Tjday is an opening night of the Moscow Jewish Film Festival, a cultural event offering Muscovites the chance to become acquainted with the world of Jewish professional cinematography.

Over the course of the week, more than 35 films with a focus on Jewish culture will show at leading cultural venues including the Center of Documentary Film, GUM and the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center.

Organizers hope that the festival — now in its second year — will give the Moscow public an opportunity to join the world discourse between Jewish communities. The program includes features, documentaries, shorts and animated films that shine a spotlight on life in Israel, the Jewish diaspora, 20th century Jewish history and Jewish religion and culture.

As part of the festival, a jury — including Alexander Boroda, president of the Russian Federation of Jewish Communities and acclaimed director Alexander Kott — will judge entries across three categories: best documentary, best feature film and best short film.

A lecture, discussion and workshop program will run in parallel with film screenings offering participants a further opportunity to explore the language of Jewish film. Directors and actors including Geza Rohrig, David Novack and Maria Kravtsenko will lead round table discussions and talks as part of the program.