Film Archive | Jewish Film Institute

Exhibition Series

2020 Filmmakers in Residence
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2024 JFI Completion Grants
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2026 JFI Completion Grants
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Pre-2020 Filmmaker In Residence
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Animation
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Television Series

Welcome to the Waks Family

Meet Zephaniah and Hava Waks and their 17 children, one of the largest families in Australia. Everyday life in the orthodox Waks household is a logistical operation of monumental proportions. There are two minibuses, a kosher kitchen with five ovens and a bar mitzvah to cater every year. This engaging and boisterous documentary follows the family over a five year period.preceded by THE COLLECTOR OF BEDFORD STREET

The Well (Der Brunem)

About This Film

Wendy's Shabbat

A group of Jewish Senior citizens celebrate the weekly Sabbath (Shabbat) at the local Wendy’s fast food restaurant with Hebrew blessings along with burgers and fries.

West Bank Story

Nothing is sacred in this parody of a musical comedy, set in the fast-food world of competing falafel stands in the West Bank. David, an Israeli soldier, falls in love with Fatima, the beautiful Palestinian cashier at the neighboring chickpea purveyor. This Sundance hit would have Shakespeare and Leonard Bernstein either spinning in their graves--or tapping their toes.

West of Hester Street

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Wet Dog - Next Wave Spotlight

Based on a provocative autobiography, this story – set in a largely Muslim neighborhood in Berlin – follows a teenage gang member who is caught between hiding his Jewish identity and saving his life.

We've Been Here Before

An intimate look at the non-conformists in punk subculture that fought back against white nationalists and neo-Nazis in the 90s.

What a Wonderful Place

This tough, bittersweet drama links the lives of desperate men and women on the fringes of Israeli society, looking for someplace to call home. Ex-cop Franco is reduced to smuggling illegal immigrant girls from the former Soviet Union on behalf of a violent gangster but is touched by Jana, a wispy Ukrainian woman trying to earn money for her daughter back home. Their deepening relationship forms the spine of this brilliant feature.

What About Me?

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What Cheer?

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What I Saw in Hebron

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What is a Jew to You?

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What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael | Local Spotlight

Pauline Kael is among the most famous and divisive film critics of all time. Her praise helped uplift the careers of Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and others, while her putdowns left lasting wounds. She was a pioneering woman in a male chauvinistic world. This nuanced portrait captures her complexity while revisiting late-twentieth-century cinema through her lens, using ample film clips, never-before-seen archival, wide-ranging interviews and her writings voiced by Sarah Jessica Parker.

What's in a Name

Director Daniel Robin is mistakenly booked for a flight under the name Robinowitz (which was actually his grandfather’s name). This coincidence leads him to examine his Jewish identity.

When Harry Met Sally...

Harry and Sally have known each other for years and are very good friends, but they fear that sex would ruin the friendship. Reprise screening – SFJFF 2011!

When Heroes Fly

Four Israeli soldiers reunite for a last mission and a chance to recover from their shared trauma.

When I Live My Life Over Again

Paul Lombard (Christopher Walken) was a successful crooner in the style of Sinatra and is plotting his comeback. His daughter, Jude (Amber Heard), sings jingles for a living. Paul’s ambition appalls her almost as much as her lack of ambition maddens him. When I Live My Life Over Again mines the timeless subjects of fame, chance, success, and the point at which you can no longer blame your parents for the choices you make.

When I Was 14: A Survivor Remembers

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When You Wish Upon a Weinstein

Peter, wanting to make his son Jewish so he will grow up smart, takes him to Vegas for a quickie bar mitzvah. Highlights include Peter singing “I Need a Jew” and send-ups of Seinfeld, Woody Allen, The Graduate and William Shatner as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.

Where the Wild Things Are

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Where To and Back: A Trilogy

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Centerpiece Narrative: Where To?

A Palestinian Uber driver and a lost young Israeli cross paths during a series of taxi rides through Berlin, leading to unexpected moments that blend humor and heartache as their journeys unfold.

Wherever You Go

A young Bedouin woman stands by the side of a deserted road, desperate for a ride. Zohara, an Israeli woman en route to a wedding, stops her car and offers the stranger a ride. As Zohara learns that her name is Neriman and her life is in danger, the women find themselves being pursued by another car. If they stop, Neriman will be killed. As the chase continues, it becomes clear that these two women, though from different worlds, share a longing to be free: free from their families and free to define themselves for who they really are.

Whisky

This masterful drama tells the story of two Jewish Uruguayan brothers. Jacobo lives alone in Montevideo, attached to his antiquated sock factory and the comfort of his routine. When Herman returns to Uruguay for the first time in 20 years, Jacobo asks his long-tenured employee Marta to pretend to be his wife. The three embark on a weekend vacation together, where relationships unfold and jealousies threaten to extinguish any sparks of brotherly love.

White Bird

When famous artist Sara Blum (Helen Mirren) confronts her grandson’s bullying behavior, his unrepentant demeanor provokes her to recount her experience as a Jewish girl in an occupied French village during World War II.

White Eye

A man finds his stolen bicycle and it now belongs to a stranger. In his attempts to retrieve the bicycle, he struggles to remain human.

The White Rose

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White: A Memoir in Color

Preceded by Kings PointJoel Katz’s (Strange Fruit, SFJFF 2002) insightful personal essay ponders what it means to be white in America. When Katz and his wife are asked to select a race preference for the child they wish to adopt, they begin a quest to understand the difficult notion of identity. After the half-Black, half-white adopted daughter is born, they grapple with the idea of bringing her up in an largely white community. [MINIGUIDE 70/70]

Who Killed Alex Odeh?

The assassination of a beloved Palestinian American activist in Southern California ignites a 40-year quest for justice, revealing the roots of a dangerous political movement that thrives today.

Who Killed Alex Odeh?

The assassination of a beloved Palestinian-American activist in Southern California ignites a 40-year quest for justice, revealing the insidious roots of a dangerous political movement that thrives today.

Who Shall Live And Who Shall Die

A documentary on the political battle that took place in the United States. to prevent the extermination of the Jews during World War II. Interviews with policy makers, Jewish leaders, and survivors are combined with archival footage, government documents, and photographs.

Who Will Write Our History

PALO ALTO OPENING NIGHT: A group of Warsaw ghetto activists secretly collected diaries and photographs that told their history.

Who’s Afraid of Alice Miller?

As a child, Martin is beaten by his father and rejected by his mother. It sounds like a case study lifted from the book “The Drama of the Gifted Child” by world-renowned Swiss psychoanalyst Alice Miller, except his situation is a unique one: his mother is the author herself.

Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?

In this honest and emotional documentary by Tomer and Barak Heymann (Close Up: Heymann Brothers, SFJFF 2008), Israeli expatriate Saar Maoz lives in London, where he’s active in the London Gay Men’s Chorus and struggling with HIV. When his Orthodox parents ask him to come back to Israel, Saar must decide where his future lies and how to make peace with his family as they struggle to accept his identity and his HIV status. —Tamar FoxWinner, Panorama Audience Award, Berlin Film Festival 2016

Who's the Caboose?

This mockumentary (in the tradition of WAITING FOR GUTHMAN, LIVING IN OBLIVION and THIS IS SPINAL TAP) is a delightfully scathing send-up of L.A.’s comedy biz. Susan, a 20-something New Yorker goes out west for "pilot season,"

Why Wasn't He There?

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