National Menorah and Tree 7676
courtesy of tedeytan

The 23rd Washington Jewish Film Festival – one of the oldest and largest festivals of its kind – has returned to the district, with events running through January 13.

Curated by the Washington DC Jewish Community Center, the WJFF features 55 films at ten different venues. It includes a U Street short film pub crawl for the first time this year and a major pass discount for patrons 30 years old or younger.

A special focus on French cinema and a number of music-related films stand out in the 2013 lineup, including a retrospective on Lou Reed and a film detailing the founding of the Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra.

There are also, of course, a few films in there inspired by Woody Allen.

The festival’s closing event on January 13 features a screening of Hava Nagila (The Movie) a documentary by Academy-Award nominated director Roberta Grossman which follows the famous song from its origins in Eastern European shtetls to worldwide familiarity.

Tickets can be purchased online or by calling (202) 777-3231. In addition to single tickets, WJFF will be offering full festival passes for the first time this year. Those passes run at $75, but are discounted to $30 for attendees 30 years old and younger.