What to See at the 2016 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

The largest Jewish film festival in the world returns for its Sweet Sixteen. Here is a list of titles for you to check out during the 23-day event.

We love that each new year of the Georgia film festival circuit kicks off with the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The city's most widely attended film event stretches out over three weeks at eight different venues across Midtown Atlanta, Buckhead, Alpharetta, Marietta, Vinings and Sandy Springs. No film festival in the state packs the house as consistently as AJFF and we are looking forward to joining in the opening night ceremonies on Tuesday, January 26 at the Cobb Energy Centre.

This year's lineup is as strong as ever, with films pouring in from all over the world and covering all sorts of thematic ground. Whether you want academic documentaries, Israeli award-winners, Japanese biopics, romantic comedies, musicals or whatever else you can think of—AJFF '16 has it.

We've compiled a long list of films you must see this year! See our picks after the jump.

"Rabies" out on DVD tomorrow!

While I'm sad it didn't get a theatrical release in America, I'm thrilled that "Rabies" is out on DVD tomorrow. Israel's first horror film (and so much more) is one of my favorite films in years. I can't wait to see more by filmmakers Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado. Check out my review of the film from the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and order your DVD here.

AJFF: "Rabies" (*****)

Ofer Shechter, Yael Grobglas, Ran Danker and Ania Bukstein star in "Rabies"

Marketing "Rabies" as Israel's first horror film is a smart move, although labeling a film as 'horror' usually limits the public's perception. "Rabies" is a horror film, perhaps the best I've ever seen; but it must not be exclusively labeled as such. The genre is full of copycat films, flash-in-the-pan trends, remakes and movies made for sheer shock value. This film is simply too good to be counted as just another one of those. An instantaneous cult classic, "Rabies" is the first narrative feature I've had the pleasure of awarding a five-star rating.