2025 FILM SELECTIONS
Films categorized by date of screening.
Ticket links, description and film trailers below!
Buy your tickets here!
THURSDAY, JUNE 26
OPENING NIGHT GALA
ATTENTION ALL BEATLES FANS!
MIDAS MAN
LA Premiere!
Written by Brigit Grant
Directed by Joe Stephenson
Starring: Jay Leno, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Emily Watson, Eddie Marson, Jonah Lees, Blake Richardson
Drama/UK/2025/112 minutes
INTRODUCTION BY HONOREE AND SPECIAL GUEST,
JAY LENO
ABOUT THE FILM: The seismic impact of The Beatles on popular culture continues to reverberate 60 years after they took The Ed Sullivan Show by storm in February 1964. Yet that revelatory TV appearance never would have taken place—and the band may never have been discovered at all—if not for Brian Epstein, the owner of a popular record store with an eye for style and an ear for music, who discovered the eventual “Fab Four” in a small Liverpool club and became the Beatles’ manager. Epstein summons a mythic stature himself: Jewish and gay, Epstein was an eternal outsider.
With an all-star cast including Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan, Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan), Emily Watson (The Book Thief), and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen’s Gambit), as Brian Epstein who tells his story with style and compassion. Jonah Lees as John Lennon and Blake Richardson as Paul McCartney.
Sponsored by the Jewish Federation, in partnership with Temple of the Arts, Saban Theatre, JQ International and Jewish Journal
Hospitality provided by the Sofitel Beverly Hills
Q&A with writer, Brigit Grant, director Joe Stephenson, actor Jonah Lees (channeling John Lennon), moderated by Martin Lewis, Beatles scholar and historian.
- Thursday, June 26th
- 7:00 pm – Doors Open for Red Carpet, Dessert Reception
- 7:45 pm – Show begins
- Saban Theatre
8440 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills - Sponsored by the Jewish Federation Los Angeles
- In partnership with JQ International, Jewish Free Loan Association, Temple of the Arts, Saban Theatre, Jewish Journal
- Hospitality provided by Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
- Reception sponsored by Factors Famous Deli, Hansen’s Cakes and Devine Wines
Watch trailer below
SATURDAY, JUNE 28
THE GLORY OF LIFE
LA Premiere!
Directed by Georg Maas, Judith Kaufmann
Drama/2024/Germany/98 minutes/German with English subtitles
Come join us on Saturday night for a beautiful film at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival (LAJFF) about Kafka!
Judith Kaufmann is an award-winning filmmaker and was a Ballhaus Fellow at the Villa Aurora in Los Angeles. The annual fellowship is given to outstanding directors of photography in cooperation with the German Film Academy.
Q&A to follow the screening with Jeffrey High, leading international scholar on Kafka and Professor of German Studies at CSULB.
ABOUT THE FILM: Because of the power of love, the last year of Franz Kafka’s life becomes his happiest. He has never before been able to allow himself to experience intimacy, he suffers from tuberculosis and is dependent on his overbearing family. But the worldly wise and caring Dora Diamant accepts him as he is. And he accepts her. The two meet in 1923 on the Baltic Sea coast, where he is convalescing and she is working in a Jewish Volksheim. Together they go to Berlin and, when Franz’s health deteriorates rapidly, to a sanatorium in Austria. The memory of their time together will shape Dora for the rest of her life.
- Saturday, June 28
- 7:30 pm
- Laemmle Town Center, Encino
17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino
- In partnership with the Villa Aurora/Thomas Mann House, Sponsored by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany
Watch trailer below
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
SHORTS PROGRAM:
FIDDLER ON THE MOON
& OPENING NIGHT
LA Premiere
Q&A with filmmaker Omer Ben-David
Sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel
First film: FIDDLER ON THE MOON
Directed by Daniel Miller
30 minutes/USA/2024
FIDDLER ON THE MOON, a half-hour documentary short, finally answers the question that has plagued scientists, theologians, and comedians for millennia: Will Judaism survive in space? Starring Neil deGrasse Tyson, astronauts Jeffrey Hoffman and Jessica Meir, and a quorum of rabbis and researchers.
Second film: OPENING NIGHT
Directed by Omer Ben-David
17 Minutes/Israel/2024, English and Hebrew with English subtitles
The professional and personal collide when Daniel, an Israeli film director, prepares for his debut premiere at a prestigious New York film festival, only to discover that his girlfriend’s ex, Amir, a big shot Israeli director, is also in the competition.
Q&A TO FOLLOW WITH OMER BEN-DAVID
- Sunday, June 29
- 11:00 am
- Laemmle Royal
11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West LA - Sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
MIDAS MAN
Directed by Joe Stephenson
Starring: Jay Leno, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Emily Watson, Eddie Marson, Jonah Lees, Blake Richardson
Drama/UK/2025/112 minutes
Q&A with writer, Brigit Grant, director Joe Stephenson
ABOUT THE FILM: The seismic impact of The Beatles on popular culture continues to reverberate 60 years after they took The Ed Sullivan Show by storm in February 1964. Yet that revelatory TV appearance never would have taken place—and the band may never have been discovered at all—if not for Brian Epstein, the owner of a popular record store with an eye for style and an ear for music, who discovered the eventual “Fab Four” in a small Liverpool club and became the Beatles’ manager. Epstein summons a mythic stature himself: Jewish and gay, Epstein was an eternal outsider.
With an all-star cast including Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan, Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan), Emily Watson (The Book Thief), and Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen’s Gambit), as Brian Epstein who tells his story with style and compassion. Jonah Lees as John Lennon and Blake Richardson as Paul McCartney.
- Sunday, June 29
- 3:45 pm
- Laemmle Town Center, Encino
17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino
- Sponsored by the Jewish Federation Los Angeles
- In partnership with JQ International
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
CHARLES GRODIN:
REBEL WITH A CAUSE
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHT!
LA Premiere!
Written & Directed by James Freedman
Documentary/USA/2024, 92 minutes
Q&A with filmmaker James Freedman in person (made “Carl Laemmle”) and Jan Warren, former inmate, moderated by Stan Taffel, President of Cinecon
ABOUT THE FILM: A touching and enlightening tribute to actor Charles Grodin known for some of our favorite films, including “The Heartbreak Kid,” “Midnight Run,” “Beethoven,” “Seems Like Old Times”. The film features new interviews with many of his friends, family and colleagues—including Robert De Niro, Steve Martin, Elaine May, Carol Burnett, Martin Short, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Alan Arkin, Ellen Burstyn, Marc Maron, Lewis Black, Marlo Thomas, Jon Lovitz, Richard Kind, Martin Brest, Jonathan Alter, Erica Rhodes, and Elissa Grodin.
Raised in a Jewish household in Pittsburgh, Charles Grodin’s life embodied the concept of Tikkun Olam. “Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause” not only celebrates his hilarious acting career, but also his remarkable, decades-long activism and successful fight to get wrongly convicted people — most of whom were mothers of color with young children — out of prison.
- Sunday, June 29
- 4:00 pm
- Laemmle Royal
11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West LA
Watch trailer below
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
PLUNDERER:
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A NAZI ART THIEF
CENTERPIECE PROGRAM
LA Premiere in partnership with Museum of Tolerance
Director: Hugo MacGregor
Producer: John Friedman
Key Cast: Jonathan Petropoulus
Documentary/USA & Germany/English and German with English subtitles/ 1 hour 58 min
Q&A to follow screening with historian and cast Jonathan Petropoulos, 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.
- Sunday, June 29
- 7:00 pm
- Museum of Tolerance
9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles - Sponsored by Pamela and Randol Schoenberg
- In Partnership with Museum of Tolerance, Villa Aurora/Thomas Mann House, and Jewish Story Partners
MONDAY, JUNE 30
FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT
Directed by Eric Friedler & Michael Curie
Starring Jerry Lewis
Documentary/USA & Germany/2024/108 Minutes/German with English subtitles
LA Premiere of “From Darkness to Light” the story of Jerry Lewis
Q&A to follow film with Classic Hollywood experts, writer Glenn Kirschbaum and Stan Taffel, President of Cinecon.
From Darkness to Light explores the legend of “The Day the Clown Cried” , Jerry Lewis’ never-released Holocaust drama. Featuring extensive unseen footage and interviews with Mel Brooks, David Cross, Martin Scorsese and Lewis, the documentary examines the film’s history, controversy, and lasting infamy as cinema’s most notorious unseen movie.
- Monday, June 30
- 7:30 pm
- Lumiere Music Hall
9036 Wilshire Bl., Beverly Hills
Watch trailer below
TUESDAY, JULY 1
THE ZWEIFLERS
LA Premiere!
CLOSING NIGHT
LA Premiere in partnership with Museum of Tolerance
We will honor Mike Burstyn for his lifetime accomplishments as a performer (and for his birthday on July 1).
Created & Written by David Hadda
Directed by Anja Marquardt and Clara Zoë My-Linh von Arnim
Starring: Mike Burstyn, Eleanor Reissa, Mark Ivanir, Sunnyi Melles
Drama-TV Series/Germany/2024/ Episodes 1 & 2, 90 minutes
German, English, Yiddish, Hebrew with English subtitles
We will host the first two episodes, followed by a Q&A with Mike Burstyn, moderated by David Suissa, President of the Jewish Journal! Followed by a dessert reception and cake for Mike!
SYNOPSIS: “The Zweiflers,” a multilayered and often hilarious examination of modern Jewish identity, was the winner of the Best Series award at the Cannes International Series Festival!
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. Disclaimer: Adult situations.
- Tuesday, July 1
- 7:30 pm
- Museum of Tolerance
9786 W. Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles
- In partnership with the Museum of Tolerance and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Villa Aurora/Thomas Mann House, Goethe Institut and Jewish Journal
- Dessert and cake reception sponsored by Delice Bakery and Hansen’s Cakes, following the film in honor of Mike Burstyn
