Educator Resources

You can now download free curriculum using the tools below. The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival partnered with the Jewish Heritage Video Collection and the New Jewish Filmmaking Project to provide educators with a diverse array of contextual materials for teaching with film.

How to use SFJFF’s curricular materials

SFJFF’s curricular materials were developed using San Francisco State University’s iLearn Moodle platform. To download and print curriculum pdfs directly from SFJFF.ORG, scroll down to the links below and press 'print.'

Access Curriculum

Curricula from the Jewish Heritage Video Collection

SFJFF’s web offerings will also include the extensive media and educational resources of the Jewish Heritage Video Collection (JHVC): a video library of more than 250 outstanding features and documentaries, television and children’s programs, and a series of original courses that explore Jewish history and culture through film. Developed by the Jewish Media Fund with the support of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the JHVC is installed at 215 sites, including universities, JCCs, and libraries, in 39 states. Our partners at the Jewish Heritage Video Collection have made the following PDF course guides available for download. Each guide focuses on a specific theme and provides contextual information, film-specific discussion resources, and suggestions for further viewing and reading. Use the links to download the guides in full or by individual section.

American Jewish Directors

Lester D. Friedman and David Desser discuss the works of three American filmmakers in American Jewish Directors: Three Visions of the American Jewish Experience.

Full Guide
Introduction
Woody Allen (ANNIE HALL and CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS)
Sydney Lumet (THE PAWNBROKER and DANIEL)
Paul Mazursky (NEXT STOP, GREENWICH VILLAGE and ENEMIES: A LOVE STORY)
Wrap-Up

American Jewish Comedy

This collection of resources provides an introduction to the history of Jewish comedy in America, and delves into the discussion of several films.

Full Guide
Introduction
Assault on Authority (ANIMAL CRACKERS)
Setting the Standard (SID CAESAR IN YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS)
Stretching the Limits (THE PRODUCERS)
From New York to L.A., Via Wisconsin (ANNIE HALL)
Just a Little Off-Center (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE)
Wrap-Up

Growing-Up Stories

Five films focus on Jewish North American coming of age.

Full Guide
Introduction
Reinventing Ourselves (MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR)
Becoming "A Somebody" (THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ)
Fathers, Sons and Friendships (THE CHOSEN)
Out of Brooklyn (BILOXI BLUES)
Between Generations (SWEET LORRAINE)
Wrap-Up

The Jewish Image in American Film

In The Jewish Image in American Film: A Century of Jewish Characters and Themes, Lester D. Friedman discusses the historic and social contexts that have shaped Jewish film in the last 100 years.