Established four years ago in response to the lack of a sustainable Jewish film festival in the city, the event has grown in leaps and bounds each year. This year, the week long festival opens on April 23 and runs through April 30 at 11 different venues, showcasing 30 different films from around the world. The festival is presented by the Westside JCC with support from the Jewish Federation, Valley Alliance, along with a slew of sponsors.

Helstein and her volunteer committee wade through scores of films and Helstein travels to film festivals searching out those movies with a unique perspective that she feels will appeal to the Los Angeles Jewish community. “We also try to reach all age groups,” she says. “A lot of festivals appeal to the 40 and over crowd, but we have films that appeal to kids, singles, parents and grandparents.”

Helstein is keen to ensure there is dedicated teen programming too, and this year also marks the return of the Student Film Showcase for Jewish Day/High School filmmakers on Sunday April 26 at the Laemmle’s Encino Theater. Among other kid-friendly fare at the festival will be the films Holy Land Hard Ball about the formation of baseball teams in Israel and Hey Hey it’s Esther Bluberger, a film about a 13-year-old coming of age in Australia and starring Toni Collette and Keisha Castle Hughes.

An evening of short films will be screened at the Knitting Factory for young professionals, which Helstein describes as “the 21 plus crowd. There will be a happy hour followed by a performance by the Moshav Band,” she says.

This year’s premiere is a gala extravaganza at the Writer’s Guild Theater at 135 S. Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills at 8 p.m. with the screening of Joshua Sinclair’s "Jump." Following the film, there will be a dessert reception with the filmmakers.

"Jump" stars Patrick Swayze as a Jewish lawyer who defends Jewish Life Magazine photographer Philippe Halsman who is being tried for the murder of his father by a pre-Nazi Austrian government in 1928. “Every year I look for something that has never been shown before in this community,” Helstein says of her choice of "Jump" the premiere. “It hasn’t had much play in the U.S. and it’s an interesting film that showed a unique perspective of Jewish history. The fact that it was based on a true story was very interesting to me too,” she says. That, and the fact that it stars Patrick Swayze. “I think Patrick Swayze took a chance with this role,” Hesltein notes. “And I felt it was something the Los Angeles public wanted to see. Everybody loves Patrick Swayze, and under the circumstances (Swayze is currently battling pancreatic cancer), it makes it even more important. It gives the Jewish community a chance to see a unique and interesting film, and the Hollywood community the chance to honor someone we’ve grown to love over the years.”

Helstein also notes that it’s important that the festival is seen as more than just a series of films, but also as something the community can experience, which is why the festival works hard to bring in so many guests, who attend screenings of their films and participate in Q&A’s with the audience. Some of the guests who will attend this year are Rabbi Sharon Brous and Dan Katzir and Ravit Marcus from "Praying in her Own Voice," a documentary about Israel’s Women of the Wall, actor Lainie Kazan, who stars in "Beau Jest," and Dr. Rick Hodes from "Making the Crooked Straight," a documentary about Hodes’ work with Ethiopian children to fix scoliosis and other chronic back problems.

There are so many films to choose from, it’s difficult to know where to start. However, the festival has divided all the films into four separate categories to help you pick and choose: Conflicts and Issues, Tradition and Identity, History and Legacy, and Coming of Age. There’s also a “Highlights” section, which can be found on the festival’s web site.

This year the festival promises to continue its tradition by upholding the festival’s motto of celebrating “the Jewish experience through film,” with a week long smorgasbord of films, family programs, and intimate meetings with clergy, filmmakers and celebrities. Or, as Helstein puts it, “there’s something for everyone.”

For prices, tickets, a complete list of screening times, venues, activities and exhibits, visit lajfilmfest.org