Bright ’76 Honored at Jewish Film Fest

The Boston Jewish Film Festival (BJFF) recently honored Emerson Executive Artist-in-Residence and Executive Producer of the long-running TV comedy series Friends, Kevin Bright ’76, at its “Friendsational Celebration” October 23.

The “Friendsational Celebration” was a fundraiser that helped support films such as The Lives and Times of Abraham Kahn, My Perestroika, and Vidal Sassoon The Movie: How One Man Changed the World with a Pair of Scissors, which screened at this year’s Festival, which ran through November 14.

“Less than 20 percent of our funding comes from festival ticket sales, so the support of Kevin Bright and this ‘Friendsational Celebration’ will allow us to continue bringing new films and filmmakers to the New England community.”

–Joyce Pastor of Weston, chair of the board of the Festival

Bright donated several items to the fundraiser, including a signed script from the Friends sitcom. “Less than 20 percent of our funding comes from festival ticket sales,” said Joyce Pastor of Weston, chair of the board of the Festival, “so the support of Kevin Bright and this ‘Friendsational Celebration’ will allow us to continue bringing new films and filmmakers to the New England community.”

Sara Rubin, artistic director for the festival, spoke about the Boston Jewish Film Festival’s history with the former Friends producer. “We had been very impressed with his work at Emerson,” she said. “We also were familiar with his work with Perkins School for the Blind. Both of these were factors in the decision to choose Kevin Bright as an honoree this year.” This past April, Bright led a filmmaking class at the Perkins School’s Watertown campus.

The Boston Jewish Film Festival has been held annually since 1989. This year more than 40 films were screened at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Stuart Street Playhouse, among other venues. Emerson’s School of the Arts sponsored the opening night.

Photo credit: Carolyn Ross