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Abstract This chapter examines Jewish film festivals as a significant cultural phenomenon that has reshaped Jewish identity and practice since the 1980s. Beginning with the founding of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival in 1981, the chapter traces how these festivals emerged during a period when American Jews sought alternatives to traditional religious institutions, creating new forms of secular Jewish observance and community. Through case studies of pioneering festivals in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Washington, DC, Seattle, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Berlin, Brussels, London, Melbourne, and Sydney, the chapter demonstrates how Jewish film festivals came up alongside other identity-based festivals but grew into a distinct and thriving movement. The analysis reveals distinct developmental phases: pioneering efforts in the 1980s, global expansion in the 1990s, regional growth and professionalization in the 2000s, and emerging challenges from streaming and changing audience engagement in the 2010s onward. The chapter examines the festivals’ impact on independent Jewish cinema, their role in fostering networks among programmers and filmmakers, and their navigation of ongoing political controversies. Drawing on primary sources from festival archives, interviews with founders, and existing scholarship, this chapter offers the first comprehensive overview of Jewish film festivals as platforms that both reflect and actively shape contemporary Jewish culture.