2026 FILM SELECTIONS
Films categorized by date of screening
Ticket links, description and film trailers below!
Buy your tickets here!
TUESDAY, MAY 12
7 PM, Saban Theatre
OPENING NIGHT GALA
Red Carpet arrivals with a Dessert/Wine Reception!
THE HOLLYWOOD RABBI
A vibrant new documentary chronicling the extraordinary life of Rabbi Marvin Hier, two-time Oscar winner and founder of the Museum of Tolerance and Simon Wiesenthal Center
Written & Directed by Jon Kean
Produced by Brad Krevoy and Susie Krevoy
Documentary/United States, Israel, Dubai/2025/87 minutes
Featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, President Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal, Governor Gavin Newsom, Ted Sarandos, CEO of Netflix, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Montana Tucker and more!
HONORING RABBI MARVIN HIER!
Introduction by Dignitaries, Celebrities and Special Guests
ABOUT THE FILM: How does the child of immigrants, raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, become Frank Sinatra’s personal rabbi, win two Academy Awards, and mingle with four kings, three popes, eight presidents and a who’s who of Hollywood royalty while dedicating his life to healing the world through tolerance? This film tells the oversized story of the oversized Rabbi Marvin Hier – founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, one of the most influential rabbis in America, and a mix of P.T. Barnum and Louis B. Mayer … in a yarmulke.
With an all-star cast including Arnold Schwarzenegger, President Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal, Governor Gavin Newsom, Ted Sarandos, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Montana Tucker and more
- Tuesday, May 12th
- 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 Goldrich Family Foundation
- In partnership with the Museum of Tolerance, Saban Theatre, Temple of the Arts, Holocaust Museum LA, StandWithUs, and Jewish American Heritage Month
- Reception sponsored by Factors Famous Deli, Legacy Entertainment and Devine Wines
- Media Sponsor: Jewish Journal
Watch trailer below
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13
7 PM, Laemmle Monica Film Centre
Join for this SPECIAL EVENT!
WE MET AT GROSSINGER’S
LA Premiere!
Directed by Paula Eiselt
Produced by Robert Friedman
Documentary/2025/United States/104 minutes
Q&A TO FOLLOW THE SCREENING WITH COMEDIAN ELON GOLD, MELISSA RIVERS, PRODUCER ROBERT FRIEDMAN AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER MIKE POWERS
Cast includes Joel Grey, Judy Gold, Josh Gondelman, Jackie Hoffman
ABOUT THE FILM: We Met at Grossinger’s is a joyfully nostalgic journey through the Jewish Catskills—once known as the Borscht Belt—told through the rise and fall of its most beloved resort: Grossinger’s Resort and Hotel, the real-life inspiration for Dirty Dancing.
Built and run by three generations of trailblazing women, Grossinger’s Resort and Hotel stood at the center of a world Jews built for themselves after being shut out of America’s mainstream resorts and clubs. It became far more than a vacation destination—it was a sanctuary of identity, joy, and reinvention. Here, amid the laughter of comics, including Joan Rivers and Joel Grey, the brilliance of athletes, and the grace of guests like Jackie Robinson, Eddie Fisher, and Eleanor Roosevelt, Jewish Americans and other marginalized communities found a stage to redefine what it meant to be accepted, celebrated, and free. We Met at Grossinger’s captures both the golden age and the fading echoes of the Catskills’ most beloved resort. It paints a sweeping portrait of an America in transformation—one that discovered, in the glow of the Borscht Belt, that inclusivity, creativity, and leisure lie at the very heart of the American dream.
- Wednesday, May 13
- 7:00 pm
- Laemmle Monica Film Centre
1332 2nd St, Santa Monica (City parking lot across the street)
- In partnership with Menemsha Films
Watch trailer below
THURSDAY, MAY 14
7:30 PM, Museum of Tolerance
MONUMENT
SPECIAL EVENT AND RECOGNITION
Written by Alena Alova
Directed by Bryan Singer
Drama/2026/United States, Israel, Greece/113 minutes
Engish, Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles
Cast: Jon Voight (Deliverance, Midnight Cowboy), Joe Mazzello (Bohemian Rhapsody), Ori Pfeffer (Terrence Malick’s The Way Of The Wind, For The Love Of a Woman), Alon Aboutboul z’l”(Is That You? Harmonia)
WITH ACTOR JON VOIGHT IN PERSON AT SCREENING!
“Monument” is an intelligent, exciting, and suspenseful movie about building a peace bridge in the Middle East,” ~ Curt Schleier, Jewish Standard
ABOUT THE FILM: The film is an historical suspense drama that focuses on past history when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the South Lebanon Army (SLA) were allied forces that operated a “Security Zone” in southern Lebanon from 1985 to 2000. The SLA, a predominantly Christian-led Lebanese proxy militia, fought alongside the IDF against Hezbollah and other militant groups, acting as a security buffer for northern Israel until their rapid collapse and the IDF’s withdrawal in May 2000. After the IDF withdrew from southern Lebanon, thousands of SLA members and their families fled to Israel for protection, where they were granted Israeli citizenship.
In 1999, as the situation in southern Lebanon nears its breaking point, renowned Israeli architect Yacov Rechter (Jon Voight) is commissioned to design a monument honoring fallen soldiers of the Christian South Lebanon Army. His idealistic son, and successor, Amnon (Joe Mazzello) challenges him to build something radically different: a memorial for all victims of the war — Christian and Muslim alike. As father and son clash over loyalty, complicity, and art, the monument becomes a haunting symbol of a peace that never lasts.
- Thursday, May 14
- 7:30 pm
- Museum of Tolerance
9786 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles Watch trailer below
SATURDAY, MAY 16
7 PM, Laemmle Royal
INFLUENCED
LA Premiere!
Directed by Rachel Israel
Comedy/2026/United States/88 minutes
Disclaimer: Foul language
Cast stars Jill Kargman a star-studded supporting cast including Justin Bartha, David Krumholtz, Jessica Capshaw, and Dan Hedaya – plus hilarious cameos by Drew Barrymore, Jason Biggs, Jenny Mollen, Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon.
Q&A to follow the screening with Jill Kargman in person!
ABOUT THE FILM: INFLUENCED is a hilariously foul-mouthed, warm-hearted satire of New York City’s Upper East Side “influencer” culture from co-writer/star Jill Kargman (New York Times best-selling author and creator of Bravo TV’s “Odd Mom Out”) and director Rachel Israel (Keep the Change).
Renowned social media influencer Danielle (Jill Kargman) navigates fake friends among the black-card swiping, workout-addicted Upper East Siders of New York. In her comedic quest for a million followers, she finds her first real new friend and her true self.
This laugh-out-loud satire from director Rachel Israel (Kargman is also featured in the Festival with The Floaters) delivers the kind of uproarious, big-hearted storytelling that feels like a true New York miracle—smart, messy, and impossible not to love.
- Saturday, May 16
- 7:00 pm
- Laemmle Royal, West LA
11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West LA
- In partnership with Laemmle Theatres & Menemsha Films
Watch trailer below
SATURDAY, MAY 16
7:30 PM, Laemmle Town Center
Encore Screening in Encino + Q&A with veteran film and television producer Howard Rosenman
WE MET AT GROSSINGER’S
- Saturday, May 16
- 7:00 pm
- Laemmle Town Center
17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino
Watch trailer below
SUNDAY, MAY 17
11 AM, Laemmle Royal
REEL INNOVATORS: STUDENT FILM SHOWCASE
Films included are from de Toledo High School, Holocaust Museum LA’s Voices of History Film Workshop, Righteous Conversations Project.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM: Join us for an awesome event celebrating fresh talent at the Reel Innovators: Student Film Showcase! Catch a lineup of creative films made by students pushing boundaries and telling unique stories. With a focus on imagining a world without hatred, bullying, and lessons of the Holocaust, join us to support these young emerging filmmakers and get inspired!
A student Q&A discussion will follow the films.
Films include.
“One of their Own: the Story of Louis Corper Fogelman”
“Art of Life: The story of Eva Nathanson”
“She Is Us”
“You Blew It”
“What Would You Tell Him?“ (an award-winning PSA)
- Sunday, May 17
- 11:00 pm
- Laemmle Royal
- 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles
- This program is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs
SUNDAY, MAY 17
11 AM, Laemmle Town Center, Encino
AN AUSCHWITZ ALBUM STORY
Directed by Jeffery Gary
Produced by Mitchell Kreitenberg
Executive Produced by Ernie Kreitenberg and Steve Kreitenberg
Documentary/2026/USA/65 minutes
Q&A with Director Jeffery Gary and Producer Mitchell Kreitenberg
ABOUT THE FILM: An Auschwitz Album Story shares the extraordinary survivor story of Mike and Joe Kreitenberg and their life-changing discovery in the Auschwitz Album: the only existing photographs of their family and neighbors who were lost in the Holocaust. The album represents both unimaginable loss and the hope for new beginnings.
An Auschwitz Album Story examines the Auschwitz Album as one of the greatest Jewish artifacts in history, while also recounting the chilling story of Mike and Joe, their miraculous survival from Auschwitz and shocking discovery of their family’s photos in the album. The documentary masterfully weaves together archival footage, in-depth interviews with Kreitenberg family members and experts on the Holocaust and Auschwitz Album, and skilled re-enactments.
Sunday, May 17
- 11:00 am
- Laemmle Town Center
- 17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino
- Sponsored by the Consulate General of The Federal Republic of Germany and the Villa Aurora
Watch trailer below
SUNDAY, MAY 17
1 PM, Laemmle Royal
THE FLOATERS
LA Premiere!
Directed by Rachel Israel
Comedy/2025/United States/101 minutes
Cast includes Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This), and Sarah Podemski (Reservation Dogs), Judah Lewis, Nina Bloomgarden, Jillian Jordyn, Ben Krieger, Dan Ahdoot,
Jonathan Silverman, Jill Kargman, and screen legend Steve Guttenberg and comedy icon Seth Green.
Q&A with cast members including Judah Lewis, Nina Bloomgarden, Jillian Jordyn, Ben Krieger
“A heartfelt and hilarious camp comedy, The Floaters explores friendship, identity, and second chances through the chaos of Jewish summer traditions.”—Solzy at the Movies
ABOUT THE FILM: An irreverent, heartfelt comedy about friendship, creativity, and the chaos of summer camp. When struggling musician Nomi (Jackie Tohn) is freshly ousted from her rock band, Nomi takes a last-resort job from her best friend Mara (Sarah Podemski) at their childhood Jewish summer camp, Camp Daveed. As camp director Mara contends with a busted septic system, she tasks Nomi to supervise a group of outsider teens called the Floaters.
With the camp’s survival on the line in a high-stakes Maccabiah Games challenge against wealthy rival Camp Barak, led by Mara and Nomi’s nemesis Daniel (Seth Green)– Nomi is tasked with directing the campers’ theatrical performance and encourages the misfit troupe to create an original production—sparking chaos, hilarity, and moments of unexpected brilliance. Now, Nomi and the Floaters must overcome their differences and outperform their rivals to keep the camp alive. Nomi and her campers discover that summer camp can be more than a way to pass the season. It can be a place of creativity, growth, and lasting connection. The Floaters is a laugh-out-loud, multi-generational comedy that celebrates the joy, absurdity, and heart of summer camp life.
- Sunday, May 17
- 1:00 pm
- Laemmle Royal
- 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles
- This program is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs
Watch trailer below
SUNDAY, MAY 17
4 PM, Laemmle Town Center
FOR THE LOVE OF A WOMAN
LA Premiere!
Directed by Guido Chiesa
Drama/2025/Italy, Israel/117 minutes English and Hebrew with English subtitles
Cast includes Mili Avital (Noodle, Stargate), Uri Pfeffer (Monument, Hacksaw Ridge), Menashe Noy (Gett, Tehran)
Best Film Award – Bari International Film Festival
ABOUT THE FILM: Mili Avital (Stargate), Uri Pfeffer (Hacksaw Ridge), Moni Moshonov (Late Marriage, America), Menashe Noy (Gett, Tehran) star in a sweeping English speaking saga based on the beloved novel of Israeli author Meir Shalev, The Loves Of Judith.
Set across two eras, For the Love of a Woman intertwines a gripping historical mystery with a haunting love story. In 1970s Israel, Esther (Mili Avital), an American woman receives a letter upon the death of her mother that sets her on a journey to Israel to uncover a hidden chapter of her family’s past. With the guidance of Zayde, a university professor with secrets of his own, she seeks to unravel the mystery of a woman who once lived in Palestine in the 1930s.
That woman is Yehudit (Ana Ularu, in a captivating performance), whose arrival in a settlers’ village decades earlier transformed the lives of three men—a grieving widower, a dream-filled farmer, and a shrewd cattle trader. An exciting and tragic love story begins. By tying together the threads that bind past and present, Esther and Zayde will discover a shocking truth.
- Sunday, May 17
- 4:00 pm
- Laemmle Town Center, Encino
- 17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino
- In partnership with the Italian Institute of Culture and the Consulate General of Italy
Watch trailer below
7 PM, Museum of Tolerance
SAPIRO VS. FORD: THE JEW WHO SUED HENRY FORD
California Premiere!
Directed by Gaylen Ross
(Originating Director Michael Rose)
Other cast includes: Hasia Diner, Victoria Saker Woeste, Jonathan D. Sarna, James Loeffler, Yair Rosenberg, Abraham Foxman
ABOUT THE FILM: This fascinating film tells the riveting true story of Aaron Sapiro, a young Jewish lawyer who took on one of America’s most powerful men—and most notorious antisemites—Henry Ford. In the 1920s, as Ford’s anti-Jewish publications incited hatred across the nation, Sapiro filed an unprecedented libel suit, challenging the limits of hate speech long before such laws existed.
From his humble beginnings in San Francisco to leading a nationwide movement empowering farmers, Sapiro’s life was a testament to courage, vision, and justice. Portrayed by Ben Shenkman (TV’s hit show Billions), Sapiro’s words are presented in their entirety, filmed as if speaking directly to a modern audience. At the same time, historical experts illuminate the stakes of his confrontation with Ford.
- Sunday, May 17
- 7:00 pm
- Museum of Tolerance
9786 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles
Watch trailer below
SUNDAY, MAY 17
7:30 PM, Temple Beth Am
LAEMMLE’S LIST
SPECIAL SCREENING ENGAGEMENT
Directed by Deborah Blum and Warren I. Blum
Documentary/2025/United States/84 minutes
ABOUT THE FILM: The film tells the amazing story of Deborah’s ancestor Carl Laemmle, founder of Universal Studios, who spent the final years of his life rescuing Jews from the grips of Nazi Germany – often secretly.
What begins as a heartfelt mission to learn about “Uncle Carl,” transforms into a quest for lost history and family truth. Deborah, Warren and Esther, their 11-year-old, travel from California to Germany as they trace the emigration stories of three families Carl sponsored, and uncover what became of Deborah’s great-grandparents under the Nazis. Along the way, they encounter modern-day Germans dedicated to preservation, memory and reconciliation — revealing a moving journey of courage, hope and redemption.
- Sunday, May 17
- 7:00 pm
- Temple Beth Am
1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles
Watch trailer below
MONDAY, MAY 18
7 PM, Museum of Tolerance
ONCE UPON MY MOTHER
LA Premiere!
Directed by Ken Scott
Story by Roland Perez
Drama/2025/France, Canada/102 minutes/French with English subtitles
WINNER OF 7 FILM FESTIVALS
Q&A to follow with Michele Wolf of JLA Trust, Elaine Hall of The Miracle Project & Judy Mark of Disability Voices United
ABOUT THE FILM: A triumphant celebration of unconditional love, Once Upon My Mother is a joyful, heartwarming family saga that radiates faith, devotion, and the transformative power of maternal love.ilm based on the bestselling autobiographical novel by French writer and radio personality Roland Perez.
Inspired by Roland Perez’s beloved bestselling autobiography, “Ma Mère, Dieu Et Sylvie Vartan,” this irresistible cinematic gem transports us to France, 1963. When Esther Perez (radiantly portrayed by Leïla Bekhti, Paris, je t’aime)—a spirited Moroccan-Jewish immigrant raising six children in the Parisian suburbs—learns her newborn son Roland has been born with a clubfoot, she refuses to accept the doctors’ grim prognosis. With fierce determination, boundless love, and an unshakeable belief in miracles, she embarks on a decades-long crusade to ensure her son doesn’t just walk—he soars. This film is the story of an incredible destiny and the greatest love of all: a mother’s love for her child.
- Monday, May 18
- 7:00 pm
- Museum of Tolerance
9786 Los Angeles
- Sponsored by the Consulate General of France
- In partnership with JLA Trust
Watch trailer below
MONDAY, MAY 18
7 PM, Laemmle Town Center
THEY CALLED US TRUJILLO’S JEWS
LA Premiere!
Written & Directed by Michael Puro
Produced by Tova Rosenberg (of Names Not Numbers)
Documentary/2026/USA, Dominican Republic/62 minutes
In English and Spanish with subtitles
The Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival and Jewtina y Co.’s Latin-Jewish Film Festival are partnering on this memorable evening!
Q&A to follow with Holocaust historian Dr. Michael Berenbaum, and moderated by Mariposa (Kimberly) Dueñas, Director of Learning & Founding Member of Jewtina y Co.
ABOUT THE FILM: When the world turned away, the Dominican Republic answered. They Called Us Trujillo’s Jews tells the extraordinary true story of the Sosúa settlement — the refugee colony created on land donated by Rafael Trujillo that saved hundreds of European Jews at a moment when few countries would accept them.
Through survivors’ testimony, archival documents, and intimate scenes of the town today, the film explores survival and gratitude alongside the moral ambiguities of power: why a dictator opened his doors, what life in Sosúa was really like, and the legacy that small acts of sanctuary can leave across generations.
A revelatory and deeply humane documentary, They Called Us Trujillo’s Jews recovers the story of Sosúa — a daring rescue that saved hundreds and left a complex legacy of survival, community, and memory.
- Monday, May 18
- 7:00 pm
- Laemmle Town Center
17200 Ventura Blvd. Encino
TUESDAY, MAY 19
7 PM, Museum of Tolerance
CLOSING NIGHT
The screening will be accompanied by a piano performance on a Steinway, Q&A + post film reception!
HOLD ON TO YOUR MUSIC: A MOTHER’S LEGACY
LA Premiere!
Directed by Josh Aronson and Adam R. Wood
Documentary/USA, 2026/77 Minutes, English
WINNER – Best Holocaust Documentary | Boca International Jewish Film Festival 2026
WINNER – Torchbearer Jury Award | Miami Jewish Film Festival 2026
Q&A to follow MONA GOLABEK and filmmakers, modrated by Holocaust historian Dr. Michael Berenbaum
ABOUT THE FILM: A young pianist escapes Nazi occupied Vienna on the Kindertransport, carrying nothing but her music and her mother’s final words. That act of love creates an artistic legacy that resonates across generations.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Josh Aronson and Emmy winner Adam R. Wood, Hold On To Your Music: A Mother’s Legacy tells the true story of Lisa Jura, a gifted Jewish pianist whose life was upended in 1938 Vienna. Forced onto the Kindertransport at age fourteen, Lisa found her way in wartime London, sustained by the music she carried with her and the memory of the family she left behind.
Drawing on rare archival footage, newly digitized recordings, and the virtuosic performances of her daughter Mona Golabek, the film traces Lisa’s journey from prodigy to refugee to mother – and the enduring artistic lineage she passed on. Adapted from Golabek’s bestselling book and international stage production The Pianist of Willesden Lane, the documentary brings new cinematic depth to a story that has reached more than 10 million readers and audience members worldwide through concerts, books, and 5,000+ performances.
The film bridges past and present to reveal a universal message: that memory, love, and music are forces powerful enough to sustain a life – and inspire generations.
- Monday, May 18
- 7:00 pm
- Museum of Tolerance
9786 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles - Sponsored by the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundaton
- In partnership with the Museum of Tolerance and StandWithUs
Watch trailer below
