The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) announces the 24th annual Jewish Film Festival, running March 24-31 and April 3-6, featuring 20+ programs including fiction and documentary films, restored classics, special presentations, and filmmaker Q&As. The pre-sale for Members opens today, Tuesday February 17th, at noon and tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, February 20 at noon. This year's lineup highlights the intimate human experiences behind defining historical moments. Spanning continents and generations, audiences can expect a diverse collection of films that reflect the richness and complexity of Jewish life both past and present. Festival goers can also enjoy a classic New York-style Egg Cream during the Jewish FIlm Festival, available for purchase at the Take 3 Wine Bar & Cafe (Thursday - Sunday). The Festival will take a break on April 1 & 2 for Passover, resuming with screenings on April 3. Tickets are $13 (members), $18 (nonmembers) for regular screenings. Special event prices vary.
Special events include:
Opening Night on March 24 at 7:00 features documentary My Underground Mother, followed by a filmmaker Q&A and reception.
Fantasy Life on March 25 at 7:00 (Q&A with filmmaker Matthew Shear) and April 3 at 7:00, stars Amanda Peet in a sharply observed New York comedy about an actress confronting career stagnation and an unexpected friendship.
Sapiro vs. Ford: The Jew Who Sued Henry Ford on March 26 at 4:00 (Q&A with director Gaylen Ross and producer Carol King) recounts the landmark 1927 defamation lawsuit brought by Jewish lawyer Aaron Sapiro against Henry Ford in what became one of the nation’s first hate speech trials.
Death & Taxes on March 28 at 4:00 (Q&A with film subject Joy Schein), an engrossing family documentary that uses an estate tax obsession to explore generational conflict, ambition, and the promises and limits of the American dream.
The Last Spy on March 28 at 7:00 (Q&A with director Katharina Otto-Bernstein), The Last Spy chronicles the extraordinary life of German Jewish refugee Peter Sichel, who became an American master spy.
His Wife’s Lover (on 35mm) + Orchard Street on March 29 at 4:00 pm (Q&A with film critic J. Hoberman), the 1931 Yiddish musical comedy His Wife’s Lover is paired with Ken Jacobs’ experimental short Orchard Street.
When Caesar Was King: How Sid Caesar Invented Comedy
Clip Show, Book Talk, and Signing
March 29 at 7:00, biographer David Margolick leads a lively illustrated talk celebrating Sid Caesar’s revolutionary impact on American comedy, including clips of Sid Caesar’s funniest skits.
All I Had Was Nothingness + Night and Fog on March 30 at 7:00 (Q&A with JBFC director of film curation and programming Eric Hynes) and April 6 at 4:00, a powerful behind-the-scenes companion to Shoah, paired with Alain Resnais’ landmark short, tracing cinema’s earliest confrontations with the Holocaust