Yana, a Russian refugee in Tel Aviv, her playboy Israeli roommate, and a wacky cast of characters make this sophisticated romantic comedy with a Seinfeldian plot a crowd pleaser.  Israel’s nominee for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards.

Israel, 90 min, drama

Gripping documentary focusing on the life of Gadi Abaja, a young, resourceful Ethiopian living in the margins of Israeli society who yearns to find his true home.

Israel/Ethiopia, 60 min, documentary

A hilarious lampoon of Hollywood “show biz” seen through the eyes of a struggling Jewish comedian trying to get her big break during L.A.’s sit-com “pilot season.”

USA, 93min, drama

Aviva Kempner’s award-winning documentary about the remarkable career of 1930’s and ‘40’s baseball great “Hammering” Hank Greenberg, “the Moses of the Bronx.”

USA, 90 min, documentary

These short films recount the history of two prominent Middle Eastern Jewish families from Iraq and Egypt - as told from the perspectives of their American-born grandchildren.

CO-SPONSORED WITH the University of Washington’s Sephardic/Mizrahi Film series

Inspirational story of a tiny French village that sheltered and saved over 400 Jewish refugee children during World War II.

USA/France, 91 min, documentary

Underneath the horrific story of how the Nazi’s transformed Zykon B gas into a genocidal weapon lies the beauty of reconciling the past and present.

USA, 13 min, documentary

Fascinating history of a Jewish refugee community established in an unlikely

outpost - Shanghai, China

USA/China, 79 min, documentary

Impressionistic, lyrical meditation on the lost Jewish cultural capital of Vilna.

USA, 3 min, experimental

FREE FOR SENIORS MATINEE

Non-seniors welcome too!  Seniors admitted free (no ticket required.) General admission prices apply for all others.

Pastry, Pain & Politics

Dark comedy about a cantankerous New Yorker and his wife, a survivor.  When he winds up in the hospital, she must confront past and presents conflicts. 

Switzerland, 30 min, drama

Go behind the scenes with a Jewish senior-citizen’s theater group as they rehearse a play based on the personal ads they’ve written.

USA, 37 min, documentary

This documentary goes into the last remaining Russian bathhouses in New York’s Lower East Side to record this fading sweaty subculture.

USA, 47 min, documentary

Antiracist

Celebrates the proactive work of Swedish youth activists fighting bigotry in innovative and effective ways.

Sweden, 25 min, documentary

Untold story of German-Jewish “refugee professors” from war-torn Europe who find an unlikely new home at Southern black colleges during the Depression.

USA, 60 min, documentary

A complex and controversial drama examining the conflicts between romantic love and religious devotion in an orthodox marriage.

Israel, 120 min, drama

“EVERYONE’S A CRITIC” with film critics Lucy Mohl and Warren Etheredge

A tender coming-of-age story following 13 year-old Hanna as she struggles with family tensions and her own burgeoning sexuality.  Discussion with critics to follow.

France/Switzerland/Canada, 90 min, drama

A young boy performs a balancing act on the edge of his fire escape while his family life balances on the brink as well.

Israel, 17 min, drama

From the people who brought you “Run Lola Run,” this nail-biting thriller of mistaken identity will keep your tuchas on the edge of your seat.

Germany, 100 min, drama

BAGEL & FILM BRUNCH  “FROM BIRTH TO BRIS AND BEYOND” – four shorts for the whole family

Two child souls find out “what’s next.”USA, 5 min, animated

L.A. Mohel

Balancing incredible humor with heart-felt emotion, this documentary follows three popular ritual circumcisers, or mohels, working in Los Angeles.

USA, 30min, documentary

Purim

An unusual portrait of Hasidic children in Boro Park, Brooklyn celebrating Purim, a topsy-turvy holiday where costumes and tom-foolery are de rigeur.

USA, 5 min, documentary

GOD@heaven

What happens when a boy sends an E-mail to God?  A boy and his dog story for the computer age.

USA/Israel, 20 min, drama

Florentine II

A hit at last year’s SJFF, Florentene follows a close-knit group of friends living in Tel-Aviv’s bohemian Florentene neighborhood.  Catch the next 5 episodes of the popular TV series that’s been called the Israeli version of “Friends"

Israel, 2 hours & 30 minute, serial drama

Animated Anne Frank’s Diary

Animated retelling of the classic Anne Frank story for the next generation.  France/ Ireland /UK /Netherlands /Luxembourg, 87 min, animated

For over a century, the Mississippi Delta has been home to generations of Jews living in the heart of the Bible Belt.  Who knew?

USA, 57 min, documentary

Weaving home movies, old photographs and interviews with family and friends, this personal documentary is filmmaker Marlene Booth’s honest memoir of growing up Jewish in Iowa.

USA, 57 min, documentary

A prodigal son returns to Bulgaria and reunites with his childhood sweetheart. They reminisce about the lost, idyllic Balkan world of their youth where Christians, Jews, Muslims and Romas lived side-by-side in peace.

Bulgaria/Germany/Greece, 108 min, drama