Festival Venues

Below find the complete lineup for all films at the Castro Theatre during the 41st San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Scroll down for additional venue safety information and attendance guidelines.

Castro Theatre

Theatres are back! JFI will be hosting a handful of in-person screenings at the Castro Theater on Saturday, July 24th and Sunday, July 25th.

Some of these film programs may not be available for streaming and are in-cinema only; please check individual film pages.

Persian Lessons | Opening Night

Persian Lessons | Opening Night

 A young Belgian man, is arrested and sent to a concentration camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, but then Gilles is assigned a seemingly untenable mission: to teach Persian to an SS officer.


200 Meters | Centerpiece Narrative (Castro)

200 Meters | Centerpiece Narrative (Castro)

A Palestinian father embarks on a perilous journey to reach his hospitalized son in this tense yet tender family drama about the human toll of oppression.


A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff - Song & Dance (Castro)

A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff - Song & Dance (Castro)

An artistic excommunication set on Wall Street in 2008, A Kaddish For Bernie Madoff is a mystical meta-musical about the greatest financial fraud in history, as seen through the eyes of musician/poet Alicia Jo Rabins.


Misha and the Wolves - (Castro)

Misha and the Wolves - (Castro)

 Misha and the Wolves is the dramatic tale of a woman whose Holocaust memoir took the world by storm, but a fallout with her publisher – who turned detective – revealed an audacious deception created to hide a darker truth.


Prognosis: Notes on Living - Local Spotlight SFJFF41 (Castro)

Prognosis: Notes on Living - Local Spotlight SFJFF41 (Castro)

When maverick Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Debra Chasnoff is diagnosed with stage-4 breast cancer, she faces injustice as always, with her camera.


The Light Ahead (Castro)

The Light Ahead (Castro)

Recently restored by the National Center for Jewish Film, A Light Ahead is a forgotten Yiddish classic by B-movie maverick Edgar G. Ulmer (The Black Cat, Detour). At once a touching comedic drama and pointed social critique, the film follows Fishke and Hodel, a young disabled couple, as they strive to escape the oppressive disease and poverty of their shtetl.


My Name Is Pauli Murray (Castro)

My Name Is Pauli Murray (Castro)

Acclaimed directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West follow the rousing success of their Academy Award nominated RBG with a new documentary based on the life of attorney, activist, priest, and memoirist Pauli Murray, who inspired Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Venue Guidelines

Mask Requirement

  • Masks are required for all guests and staff in the Castro, regardless of vaccination status or recent COVID-19 negative test.
  • No food or drink is allowed on the premises at any time.

Social Distancing Standards

  • Venue will not be sold to their full capacities. Tickets are limited.
  • Lobby is CLOSED at the Castro

Reduced Touch Points

  • Tickets will be sold online only.
  • Castro Package ticketholders will be e-mailed tickets to all Castro screenings

Cleaning Procedures

ALL THEATERS MUST BE CLEARED IN BETWEEN SHOWS DUE TO COVID-RELATED CLEANING REQUIREMENTS. ALL PATRONS WILL NEED TO EXIT THE CASTRO AND RE-ENTER FOR THE NEXT SHOW. PATRONS WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO GATHER IN THE LOBBY OR MEZZANINE IN BETWEEN SHOWS.

  • Throughout each day, common areas and high touch points will be routinely cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected.
  • In-person venues will have enhanced air ventilation.
  • Extra time is being inserted between films so our team can take extra care cleaning and disinfecting the venue before each show.

What You Can Do to Help

  • If you have symptoms such as fever or cough, or if you have come into contact with someone who has these symptoms, please take care, stay home, and join us when you are well.
  • Wash your hands often, and avoid touching your face.
  • Please use the hand sanitizers available throughout the venues.
  • Please do not linger in the lobby before or after screenings.
  • Arrive on time for your screening—seating will begin 60 minutes before and conclude 15 minutes following each film’s start time.

Venue Rules and Guidelines

JFI will ensure that safety is the number one priority. Capacities will be limited. Masks will be mandatory. Each venue is wheelchair accessible. Further accessibility information is published on our website.

Tickets will not be sold at the venue. Theater tickets are not included with Streaming Pass. Theater tickets are included for donors at the Patron Level and above, with RSVP. Complimentary tickets must be reserved online for entrance to the screenings.

Venue Location:

429 Castro St, San Francisco, CA 94114

Public Transportation
Bus/Streetcar: 24 Divisadero, 33 Ashbury/18th, 35 Eureka, 37 Corbett, F Market MUNI Metro: K, L, M, T (exit at Castro station) BART: Transfer to MUNI Metro at the Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell or Civic Center stations .

Parking
Street parking can be difficult to find in and around the Castro District. If you do find a place, please be aware of parking restrictions on many streets.

Digital Screening Room

You should receive unique streaming links with each ticket. Please visit the Tickets & Passes FAQ for more.

A streaming pass is the best value to stream all of SFJFF online content.

SFJFF41 Streaming Content
Over 50 films and online Q&A's, will be presented online &  in the Bay Area and nationwide July 22- August 1, 2021. A Festival Streaming Pass grants all-access to the film programs on JFI digital screening room during the festival, along with unique live and recorded introductions, Q&A’s with directors, cast members and film subjects

Festival Streaming Passes are now on sale at a members ($195) and non-members ($245) price.
Purchase soon as quantities are limited. 

Festival Streaming Passes are now included as a benefit for the all donors at the Patron level and above.

The Advantages of a Festival Streaming Pass:

  • Admission to all SFJFF41 online streaming films and conversations
  • Easy access to view content through one platform with a unique login
  • No need to purchase tickets one-by-one to online screenings 

Castro Theater screenings are not included with the Festival Streaming Pass. Tickets for these in-person must be purchased separately.

The Fine Print:

  • Eligible titles may be viewed once per Festival Streaming Pass at any time during the online portion of the festival, which begins at 12:01 am on July 22nd and concludes at 11:59pm on August 1st. Once you begin screening a title, you will have 72 hours to complete it. The T.V. Spotlight is available for the duration of the Festival. 
  • The Festival Streaming Pass is unique to you; the digital code associated with your Festival Streaming Pass may not be shared with others.
  • The Festival Streaming Pass is an all access pass nationwide with the following exceptions:
  • Films available only in the Bay Area (Click Here)
  • Films available only in the State of California (Click Here)