The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival announced Feb. 13 that it has hired filmmaker and film educator Jay Rosenblatt as its new program director.
Rosenblatt replaces Nancy Fishman, who left the SFJFF in August after working for the festival for seven years. His first order of business will be the 30th anniversary festival, which will take place July 24 to Aug. 9.
Rosenblatt, a resident of San Francisco, is an internationally recognized independent filmmaker. His films have received more than 100 awards and have screened throughout the world, including at the Sundance Film Festival and on HBO, according to the press release.
In 2002, Rosenblatt co-produced the 9/11 program “Underground Zero,” which was named one of the 10 best films of the year by Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle.
In addition to being a filmmaker, Rosenblatt has taught film at various colleges in the Bay Area.
As the new program director, Rosenblatt will work with SFJFF staff to screen more than 600 movies before selecting nearly 70 films for the 2010 festival.
Rosenblatt also will work with Fishman, who will return as a guest curator for the 2010 Festival’s thematic series, “Tough Guys: Images of Jewish Gangsters in Film.” That showcase recently was awarded a prestigious grant by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.