JxJ is a multidisciplinary arts project encompassing the Washington Jewish Film and Music Festivals alongside original hybrid arts programming.
The Washington Jewish Film Festival, now in its 29th year, presents a robust lineup of international film premieres, Q&As, and sneak previews.
The Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation is the Lead Sponsor of the Washington Jewish Music Festival, which returns for its 20th edition.
JxJ Studio spotlights hybrid cultural events including comedy, theater, workshops and more.
Dir. Ewald André Dupont Germany | Concert Narrative
A cine-concert that combines a screening of the foundational 1923 silent film The Ancient Law with a live original score by Alicia Svigals (The Klezmatics) and silent film music legend Donald Sosin.
“The collaboration of singer-guitarist Lockwood and Charming Hostess vocalist Eisenberg encompasses Yiddish songs, Piedmont blues, and queer politics.” —The New Yorker
Concert
“Accordion charged with punk rock… the free-spirited attitude of the New York Tzadik circle, cabaret flair, and scraps of Tom Waits.” —Rolling Stone
“With Yalo singing in both Amharic and English, his band cook up a whole range of retro flavours, from golden-age Ethiopian horns and old-school synths to the classic R&B rhythm-section sound…[listen] and you will feel like the coolest person alive. After Gili Yalo, of course.” –Songlines Magazine
“[The Guy Mendilow Ensemble] explode with artistry, refinement, and excitement” –Hebrew Union College
“[Beyond the Pale are a] mind-blowing flight into a very new Jewish-Balkan sonic atmosphere” –LA Weekly
“Isle of Klezbos tests the elasticity of the genre” –The New Yorker
“Alicia Svigals’ fiddle ruled…” –The New York Times
Isle of Klezbos and Metropolitan Klezmer plumb the fascinating range of music found in vintage Yiddish film soundtracks, from tango and tragic lullaby to a tenement wedding dance. Original arrangements are inspired by scenes from The Dybbuk and Uncle Moses, to newsreels from Moscow’s State Yiddish Theater, and a host of Molly Picon favorites.
“A lot of the musical vocabulary, a lot of the techniques I use when I’m playing Jewish music translate really well to playing [Brazilian] choro music” –Eric Stein, Tio Chorinho
“[Yemen Blues] sound like an Arabic pop orchestra accompanying serpentine melodies, or a North African trance group driving a modal riff” –The New York Times
“[Nani is a] breathtaking artist, her ballads go under your skin” –Frankfurter Allgemeine, DE
