AJFF | Colleyville

Closing Night Event with Reception

Colleyville, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, has a history of being ranked the safest city in Texas. It is so peaceful and so safe that (almost) no one has ever heard of it until January 15, 2022, when a terrorist seized Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville. The synagogue live-streamed its services via Facebook, and the streaming continued throughout the hostage situation. More than 200 local, state, and federal law enforcement officials, including a SWAT team and 70 FBI hostage negotiators and rescue operatives, were called in. For the first time, all of the hostages and their families tell their stories on camera.

There will be a reception starting at 7PM in the Kaufman Family Living Room at the Dell JCC with vegetarian kolaches and beer from Batch as well as a free bar. Enjoy live music from Paul Klemperer. All of this is included in your ticket price.

The movie begins at 8PM with long time friend of the festival director Dani Menkin with us in person for a Q&A panel after the film. Jeffrey Cohen and Shane Woodward, two of the hostages from the Colleyville crisis, will also be joining us. This is a gripping film, but it also contains moments of levity. This is Dani’s first ever movie to focus on a US subject. AJFF has been involved with this project for a while, and members of our community contributed to completion funding for the film. AJFF is honored to be able to present the final film in what promises to be a strong finish for this year’s festival.

To purchase a ticket, click here.