Jawnts: Two festivals for everyone

I know it's been a bumpy week politically, but no matter what side of the aisle you stand on, there is one thing we can all get behind: movies. More specifically, movie-theater popcorn.

Luckily for us, our city will indulge us with such treats when it plays host to the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival.

Occurring in several venues across the city and in the suburbs, from the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts to the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, the Jewish Film Festival, ending Nov. 19, will feature 33 films from 12 countries. Documentary junkies will be psyched to know that 16 of those films will be of that genre.

The festival, one of the longest-running Jewish film festivals in the nation, says it aims to "view films and participate in programs that educate, empower, and inspire us to engage in dialogue, celebrate the diversity of our culture and heritage, and learn how to be positive agents of change in our society."

The Asian American Film Festival features a similarly wide range of films at main venues such as the International House in University City and Asian Arts Initiative in Chinatown North. It runs through Nov. 20.

The festival will show everything from a documentary about a homeless family living on the streets of Kakaako, Oahu, called Dear Thalia to Dirty Sock, the story of a man who "tries to prevent the future soiling of his sock using a digital time machine app" (perhaps the movie of my very dreams).

"If you like good food, music, film, and culture, there is definitely something for you at PAAFF," says festival director Rob Buscher. "We encourage people of all backgrounds to attend our festival - you don't have to be Asian to come to the Asian American film festival."

He continued: "After an exceptionally divisive presidential election, having a space for communities of color to celebrate their artists and creatives has never been more important than it is now. Our country is in profound need of healing."

And nothing says healing like an extra-large bucket of buttered popcorn and a film called Dirty Sock. Let's go to the movies, Philly.

For information, visit http://pjff.org and http://phillyasianfilmfest.org.

Have an event for Jawnts? marymjarvis@gmail.com @mary_jarvis