Jackson Free Press

Esther Blueburger is not your typical teenager. Determined to be true to herself at all cost, Esther breaks out of the confinement of her repressed private school and her toxic family by running away to attend her friend Sunni's public school, disguising herself as a Swedish foreign-exchange student. Throughout her masquerade, Blueburger faces the perils of adolescence with a comedic spin.

Produced by Miriam Stein, "Hey, Hey It's Ester Blueburger" is one of four films the 9th Annual Jewish Cinema South Film Festival will showcase at Millsaps College Jan. 21-24. The festival is in collaboration with the Millsaps College Jewish Culture Organization and Jewish Cinema South, a program of the Goldring/Woldernberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson.

The purpose of the festival is to strengthen Jewish identity, and promote cultural and ethnic dialogue through thought-provoking films.

Other films include "Pinchas," a drama about a Russian family who immigrate to Isreal; "Unsettled," a documentary about Isreal's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip through the eyes of six young people; and "Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh," a documentary about a Jewish poet and resistance fighter during World War II.

Tickets for each screening are $10 ($5 for students with an ID). A festival pass for all four films is $25. Tickets will be on sale starting Dec. 21. To order, call 601-956-6215. For more information about the festival and times for the screenings, contact the Institute of Southern Jewish Life at 601-362-6357 or visit http://www.isjl.org.