Yael Luttwak never expected she would be an artistic director, curating a program of contemporary Jewish films and music groups. Yet, since September, when she became artistic director of JxJ, the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center’s film and music department, she has gone full force, programming 50 screenings of 30 films and six live musical performances.
This year’s 10-day JxJ D.C. Jewish Film x Music Festival runs from May 11 through 21, at locations in the District, Bethesda and Fairfax, and features films, music and post-screening talks that represent Jewish life all over the world. Through documentaries and narrative stories, Luttwak worked to capture a sense of the ever-evolving Jewish zeitgeist.