Film Archive | Jewish Film Institute

Exhibition Series

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The Red Sea Diving Resort | SFJFF39's CLOSING NIGHT FILM

Inspired by one of the most remarkable true life rescue missions ever, The Red Sea Diving Resort is the incredible story of a group of international agents and brave Ethiopians who in the early 80s used a deserted holiday retreat in Sudan as a front to smuggle thousands of refugees to Israel. Chris Evans (Captain America, Avengers) plays Ari Levinson, the Mossad agent who leads the mission together with courageous local Kabede Bimro, played by Michael Kenneth Williams (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire). Posed as naive European entrepreneurs, the team he leads take advantage of the Sudanese government’s interest in expanding its feeble Ministry of Tourism to purchase a strategically located property along the Red Sea. Their plans are thrown for a loop, however, when real tourists begin arriving, expecting service.

The Shabbos Goy | FIlm Movement Award Winner | 6pm pst

THE SHABBOS GOY noun /ˈSHäbəs / goi/1 – a non-Jew who performs certain tasks which religious law prohibits a Jew from doing on the Sabbath.2 – a human loophole.In this delightful comedic short God literally forbids Chana to turn off her vibrator gone rogue, so she sets out on a quest to find someone who can. Winner of the SFJFF FIlm Movement Award for Best Narrative Short.

The Way We Were

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Theme

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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.

Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem

The lives of two beloved Jewish icons are woven together in this enchanting documentary: Sholem Aleichem, the great Jewish storyteller, and Theodore Bikel, troubadour and actor, who has portrayed Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof (based on Sholem Aleichem’s stories) countless times. Bikel is joined by Alan Alda, Fyvush Finkel and Sholem Aleichem’s 102-year-old granddaughter Bel Kaufman. Screening followed by a brief performance and Q&A with Theodore Bikel.

There Are Jews Here

This quirky and poignant documentary examines the challenges of Jewish life in small-town America. Focusing on four tiny Jewish communities, directors Brad Lichtenstein and Morgan Elise Johnson examine in intimate detail what happens to a congregation when there are scarcely enough Jews left to form a quorum for religious activities, much less to maintain a vibrant community. An unusual and intriguing look at a segment of American Jewish life that is rarely examined. —Seth Barron

There Was Nothing Here Before

A Swiss filmmaker, the descendant of Palestinian migrants, travels to the West Bank to make sense of the breakup with a Jewish childhood friend who became a settler.

They Ain't Ready For Me | 12pm pst

They Ain’t Ready For Me is the story of Tamar Manasseh, the African American rabbinical student who is leading the fight against senseless killings on the south side of Chicago. The film explores the challenges and motivations of this fearless community leader as she works to prevent more people from being killed by gun violence.

The Thin Line

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This is My Mother

Pierre has his life turned upside down by the sudden arrival of his mercurial mother who suffers from bipolar disorder and has recently escaped from a clinic.

This Is Not Erotica

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This is Personal

Director Amy Berg ('An Open Secret') turns the spotlight on the Women's March, especially co-founder Tamika Mallory - whose support of Louis Farrakhan has generated so much controversy - in this panoramic documentary.

Those People

The lives, loves, scandals and fixations of a tight-knit group of high society Manhattan youth are dissected with humor and compassion in this sexy drama from first-time feature director Joey Kuhn. The story centers on Charlie, a struggling young artist, whose loyalty to—and longtime crush on—his dashing best friend Sebastian are challenged when Sebastian’s swindling father is jailed and Charlie starts falling in love with someone else.

Those Who Heard & Those Who Saw

Experimental essay film about a network of internment camps that were built in eastern Canada in 1940, with British funding, to imprison 2,000 Jewish refugees who had fled Europe during the lead up to the Second World War. It pulls heavily from previously unreleased archival tapes that were recorded in the 1970s with survivors of the camps and puts their experiences into conversation with contemporary Syrian refugees who live nearby the old camps.

Those Who Heard and Those Who Saw

In 1940, Jewish refugees who had fled to the United Kingdom were sent to work in prison camps in Canada. Through a large archive of never-released audio interviews, "Those Who Heard and Those Who Saw" considers how their experiences connect to those of contemporary Syrian refugees in Canada.

Those Who Remained | 11:30am pst

A lyrical story of the healing power of love in the midst of conflict, loss and trauma, Those Who Remained reveals the healing process of Holocaust survivors through the eyes of a young girl in post-World War II Hungary. This beautiful, poetic, and nuanced film had its US premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and was shortlisted for Best International Feature for the 2020 Academy Awards.

A Thousand Kisses

The film tells the story of a young Jewish couple in Berlin who, separated by the fear of prosecution in 1933 Nazi Germany, make plans to reunite on the safe tropical shores of Brazil.

A Thousand Little Kisses

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Three Kisses

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Three Mothers

The multigenerational saga of beautiful but troubled triplets, Flora, Yasmin and Rose. Following them over 60 years from Egypt to Israel (and interspersed with haunting songs), this intimate drama reveals the sisters coming to terms with long-buried secrets, exploring how even the closest relationships—sisterhood, motherhood, marriage—can be both tender and vicious. Starring Gila Almagor and nominated for nine Israeli Academy Awards.

Three Promises

While the Israeli army retaliates against the Second Intifada in the West Bank, a mother films her family’s daily life, punctuated by time spent sheltering in the basement.

Three Sisters

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Three Times Divorced

Three Times Divorced follows the harrowing story, still in progress, of a Gaza-born woman locked in the battle of a lifetime for custody of her six children, and locked out of the legal process.

Through the Veil of Exile

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Thunder In Guyana

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Thy Father's Chair

In this Jewish Grey Gardens, Avraham is a sixtysomething Orthodox Jew living in Brooklyn in his deceased parents’ family home. Avraham passes his time in his claustrophobic apartment petting his cats and sitting on a dilapidated couch among old newspapers, books, bed bugs and rotten food. When a deep cleaning crew arrives, he finally has to face his fears and confront his inability to separate himself from the past. —Shevi Loewinger

A Tickle in the Heart

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Tidbits: Narrative Shorts

Brevity translates to boldness in this collection of shorts that takes you through the peaks and valleys of human experience. Get ready to laugh, cry, and repeat.

Tiger Eyes

The first of Judy Blume’s books to be translated to film, Tiger Eyes stars Willa Holland (Gossip Girl, The O.C.) as a teenager grappling with the sudden loss of her father. Crippled by grief, her mom moves the family to New Mexico to stay with her sister. Shell-shocked and culture-shocked, Davey befriends a wise, sexy Native American young man who helps her through this difficult time. Judy Blume in person. [MINIGUIDE 71/70]

Tiger Within

The unlikely friendship between Samuel, an elderly, lonely Holocaust survivor, and Casey, an angry 14-year-old runaway is the premise of this inspiring, redemptive story about the power of forgiveness and unconditional love to transform lives and overcome ignorance, fear, and hate.

Tikkun

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'Til Kingdom Come

Pastors encourage an impoverished Kentucky community, “The forgotten people of America,” to donate to Israel in anticipation of Jesus’s impending return. The film exposes the controversial bond between Evangelicals and Jews in a story of faith, power, and money, revealing how Trump’s America is led by an End-Times apocalyptic countdown.

Timbrels and Torahs

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Time for Cherries

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Time for Peace (Zaman El Salaam)

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