--- title: SR 389. Atlanta Jewish Film Festival; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr389 cite_as: SR 389, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr389 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr389.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr389/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71337 date: 2025-03-13 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/sr388.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr390.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr389.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 389 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-13 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Sonya Halpern - Harold Jones - Elena Parent - Kim Jackson - Nan Orrock - Jason Esteves - Nikki Merritt - Tonya Anderson - Randal Mangham - Sally Harrell - RaShaun Kemp - Kenya Wicks - Gail Davenport - Greg Dolezal - Brandon Beach - Brian Strickland - Billy Hickman - Russ Goodman - Derek Mallow - John Kennedy - John Albers - Clint Dixon - Blake Tillery text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR389/2025 upstream_id: 2005480 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Atlanta Jewish Film Festival - Georgia Senate resolution - arts and culture - Jewish community - legislative commendation --- # SR 389. Atlanta Jewish Film Festival; commend ## Text 25 LC 112 3192 Senate Resolution 389 By: Senators Halpern of the 39th, Jones II of the 22nd, Parent of the 44th, Jackson of the 41st, Orrock of the 36th and others A RESOLUTION Commending the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on its 25th anniver sary; and for other1 purposes.2 WHEREAS, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) is the largest film festival in Atlanta3 and the State of Georgia as well as one of the largest Jewish film festivals in the world; and4 WHEREAS, the AJFF inspires communities to new levels of social and cultural5 understanding by entertaining and engaging diverse audiences with film observed through6 a Jewish lens; and7 WHEREAS, AJFF cooperates with leaders from various religious, e thnic, cultural, and8 educational groups, including public and private schools, colleges and universities, to create9 programming that deepens dialogue and bonds between communities; and10 WHEREAS, AJFF works in partnership with its founder, the Atlant a Regional Office of11 American Jewish Committee (AJC), a global advocacy organization that enhances the12 well-being of the Jewish people and Israel through education, outreach, and diplomacy; and13 S. R. 389 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3192 WHEREAS, the annual festival was founded in 2000 by the AJC, and its inaugural group of14 filmgoers amounted to more than 1,900; by 2006, that figure had increased to about 7,500,15 and by 2008, they began adjusting their itinerary to include more dates and bigger venues to16 hold nearly 15,000 filmgoers; and17 WHEREAS, for their tenth anniversary, AJFF had a concert of ico nic Jewish film scores,18 presented in partnership with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Turner Classic Movies,19 resulting in nearly 20,000 moviegoers; and20 WHEREAS, in 2015, the AJFF made history by becoming the largest Jewish film festival21 in the world, attracting more than 38,600 moviegoers; and22 WHEREAS, it is abundantly fitting and proper that this remarkable festival be appropriately23 honored during this special time.24 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body25 commend the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival upon its 25th annivers ary for its many26 contributions to the arts in our c ommunity and for fostering st ronger ties by educating27 communities that have religious, ethnic, and cultural differences.28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed29 to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the Atlanta Jewish30 Film Festival.31 S. R. 389 - 2 - ## 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 Senate resolution commends the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on its 25th anniversary, recognizing its growth into the largest Jewish film festival in the world and its role in Atlanta's cultural community. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia Senate rather than a law that changes anyone's rights or duties. It honors the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. The resolution recounts the festival's history: founded in 2000 by the Atlanta Regional Office of the American Jewish Committee, it grew from about 1,900 filmgoers in its first year to roughly 15,000 by 2008, and by 2015 had become the largest Jewish film festival in the world with more than 38,600 moviegoers. The Senate formally commends the festival for its contributions to the arts and for fostering understanding across religious, ethnic, and cultural lines, and directs the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to the festival. ### What it does - Formally commends the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on its 25th anniversary through a Georgia Senate resolution. - Recites the festival's growth history, from about 1,900 attendees in 2000 to more than 38,600 by 2015. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and send a copy of the resolution to the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement, since it is a commendation rather than a statute. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and its founding partner, the Atlanta Regional Office of the American Jewish Committee. It has no regulatory effect on other individuals, businesses, or state agencies. ### Why it matters The resolution carries symbolic rather than legal weight. It gives official state recognition to a long-running cultural institution and its impact on interfaith and intercultural engagement in Georgia, but it does not alter any Georgian's rights, obligations, or funding. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe AJFF's founding in 2000 by the American Jewish Committee and its growth from about 1,900 to over 38,600 attendees by 2015. - The first resolving clause has the Senate commend AJFF for its contributions to the arts and community bridge-building. - The second resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute a copy of the resolution to the festival. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-13) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-03-13) - Sponsors: Sonya Halpern, Harold Jones, Elena Parent, Kim Jackson, Nan Orrock, Jason Esteves, Nikki Merritt, Tonya Anderson, Randal Mangham, Sally Harrell, RaShaun Kemp, Kenya Wicks, Gail Davenport, Greg Dolezal, Brandon Beach, Brian Strickland, Billy Hickman, Russ Goodman, Derek Mallow, John Kennedy, John Albers, Clint Dixon, Blake Tillery - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71337 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr389.md?full=1