musical Guests
And The Winner Is… Unapologetically Jewish Contest Finale After an amazing summer of inspiring and hilariously entertaining posts, UNAPOLOGETICALLY JEWISH, PJFM’s first-ever national social media contest, comes to a close on Opening Night of Digital Chutzpah 2024. This past summer, these immensely talented finalists took to their phones to spread Jewish positivity, taking extraordinary leaps to strengthen and foster bonds with Judaism. From comedy to original songs, poetry to Yiddish rhinestoning, intimate conversations with Israeli Jews post-October 7th and throwbacks to the Jewish singers we all know and admire today, these content creators never failed to entertain, delight, and move us with their creativity.
See all SEVEN finalists at this final round of the competition. YOU can participate in “voting” for the finalists too! All you need to bring is your phone and have any Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and/or YouTube account you manage ready on it. Come meet the finalists, and with the press of a button, just like/comment on/share any of their content at the event.
RUN-OF-SHOW
6 PM: Meet-and-Greet with Finalists
7 PM: The Grand Finale – Finalist Presentations
8 PM: Reception with Musical Guests Mara Jill Herman & Bryan Lesnick
9 PM: And the Winner Is…
UNAPOLOGETICALLY JEWISH Finalists
- Dia Morgan Chaimovitz (she/her) – @WarningItsDia
- William Cohen (he/him) – @Tokin.Jew
- Elyse (she/her) – @PoetryMission
- Numoon (Jamey Roberti) (he/him) – @NumoonTalk
- Sarah (she/her) – @LearnYiddishWords
- Erez Shek (he/him) – @Jewsical101
- Odellya Sohnis (she/her) – @upsidedowncrabbucket
Learn more about the finalists at PhillyJFM.org/Unapologetically-Jewish.
Sunday, September 22nd | Session One at 1 PM | Session Two at 2:30 PM
Each session is approx. 48 minutes
Triumph of the Spirit 360° in Auschwitz VR Experience A virtual reality (VR) tour of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, using a VR headset.
Join an incredible, poignant, electrifying 3D experience in Poland — without leaving your location. Don a VR headset and an experienced tour guide will take you on a 65-minute tour that will leave you feeling closely connected to earlier generations.
The tour begins in the vibrant Jewish community of Kraków and then moves on to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. Throughout the tour, the spotlight focuses on timeless Jewish heroism. The VR tour provides the closest experience to actually being there. You will be accompanied by Rabbi Yisrael Goldwasser, a leading Holocaust lecturer and researcher.
Jewish Animated Shorts | Sunday, September 22nd, 11 AM – 12:30 PM
The Waltz Shadows from an interwar Yiddish poem by A. Lutzky waltz at the edge of a modern world as it crumbles under their feet.
Challah on the Run During Shabbos dinner in a remote shtetl, a loaf of challah magically comes to life just as a family is about to eat him!
Flickering Moments A child forges a meaningful bond amidst the horrors of the Holocaust.
Humo Daniel is a boy who travels on a train toward a dark destination: the “smoke house.”
Swimming with Wings The immigration experience is explored through the eyes of a little Israeli girl learning how to swim with clothes on in the Netherlands.
Marice’s Bar In 1942 on a train to nowhere, a former drag queen reminisces about a night from her past in one of the first queer bars in Paris. Echoes of customer gossip tell the story of this legendary bar and its mysterious Algerian Jewish owner.
How to Survive the Heatwave and Stay Human It’s the hottest day of the year, and Jerusalem is being devoured by a scorching heatwave! In the city center, three roommates live in blissful ignorance under the cool caress of their air conditioner. But when the AC breaks down, one person must venture outside to find a new battery and discover HOW TO SURVIVE THE HEATWAVE AND STAY HUMAN.
The Record An antique music instrument dealer receives a magical vinyl record from a traveler. Obsessed by this endless record, the antique dealer listens to it again and again, and the memories reemerge.
Ariel In the world of the Ottoman Sultans, a poor child from Jerusalem makes an unimaginable desert journey to Cairo and back to save his mother and siblings from a rapacious aristocrat. He has nine days…
Closing Night | Sunday, September 22nd, 5 pm – 7 PM
Behind the Podcast: The Nightingale of Iran | Concert and Conversation Join us for an evening featuring Galeet Dardashti (vocalist/composer) as she, along with her live band, presents “Monajat.” This performance brings to life the nearly lost recordings of her grandfather, Younes Dardashti, the most renowned Jewish singer in Iran’s history. Held near the traditional Selichot service, the concert offers a connection to the spiritual and musical traditions of Persian Jews. Through a mix of traditional and contemporary sounds, and accompanying stunning video art Galeet aims to honor and preserve her grandfather’s legacy.
The program will continue with a multimedia presentation from Galeet and Danielle Dardashti (storyteller/documentarian) focused on their award-winning audio documentary, The Nightingale of Iran. The program will conclude with an on stage discussion where the Dardashti sisters will explore their grandfather’s musical journey and its impact on their family. The discussion will cover the making of the podcast, the historical and personal narratives it presents, and the significance of their grandfather’s music. Audience members will have the opportunity to learn more about Younes Dardashti’s life and the creative process behind the podcast.
AI Art Installation | Thursday, September 19th – Sunday, September 22nd
10 AM – 7 PM on Thursday and 10 AM – 4 PM Friday – Sunday
GENESIS: SEED 913 is included with admission to any Digital Chutzpah 2024 event, including general museum admission.
A flawless AI code (prompt/input) generates breathtaking virtual realms (output), until a stray seed creates a sentient being with consciousness, challenging its creator and instigating chaos. GENESIS: SEED 913 explores the intersection of humanity and technology through a narrative inspired by the Biblical Genesis.
The film’s scenes morph seamlessly into each other, creating an infinite loop that enhances the viewer’s experience and reflects the divine orchestration of the universe as a holistic system, where all forms and creatures are vessels born from the same seed, united by a shared essence.
“In GENESIS: SEED 913, themes of humanity and technology blend to illustrate the duality of existence, where each individual is both a creator and a creation. This film invites viewers to reflect on their role within the universal system, fostering a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness and the impact of our creations. Set in Jerusalem, the film explores themes of creation and destruction, mirroring humanity’s cyclical struggles with conflict and creativity. It parallels today’s global crises, such as war and climate change, while questioning the relationship between divine creation and human craftsmanship. The film highlights the beauty of nature’s transience and draws comparisons with artificial intelligence, where unique outcomes emerge from similar foundations, challenging the creator’s vision.” – Directors Ariel Leon Azeus and Naama Dashevski