20th Annual Jewish Film Festival of Dallas

There’s nothing wrong with a good action blockbuster or animated family film, but film festivals provide the opportunity for focus. Sometimes focus is on a genre — a festival of documentaries you can dive into when you normally watch dramas and comedies — and sometimes the festival is about the filmmakers and subject matter — think Asian Film Festival of Dallas, Women Texas Film Festival or the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center’s 20th Annual Jewish Film Festival of Dallas, which kicks off 7 p.m. Thursday with a free screening of Labyrinth of Lies in the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building of UTD. While Labyrinth of Lies examines the life of a public prosecutor investigating former Nazi war criminals, the monthlong festival of 13 films also features celluloid fare reaching the hilarious, motivating and sensitive, as often as the stunning and dramatic. Don’t-miss films — well, all are well curated, so it’s a tough call — include Jonathan Pryce in the rambunctious Dough, basketball doc On the Map, and layered drama AKA Nadia. Individual screenings are $12, or purchase a full series pass for $100. Visit jccdallas.org.