--- title: HR 568. Atlanta Jewish Film Festival; 25 years of artistic and cultural excellence; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr568 cite_as: HR 568, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr568 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr568.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr568/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71314 date: 2025-03-11 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-11 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr567.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr569.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr568.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 568 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-11 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Esther Panitch - Shea Roberts - Long Tran - Leesa Hagan - Terry Cummings - John Carson text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR568/2025 upstream_id: 2000277 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Atlanta Jewish Film Festival - legislative commendation - arts and culture - Georgia film industry --- # HR 568. Atlanta Jewish Film Festival; 25 years of artistic and cultural excellence; recognize ## Text 25 LC 112 3268 House Resolution 568 By: Representatives Panitch of the 51st, Roberts of the 52nd, Tran of the 80th, Hagan of the 156th, Cummings of the 39th, and others A RESOLUTION Commending the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival for 25 years of artistic and cultural excellence;1 and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) is the largest film festival in Atlanta3 and the State of Georgia and is one of the most prestigious Jewish film festivals in the world,4 attracting tens of thousands of attendees annually; and5 WHEREAS, since its founding in 2000 by the Atlanta Regional Off ice of the American6 Jewish Committee (AJC), AJFF has entertained, educated, and engaged diverse audiences7 through Jewish storytelling, inspiring greater social and cultu ral understanding across8 communities; and9 WHEREAS, AJFF continues to partner with religious, ethnic, cult ural, and educational10 organizations—including public and private schools, colleges, a nd universities—to foster11 deeper dialogue and strengthen bonds between communities; and12 WHEREAS, AJFF is recognized as one of Georgia's most significant cultural events, ranking13 among the highest-attended film festivals worldwide, growing from its inaugural audience14 of 1,900 filmgoers to a record-breaking annual attendance of more than 40,000; and15 H. R. 568 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3268 WHEREAS, the 25th Anniversary Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, taking place February 1916 to March 16, 2025, features 88 theatrical screenings of 64 film s from 22 countries across17 multiple metro Atlanta venues, along with a 10-day streaming window offering 32 titles for18 statewide streaming throughout Georgia; and19 WHEREAS, during its 10th anniversary, AJFF expanded its cultural footprint by presenting20 a landmark concert of iconic Jewish film scores in partnership with Turner Classic Movies21 and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; and22 WHEREAS, in 2015, AJFF made history by becoming the largest Jewish film festival in the23 world, reinforcing Georgia's reputation as a vibrant hub for film and the arts; and24 WHEREAS, as part of its 25th anniversary milestone, AJFF hosted a Field Trip Screening25 event of Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire , welcoming more than 500 students from public and26 private schools across metro Atlanta, with a post-film Q&A feat uring the filmmaker to27 engage young audiences in the lessons of Holocaust history and human rights; and28 WHEREAS, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, AJFF has launc hed the Kenny Blank29 Vision Initiative, a $2.5 million capital campaign aimed at transforming the organization into30 a year-round Jewish cultural institution by expanding programs in community relations,31 education, direct filmmaker support, accessibility, and innovation; and32 WHEREAS, the 25th anniversary of AJFF marks a pivotal moment in its evolution,33 transitioning from a once-a-year festival into a global leader in Jewish arts and culture34 dedicated to fostering creative expression and connecting diver se audiences through the35 power of film.36 H. R. 568 - 2 - 25 LC 112 3268 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that37 the members of this body commend the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival for 25 years of artistic38 excellence, cultural impact, and commitment to strengthening th e Atlanta community39 through film and dialogue.40 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized41 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the42 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.43 H. R. 568 - 3 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution commends the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival for 25 years of artistic and cultural work in the state, marking its anniversary and growth into a major cultural institution. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honors the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) on its 25th anniversary. It recounts the festival's history since its founding in 2000, its growth from about 1,900 attendees to more than 40,000 annually, and its status as the largest Jewish film festival in the world. It also notes the festival's 25th anniversary programming in 2025, including 88 screenings of 64 films from 22 countries and a statewide streaming option, plus a new $2.5 million fundraising effort called the Kenny Blank Vision Initiative aimed at turning the organization into a year-round cultural institution. The resolution formally commends the festival for its artistic excellence and cultural impact, and directs the Clerk of the House to send an official copy of the resolution to the festival as a keepsake. It does not change any Georgia law or provide funding. ### What it does - Formally commends the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival for 25 years of artistic and cultural work in Georgia. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and deliver a copy of the resolution to the festival. - Recites the festival's history and achievements in the whereas clauses but creates no new legal requirements, funding, or penalties. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and the American Jewish Committee's Atlanta Regional Office, which founded it. It also references partner organizations such as public and private schools, colleges, and universities that work with the festival. ### Why it matters The resolution has no legal or financial effect; it is a ceremonial honor. Its main practical outcome is that the House Clerk will send an official copy to the festival, giving it formal legislative recognition of its anniversary and cultural contributions. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe AJFF's founding in 2000, its growth to over 40,000 annual attendees, and its status as the world's largest Jewish film festival since 2015. - The whereas clauses describe the 25th anniversary festival (February 19 to March 16, 2025) featuring 88 screenings of 64 films from 22 countries and a 10-day statewide streaming window. - The whereas clauses mention the $2.5 million Kenny Blank Vision Initiative aimed at making AJFF a year-round cultural institution. - The resolving clause formally commends the festival for its artistic excellence and cultural impact. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to provide a copy of the resolution to the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-11) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-11) - Sponsors: Esther Panitch, Shea Roberts, Long Tran, Leesa Hagan, Terry Cummings, John Carson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71314 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr568.md?full=1