Dear Friends,

In the mid-1980’s, this Film Festival was just a dream. Today, more than 25,000 festival-goers later, we are in our eleventh year of celebrating international and independent films and bringing them “home” to Central Contra Costa County and the Tri-Valley Region.

While enjoying popcorn and an amazing movie is a good thing, film festivals also encourage dialogue and build community. Our feature films, shorts and documentaries reflect the dynamism and diversity of peoples around the world as well as the complexity of personal experiences. Film is a medium which constructs cultural bridges between our area’s diverse religious and ethnic groups.

For 2007, we are expanding our screenings from Central Contra Costa County to the Tri-Valley region. In addition to our screenings at the state-of-the-art Brenden Theatres in Concord and the Contra Costa Jewish Community Center, we will feature two films at the award-winning Vine Cinema in Livermore.

We wish to thank our amazing committee that views films twelve months out of the year in order to create the perfect cinematic line-up for you, our festival-goers. We also wish to thank our generous sponsors. Please support those businesses that support the growth of cultural arts in our community.

Now choose a film or two (or perhaps the entire line-up by becoming a Film Festival pass holder).

See you at the movies!

Debra Jill Levin, Festival Chair

Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay
Donald Brody, President
Loren Basch, Chief Executive Officer
Valerie Jonas, Regional Director, Contra Costa/Tri-Valley/Tri-City

Jewish Community Foundation
Moses Libitzky, President
Lisa Tabak, Executive Director

Contra Costa Jewish Community Center
Virginia Peiser, President
Jamie Hyams, Executive Director

Festival Chair:
Debra Jill Levin

Festival Director
Riva Gambert

Committee:
Abbey Cook, Joyce Ellenberg, Marv Ellenberg, Myra Feiger, Pearl Furman, Seri Gomberg, Joyce Gross, Sharon Kantor, Mike Kurtzman, Efi Lubliner, Elan Lubliner, Ilana Revelli, Rayna Ravitz, Richard Ravitz, Wesley Rosenthal, Linda Scotting, Barney Sherman, Norma Sherman, Beryl Silver, Ivor Silver, Andre Solomon, Gregory VanBuskirk