The 20th Annual
LA Jewish Film Festival
June 26 – July 1, 2025
Weekend Highlights Below
See all Film Selections details HERE or click
on the “Film List” drop down menu above.
Click below to see the full line-up
and buy tickets!
CENTERPIECE PROGRAM
LA Premiere in partnership with Museum of Tolerance
“PLUNDERER:
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A NAZI ART THIEF”
Sunday, June 29
7:00 pm
Museum of Tolerance
9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles
Q&A to follow screening with historian and cast Jonathan Petropolis, Simon Goodman, subject in film, and Randy Schoenberg, subject of “Woman in Gold” and art restitution attorney.
DURING WORLD WAR II, THE NAZIS STOLE OVER HALF A MILLION WORKS OF ART, MAINLY FROM JEWISH FAMILIES.
Come join us for the LA premiere of this gripping documentary at the Museum of Tolerance! Get ready to delve into the world of a notorious Nazi art thief and uncover the secrets behind some of history’s most infamous heists.
Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the life of former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse, who became Hermann Göring’s personal collector in Paris, tasked with finding the most desirable works of art the Nazis stole from Jews. Petropoulos interviews Lohse himself, as well as curators, art investigators, Lohse’s associates, and descendants of the victims of Nazi art theft. With a look at stunning masterpieces and a deep archive of personal letters, Plunderer reveals the dark underbelly of the international art world.
Sponsored by Pamela and Randol Schoenberg
In Partnership with Museum of Tolerance, Villa Aurora/Thomas Mann House, and Jewish Story Partners
CLOSING NIGHT!
JULY 1st
In Honor of actor/director MIKE BURSTYN
Join us on the occasion of his birthday (July 1) and celebrate him for his lifetime of accomplishments as an international performer and member of our community!
The LA Jewish Film Festival and Museum of Tolerance invite you to the
LA Premiere of
“THE ZWEIFLERS”
Winner of 3 Awards at the Cannes International Series Festival including Best New TV Series.
We will screen the first two episodes accompanied by an IN-PERSON Q&A with the star of this award-winning German TV series, MIKE BURSTYN and director Anja Marquardt, moderated by David Suissa, President of the Jewish Journal
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2025
7:00 pm
Museum of Tolerance
9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
(Free parking underground, but ID required to enter garage and building.
You will not be admitted without ID for security measures.)
This compelling series is a comic-dramatic, multigenerational saga following the travails of an extended Jewish family sorting out the future of its vast delicatessen empire in contemporary Germany. Symcha (Mike Burstyn), the patriarch of the Zweifler clan and a Holocaust survivor, is looking to sell off his deli business. Yet potentially damaging secrets from the past throw his future—and that of his children and grandchildren—into question and the Zweiflers’ present into disarray. The novelistic, expansive narrative of The Zweiflers, set in Frankfurt and Berlin, encompasses themes of tradition, succession, the multiculturalism of the Jewish diaspora, estrangement, prejudice, and familial trauma all while maintaining a vivid, humorous tone.
Created by David Hadda
Directed by Anja Marquardt
With: Mike Burstyn, Eleanor Reissa, Mark Ivanir, Sunnyi Melles
Germany/ Dramatic Series/2024/90 mins
German, English, Yiddish, Hebrew with English subtitles
In partnership with Museum of Tolerance
Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany and Villa Aurora/Thomas Mann House, in partnership with Goethe Institute LA, Holocaust Museum LA, Consulate General of Israel, and Jewish Journal
Reception to follow in honor of Mike’s birthday generously donated by Hansen’s Cakes and Delice Bakery
BECOME A FESTIVAL SPONSOR NOW!
Sponsorships get your privileges to the 2025 festival + year-round screenings!
Make your donation online TODAY and get your YEAR-END TAX-DEDUCTION
For Sponsorship levels CLICK HERE
or scan the QR code
Thank you for your support!
Any questions, please email us at info@lajfilmfest.org
PAST EVENTS
Thanks to the over 200 people who came out to the screening of
“THE ONLY HOPE”
at the NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL EXHIBITION
L-R: Bill Neiman, Exec Producer; Cecily Selden, Birthright volunteer participant; Paul Freedman, Filmmaker; Bar Hinitz, Nova Festival survivor; and Hilary Helstein, LAJFF Director
Directed by Paul Freedman
Free street parking in area on first come first served basis, and pay lots available.
“LEE”
Q&A with actress KATE WINSLET!
The film opens in theaters nationwide on September 27th .
“BETWEEN THE TEMPLES”
Q&A with actress Carol Kane and Director Nathan Silver from our sneak preview!
Click on poster to watch.
THAT’S A WRAP!
June 19 – 24, 2024
To view the Print Source List, click HERE
THE AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS!
“GUNS & MOSES”
WINNER of the
Festival Choice Award
presented to Salvador Litvak
“NINA IS AN ATHLETE”
WINNER
Audience Award for
Best Documentary Film
presented to Ravit Markus
“UNSPOKEN”
WINNER
Audience Award for
Best Narrative Feature Film
presented to Jeremy Borison
“COLLEYVILLE”
WINNER of the
Humanitarian Award in Filmmaking
presented to Dani Menkin
BECOME A FESTIVAL SPONSOR NOW!
Sponsorships get your privileges to the 2024 festival!
Make your donation online TODAY and get your TAX-DEDUCTION
or scan the QR code
Thank you for your support!
Any questions, please email us at info@lajfilmfest.org
Click on the name of a film below to learn about it
and to purchase tickets.
2024 Films in alphabetical order.
AUCTION
Sunday, June 23, 4 pm
COLLEYVILLE
(Spotlight Film!)
Sunday, June 23, 7:30 pm
GUNS & MOSES
(Opening Night Gala)
Wednesday, June 19, 7 pm
GUNS & MOSES
(Encore screening in Encino)
Sunday, June 23, 4 pm
NINA IS AN ATHLETE
Thursday, June 20, 6:30 pm
SONG OF ASCENT
(Closing Night)
Monday, June 24, 7:30 pm
TREASURE
Thursday, June 20, 7:00 pm
UNSPOKEN
Sunday, June 23, 1:00 pm
YANIV
(Saturday Special!)
Saturday, June 22, 8:00 pm
We had a great event at Hershey Felder’s World Premiere of
“NOBLE GENIUS
Chopin and Liszt”
at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills
The film is dedicated to the memory of the world class cellist, who appeared in both “NOBLE GENIUS” and “VENETIAN JEWISH GHETTO”
ANTONIO LYSY
Click on the image below to see him play at LAJFF in 2023
“SEVEN BLESSINGS”
Click on the image below to watch the Q&A with director Ayelet Menahemi
At this tragic time, we want to strongly affirm our support for the State of Israel, its right to exist and to defend itself as a sovereign nation. We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sister and pray for the people of Israel.
Thank you to all who donated to Shaylee and baby Shaya. We successfully raised over $5000 to help them through this dark time after losing their home and her husband, filmmaker Yahav Winner. Yahav was brutally murdered on October 7 after bravely confronting terrorists who invaded his home during the Hamas attack on his village, Kfar Aza. Winner stalled the attackers in order to rescue his wife, Shaylee Atary, a filmmaker as well, and his newborn daughter Shaya who hid for 26 hours with no water or food before being evacuated by the IDF. They are safe now.
Watch the video below of how Shaylee and baby Shaya survived the terrorists on October 7.
You’ll want to watch these YouTube videos if you’ve seen
“GOLDA”
Click on the picture to watch
Q&A with Meron Medzini (91), director of the Israel Government Press Office and Golda Meir’s spokesman (1973–1974) and confidante.
Watch the Q&A with Guy Nattiv, director of GOLDA click below!
Watch the trailer here!
Helen Mirren stars alongside Liev Schreiber and Lior Ashkenazi in GOLDA, as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.
Directed by Academy Award® winning Israeli director, Guy Nattiv, GOLDA is a ticking-clock thriller set during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Academy Award® winner Helen Mirren), faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction, must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet, and a complex relationship with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), with millions of lives in the balance. Her tough leadership and compassion would ultimately decide the fate of her nation and leave her with a controversial legacy around the world.
Drama – 2023 – Israel, USA/Language: English, Hebrew, Arabic (with subtitles)
Runtime: 100 minutes/Rating: PG-13
The 2023 Festival Audience Award Winners go to…
“REMEMBERING GENE WILDER”
“KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONGS”
“OUR (almost completely true) STORY”
Hershey Felder’s
“THE ASSEMBLY”
Watch the Q&As From Past Programs
Read the press below about
“AMERICA”
“If there are those people who falsely point at Israel to be a discriminatory apartheid state, well, the film AMERICA will prove them to be very wrong.”
~Nurit Greenger, NewsBlaze
Read the full article below
In partnership with the Consulate General of Israel and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Jewish Journal and Laemmle Theatres
Courtesy of Menemsha Films
In Case You Missed These Two Programs…In commemoration of
Holocaust Remembrance Day
“SCHÄCHTEN”
Q&A below with THOMAS ROTH
and ACTOR JEFF WILBUSCH
Moderated by HILARY HELSTEIN
Click on image below to watch the Q&A
Courtesy of Menemsha Films
LAJFF in partnership with the Fritz Ascher Society presented a Q&A about the film, As Seen Through These Eyes
Watch the full recorded discussion below
Click on image below to watch the Q&A
Watch trailer here:
HOLY HOLOCAUST
Watch the Q&A and film here.
Click on the Youtube link below.
“The War on Women’s
Reproductive Freedom”
We are officially in The Great Regression – a time in which on issue after issue, we are seeing decades of progress reversed.
Watch this critical Q&A below!
with activists
HEATHER BOOTH,
the founder of the Jane Abortion Collective and
SHEILA KATZ,
CEO of National Council of Jewish Women
MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN!
IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ACTION
AND GET INVOLVED
Help organizations who will help with funding of travel and support to safe states.
NCJW’s fund where 100% of the money will go to help people cross state line and fund abortions.
Send your support to: https://www.jewsforabortionaccess.org/fund
Many orgs. have helplines and funds.
For a list,CLICK HERE
In partnership with National Council of Jewish Women and Women Make Movies
Watch the Q&A here to
“FIDDLER’S JOURNEY to the BIG SCREEN”
Q&A took place at the Museum of Tolerance with Director Daniel Raim, Producer Sasha Berman, Co-Writer Michael Sragow and actress Michele Marsh (played Hodel in the original film!) Moderated by the Director of the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, Hilary Helstein.
Watch the Q&A of
“THE AUTOMAT”
Watch below the Q&A with director Lisa Hurwitz, moderated by Hilary Helstein of LAJFF
Alice Agneskirchner, director/producer
Tovah Feldshuh, actress
Dr. Michael Berenbaum, moderator, Holocaust scholar
At the beginning of 1979, a dramatized and emotional US television miniseries ensured that the German population was suddenly reminded of the Nazi crimes against the Jews. What was expressed with the unknown word ‘Holocaust’, hit many millions of people in the heart. This was the first time that a major mainstream drama had portrayed the lives of Hitler’s victims. The audience reactions were fierce. Germany has been reassessing how the drama changed the country 40 years ago. Remembrance of the Holocaust and the words “never again” have become key principles of modern Germany’s political identity. Filmmaker Alice Agneskirchner tells the story of this emotional television event, which led to a paradigm shift in the perception of German Nazi crimes. Interviews with the series director Marvin Chomsky, actors Michael Moriarty, Rosemary Harris, Tovah Feldshuh and others.Read the review from the KFPK film club HERE!Watch the Q&A for the BROKEN CANDLE
Click on the link below and enter the password
https://vimeo.com/657709889
Password: Menemsha
It is with great sadness that the LA Jewish Film Festival family comes together to mourn the loss of our dear friend,
ED ASNER (1929-2021)
He was a cherished friend and participant at LAJFF. Ed, our hearts are heavy. Thank you for your love and deep connection to your Jewish roots and your relentless commitment to fighting for humanity. You were ONE OF A KIND. Your brilliance and wisdom will shine on in your legendary work.
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 26: Ed Asner, Ruby Modine, Hilary Helstein and Matthew Modine attend the Opening Night Gala of the LAJFF 2017 in Los Angeles on April 26, 2017 (Photo by Amy Graves/WireImage)
If you missed it you can now watch the Tattooed Torah Q&A with Ed Asner here!
Click on the image below to watch on YouTube
Sponsored by The Goldrich Family Foundation in partnership with USC Shoah Foundation
Watch a promo with filmmakers and cast.
Click on the video below.
“Kenny Scharf:
When Worlds Collide”
A Film by Max Basch & Malia Scharf
Watch the pre-recorded Q&A here
Panelists include
Synopsis: Growing up in the San Fernando Valley in LA, Kenny Scharf’s quintessential Jewish family placed importance on tradition and middle class values. His parents supported his interest in art from a young age, taking him to visit museums and galleries. When Scharf arrived in New York City in the early 1980s, he quickly befriended Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. This trio, amongst the fervent creative bustle of a depressed downtown scene, would soon take the art world by storm. While Basquiat and Haring both died tragically young, Scharf lived through cataclysmic shifts in the East Village as well as the ravages of AIDS and economic depression.
‘When Worlds Collide’ is about the art of fun, about living life out loud, despite setbacks, and about Kenny Scharf’s particular do-it-yourself, high-tone, technicolor artistic vision. The film includes rare archival footage with Scharf and Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and interviews with Ed Ruscha, Dennis Hopper, Yoko Ono and others. Scharf currently lives in LA and you can see his murals citywide. His recent exhibitions include the Hammer Museum, MOCA, Pasadena Art Museum, Nassau County Museum of Art in NY and others.
Documentary/USA/77 mins/2020/English
In cooperation with the City of West Hollywood, Nassau County Museum of Art, the Oakwood School and TOTAH Gallery, NYC.
If you missed the Q&A with Senator Cory Booker and others for the film, “Joachim Prinz: I Shall Not Be Silent”, you can see it here!
Click on image below to watch
Pre-recorded panel includes:
SENATOR CORY BOOKER
and
Rachel Fisher, Filmmaker
Deborah Prinz,Joachim Prinz’s daughter
Orly Marley, President, Tuff Gong Worldwide
Rabbi Sari Laufer, Stephen Wise Temple
Moderated by
Rabbi Clifford Kulwin, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple
B’nai Abraham
Listen to the podcast at link below from
“LA Jewish Film Festival – A Voice from the Past Bringing Jews and Blacks Together”
This program is in partnership with Stephen Wise Temple, Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance, American Jewish Committee, Jewish World Watch and Valley Beth Shalom
If you missed it, watch the Q&A here for:
“THE HUMAN FACTOR”
With Oscar-nominated filmmaker Dror Moreh and
General Michael Herzog, one of the negotiators!
or click below on
If you missed it, watch the Q&A here for:
“DETERMINED: The Story of Holocaust Survivor Avraham Perlmutter”
Q&A with filmmaker and Avraham’s daughter, writer/producer/directorDr. KEREN PERLMUTTER, the film’s composer STEVEN CHESNE, and the descendants of the BEIJERS FAMILY (who hid Avraham for over a year in the Netherlands and who were honored as “Righteous Among the Nations”), moderated by renowned Holocaust scholar,
Dr. MICHAEL BERENBAUM.
Click on the picture below to play the Q&A
THOU SHALT NOT HATE
a drama by Mauro Mancini
Official Selection – Venice International Film Critics’ Week 2020
Watch the exclusive Q&A with renowned actor Alessandro Gassmann and
director Mauro Mancini click below
Click on image below to watch trailer
Co-presented with Istituto Italiano di Cultura, under the auspices of the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles
In partnership with Anti-Defamation League and Consulate General of the Republic of Poland
Special International Holocaust Remembrance Day Event
“MY NAME IS SARA”
Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland and in association with USC Shoah Foundation
In partnership with Jewish Journal, American Jewish Committee, LA, the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany,
and Wilshire Boulevard Temple
Click on the picture below to watch the live Q&A.
Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland
Co-presented with USC Shoah Foundation
In partnership with Jewish Journal, American Jewish Committee, LA, the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Wilshire Boulevard Temple
Watch now the Q&A for
“Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen”
The story of the making of the beloved classic film, “Fiddler on the Roof,” and director Norman Jewison.
click on the pic below to play
Watch now the Q&A with cast and crew for
“STAND!”
“Hamilton meets Fiddler on the Roof meets West Side Story” – Reel Chicago
Watch the “AULCIE” Q&A below
We honored Aulcie Perry for his contributions to combating racial discrimination and to building bridges of understanding between African Americans and Jews and Israelis.
Click here to watch the Q&A webinar
Panelists included (L – R) LAJFF Director Hilary Helstein, Filmmaker Dani Menkin, Consul General of Israel, Dr. Hillel Newman, K.J. Matthews, journalist of the AAFCA, producer Jon Weinbach and Aulcie Perry himself!
In Loving Memory of
RUTH BADER GINSBURG
We honor her legacy and pay her tribute
Watch the Q&A with JULIE COHEN, acclaimed director of the Academy Award nominated sensation, “RBG”
Click on the picture below to stream the YouTube Q&A
LAJFF conducted a virtual discussion with acclaimed filmmaker Julie Cohen, co-director of the inspiring, Academy Award nominated documentary, “RBG.” She gives an insider’s view of one of the most influential women who ever lived, the heroic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and her journey in the making of this film that became a worldwide sensation.
If you have not seen the film, it is available to stream anytime on Hulu, Amazon Prime and other platforms.
THIS Q&A IS A MUST SEE!!
SHARED LEGACIES
In honor of “good trouble” Congressman John Lewis
and Rev. C.T. Vivian
LAJFF made history with this superb Q&A panel with activists and speakers from the film SHARED LEGACIES who came together to discuss the African American-Jewish relationship during the civil rights era and NOW! It included Dr. Shari Rogers, Dr. Clarence B. Jones, Gina Belafonte, Dr. Susannah Heschel, Sherry Frank, moderated by Dr. Michael Berenbaum.
Watch by clicking this picture.
Directed by Dr. Shari Rogers
Congratulations to MARIA SCHRADER,
on her Emmy nomination and for the 8 Emmy nominations for the Netflix series,
“UNORTHODOX”
You can watch the conversation with Ms. Schrader here now! Click the image below.
or on Facebook at:
facebook.com/watch/live
Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany
In partnership with the Jewish Journal, Goethe-Institut LA, Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V.
Watch it here on Facebook Live
“A Conversation with Actress
TOVAH FELDSHUH”
as she talks about her career and starring role as Golda Meir
Film and culture are more essential NOW than ever!
Please give a donation today to help LAJFF continue to stream free programs for your entertainment!
If you want to see LAJFF continue to present the great films and speakers that we do, PLEASE consider a donation.
Please click the box below.
Thank you for your support of LAJFF!
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Read the article and watch interviews on “Heading Home” below posted by JooTube.
Listen to post film Q&A with ballplayer Cody Decker and Greg Laemmle, owner of Laemmle Theatres.
Please enjoy the festival’s trailer below.
LAJFF Trailer from Digimoric productions onVimeo.
(Directed by Claudia Sobral, edited by Giovanni Moriconi)
