JFI Filmmakers in Residence

Filmmaker Residency Year

2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2020
2021
2022
2024
2025

Film Type

Animation
Documentary
Experimental
Narrative
Television Series

Country

Category

Feature
Short
Television
Web Series

Nico Opper: The F Word

Nico Opper: The F Word

Watch the journey unfold in this short comedic docuseries about one queer couple's journey to parenthood through the foster-to-adoption process. Along the way they seek out advice from other fost-adopt families and expand their search in ways they never imagined.

Nora Mariana Salim: Alina

Nora Mariana Salim: Alina

As Nazis separate children from their parents in the Warsaw Ghetto, a gang of women risks everything to smuggle their friend’s three-month-old baby to safety. Inspired by true events. Starring Alia Shawkat (ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, SEARCH PARTY), Edin Gali (MAD MEN), Rebeca Robles (BETTER THINGS), Erika Soto (VIDA), and Mark McCullough (LOGAN LUCKY).

Rebecca Pierce: Half Freedom

Rebecca Pierce: Half Freedom

Two African refugee activists fight against their community’s planned mass deportation from Israel, struggling alongside their Israeli and Palestinian neighbors.

Sam Radutzky & Josh Fruend: Joyva

Joyva, the 113-year-old, family-run candy company, a beloved household name amongst Jewish Americans that’s woven into the fabric of their traditions, is at risk of going out of business, along with its legacy and four generations of dreams, which the great-grandchildren must now fight to save.

Shaina Feinberg: None of this Matters

When a struggling filmmaker befriends an unassuming, elderly director, she discovers a Hollywood legend whose unique model for teaching has influenced some of the most iconic artists over the past 50 years.

Simon Mendes: Wrestling with Legacy: The Carlebach Story

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach was a spiritual and musical icon for 20th-century Jews. What will happen to his cherished legacy after posthumous sexual abuse allegations?

Theo Rigby: Si Pudiera Quedarme / If I Could Stay

Theo Rigby: Si Pudiera Quedarme / If I Could Stay

When undocumented mothers Jeanette and Ingrid face deportation and separation from their young children, they and their communities rally support to keep them safe despite the risks. A story of courage and allyship, Si Pudiera Quedarme is a timely look at the transformative power of communities uniting for justice.

Toby Freilich: Maintenance Artist

What happens when high art meet trash? Watch this first feature documentary about Mierle Laderman Ukeles, globally-renowned artist-in-residence at NYC’s Sanitation Department. Religiously observant, Ukeles’ humanistic approach to Jewish tradition inspires her largely secular work.

Udi Nir & Sagi Bornstein: The First Lady

Israeli transgender pioneer Efrat Tilma had to flee the country as a teenager. Now in her seventies and a celebrated activist, she must fight for her rights once again, while the country spirals into political and social regression.

Yael Bridge: Los Últimos Judíos de Guantánamo / The Last Jews of Guantanamo

A brief glimpse into the lives of the dwindling but passionate community of the Jews of Guantanamo.

Yael Luttwak: My Favorite Neoconservative

Yael Luttwak: My Favorite Neoconservative

Yael Luttwak (SFJFF 2012 Filmmaker in Residence) returns home and turns her camera on her father, famed Department of Defense military strategist Edward Luttwak. The film offers a rare and complex glimpse of beltway politics through these political polar opposites.

Yoav Potash: Among Neighbors

Yoav Potash: Among Neighbors

In a town where history has been silenced, an eyewitness to murder speaks out in search of the boy she loved.

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Click here for information about the JFI Filmmakers in Residence program