SHALOM
Celebrating the 36th Annual Vancouver Jewish Film Festival
I am honored to welcome you to the 36th annual Vancouver Jewish Film Festival’s celebration of cinema, culture, and community. In a world increasingly divided by uncertainty and tension, the power of film remains one of the few universal languages that can bridge gaps, spark conversations, and foster empathy. Through the worldclass films featured at this festival, we come together—not only as individuals from diverse backgrounds, but as a collective voice that recognizes the importance of shared stories and experiences.
In these troubling times, when divisions seem more pronounced, these films offer us windows into different worlds, perspectives, and histories. They remind us that the challenges we face are not isolated but shared by others around the globe. Each film in our program has the ability to bring us closer—to reflect on our common humanity, honour our differences, and envision a future where understanding and compassion are central.
Thank you for joining us on this journey. Together, we can use the power of storytelling to build a more connected, inclusive, and compassionate world.
Robert Albanese Executive and Artistic Director
Executive Director
Robert Albanese
Board of Directors
David Schwartz President
Perry Schneiderman Vice President
Mel Ackerman Treasurer
Carole Lieberman Secretary
Ian Penn Community Relations
Jennifer West Outreach
Jocelyn Brown Film Committee
Jeffrey Goldberg Film Committee
Horatio Kemeny Film Committee
Ayla Tesler-Mabe Social Media Engagement
Part-time Staff
Julie Berry Website and Office Management
Cathy Hudson Bookkeeper
Laura Rosenthal Projects
Sandy Gow Festival Projectionist
Adam Abrams Webmaster
THANK YOU
Visionary Sponsors
Province of British Columbia
City of Vancouver
Cineplex Entertainment
Platinum Sponsors
Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver
Royal Bank of Canada
RBC Dominion Securities and RBC Wealth Management
ZLC Financial with the support of Garry Zlotnik
Opening Night Sponsors
Tova Kornfeld and Family
Closing Night Sponsors
Isaac and Judy Thau
Film Festival Sponsors
Melvyn Ackerman and Ellen Flanders
Robert Albanese and Harriet Frost
Eric and Anne Andrew
John Anthony and Wendy Fouks
Herb Auerbach
Gary Averbach
Leanne Averbach
Ellen Balka
Shirley Barnett, Philip Dayson / The Dayhu Family Foundation
Larry Barzelai and Rhona Gordon
David Batist and Gilda Rayburn
Shuli Ben-Moshe and Sanders Russell and Co. Professional Accountants
Jocelyn and Lorne Brown
Dr. Ann Chala, Julius and Ann Chala
Marie Doduck with Cathy Golden, Bernice Carmeli
Harvey Field and Randa Bloom
Tamara Frankel
Leo Franken - The Spectacle Shoppe
Larry and Miri Garaway
Michael and Sally Geller
Norman Gladstone and Birgit Westergaard
Jeffrey Goldberg and Hillary Meredith
Eli Gorn, Nathan Neumer
Lorne Greenberg
Mitchell and Lynne Gropper
Jerry Growe and Nomi Kaplan
Ellen Hamer, Gerald Hamer
Sandy and Michael Hayden
Jeremy and Yael Horwitz
Arlene Howard and Irv Dardick
Karen James
The Kahn Foundation
Dr. Harry Karlinsky and Dr. Andrea Tuka
Sid Katz
Horatio Kemeny
Rozanne Kipnes and Geoffrey Druker
Maureen, David and Jordan Kling
Ethel Kofsky and Don Rosenbloom
Aliza, Tova, Ron, Leora, Danny, Revital,
Maya, Ma’or and Itamar Kornfeld
Karen Krivel
Irv Laskin and Naomi Kronitz
Bill and Risa Levine
Carole and Lucien Lieberman
Michael Levy
Ed and Debbie Lewin
The Lutsky Families
Bob Markin
Moshe Mastai
Jack and Karen Micner
Norman Mills
Cyndi and Max Mintzberg
Larry Meyer
Phil Moses and Karen Novak
Linda Thayer and Elliot Myers
The New Israel Fund of Canada
Judy Oberlander and Mark Wexler
David Paperny and Audrey Mehler
Ian and Sandy Penn
Lyle Pullan
Ron Ritch and Cathy Paperny
Tobin Robbins and Sandra Broudy
Deborah Roitberg and Jack Amar
Sheila Romalis
Laura Rosenthal and Robert Schertzer
Harley and Eleanor Rothstein
Barry Sanders and Margo Fluker
Leonard Schein and Barbara Small
Perry Schneiderman and Evelyn Levine
David Schwartz and Debby Freiman
Robyn and Basil Segal
Marilee Sigal
Arnold and Anita Silber Family Foundation
Herb and Barbara Silber
Jack Sniderman
Nancy Stern and Stephen Schachter
Phil and Diane Switzer
Temple Sholom
Judy and Isaac Thau
Aron and Neri Tischler
Art Toft
The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre
The Weinberg Residence
The Wertman Family
Special Thanks
We gratefully acknowledge:
Leonard Schein
Ellis Jacob
The Management and staff of the Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Garry Zlotnik and the staff at ZLC Financial Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver Vancouver Jewish Community Foundation
Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation
The Betty Averbach Foundation
Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre
Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver
The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre
The Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture
Jewish Independent
Hannah Cohen
Eli Joseph
Royal Bank of Canada
RBC Dominion Securities
And all our fabulous, wonderful volunteers!
TICKET INFO
Purchase advance tickets
• Online at vjff.org right up until showtime, as long as tickets are available
• By phone
604.266.0245
Monday-Thursday, 10-5 until Wednesday, April 23
• In person at the VJFC office
The Peretz Centre, 6184 Ash Street
Monday-Thursday, 11-5 until Wednesday, April 23
Visa and MC
Purchase tickets during the Festival
• Apr 24 - May 1:
Fifth Avenue Cinemas, 2110 Burrard St.
At the VJFF table in the lobby before screenings. Note: at the Fifth Avenue, you must be 19 years or older to attend.
• May 2 & May 4
The Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre
At the VJFF table in the lobby before screenings.
Visa, MC and cash; no debit or AMEX.
Pricing Festival Pass .....................................................
$100
Admission for one person to all screenings. Subject to availability; please arrive 20 minutes before showtime. Includes membership. Must be 19+ to use.
Single Tickets
$18
and Senior (65+) ....................................... $15
Night Reception and Film $25
Attendees must register their email address to be admitted to films presented by the VJFCS.
Prices do not include GST or ticket processing fees.
Screening locations
Apr 24 - May 1 at Fifth Avenue Cinemas, 2110 Burrard St. Note: all attendees must be 19+ years.
May 2 & 4 at The Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre, 950 West 41st Ave. Open to youth; see vjff.org for individual film ratings.
The legal stuff: Everyone attending a screening at The Fifth Avenue Cinemas must be 19+ due to the liquor licence in place. • Everyone 18+ attending an unclassified screening must have, through the purchase of a ticket, pass, or sponsorship, registered their email or address with the VJFF to become a member of the VJFC Society as required by BC law and the Consumer Protection Branch for Film Classification. • VJFF does not offer refunds or exchanges except in cases of technical failure so please review your order before completing the transaction.
The Vancouver Jewish Film Festival in partnership with
The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver have established
THE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
L EGACY F UND
The Vancouver Jewish Film Festival is more than an annual festival.
We offer engaging year-round programs for our thriving community.
The need for the Film Festival to offer more has never been greater.
Our Legacy Fund will provide a stable source of long-term funding. Your contribution to the Legacy Fund will support programming and services for generations.
“YourpersonalsupporttotheLegacyFundwill allowustoinspire,educateandentertain forgenerationstocome.Thankyou!”
Call Robert Albanese at (604) 266-0245 to find our how.
Robert Albanese Executive Director, Vancouver Jewish Film Festival
OPENING FILM followed by reception
Midas Man
Thursday, April 24 at 7 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Winner: Bull Award, Birmingham Film Festival, 2024
Midas Man offers Beatles fans a fresh look at the pivotal role Brian Epstein played in the band’s meteoric rise. It captures the spirit of Epstein’s ambition and the transformative period of the early ‘60s with style and sensitivity. Midas Man shines as a heartfelt tribute to the “Fifth Beatle” and offers an enjoyable, insightful experience that fans of the Fab Four won’t want to miss. Brian Epstein comes from an entrepreneurial Jewish family, who owned a shop where Brian worked. Like many children of immigrants, Brian was expected to take over the family business one day. The music world might not have been the same if Brian Epstein stayed on to take over the family business…
Year 2024
Country UK
Director Joe Stephenson
Cast Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Emily Watson, Ed Speleers
Language English
Runtime 112 minutes
Genre Drama
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
OPENING NIGHT SPONSORS
Aliza, Tova, Ron, Leora, Danny, Revital, Maya, Ma’or and Itamar Kornfeld in loving memory of husband, father, grandfather and Holocaust survivor Chaim Kornfeld z”l (1926-2024)
Full Support
Friday, April 25 at 1 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Nominee: Best Documentary, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Israeli Film, DocAviv Film Festival, 2024
In a Jaffa bra shop’s fitting room, each heroine struggles to find the perfect bra. She bares not just her chest, but her soul, sharing tales of triumph and the occasional wardrobe malfunction. From the awkward moment they first break out, to the sobering reality checks of mammograms, the relationship with our “girls” is a bouncy roller-coaster of ups and downs because life, much like a poorly fitted bra, is full of surprises. This film unravels the mystery, myth, and Full Support between women and their breasts. There is no symbolism to the garment, it simply exists as a point of conversation. Director Michal Cohen tastefully avoids moving her camera up and down on the women and she gives everyone the space they need to offer their truth on the subject.
Preceded by:
Neurim
2020 | Israel | Drama | 30min | Hebrew with English subtitles
Dir: Shaylee Atary
After a car accident in 2016, Shaylee requires lengthy rehabilitation, more than a year in a wheelchair and walks with the help of a cane. This film, which she directed and stars in, tells her story. An awkward relationship slowly grows with her new male physiotherapist bringing a newfound desire to her daily, routine rehabilitation. ShayleeAtaryisthewidowofmurderedIsraelifilmmakerYahavWinnerwhosacrificed hislifetoprotectherandtheirnewbornchildduringtheOctober7thHamasmassacre inKibbutzKfarAza.
Year 2024
Country Israel
Director Michal Cohen
Cast -
Language Hebrew with English subtitles
Runtime 71 minutes
Genre
Documentary
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Shuli Ben-Moshe
Jocelyn and Lorne Brown
Nomi Kronitz and Irv Laskin
Laura Rosenthal and Robert Schertzer
Marilee Sigal
Between the Temples
Sunday, April 27 at 1 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Winner: Best Supporting Actress, Carol Kane, Film Club’s The Lost Weekend, 2024
Winner: Prix du jury, Best Director, & Prix de la Critique, Champs-Élysées Film Festival, 2024
Nominee: Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival, 2024
Nominee: Best Screenplay, Gotham Awards, 2024
Nominee: Best Feature Film, Berlin International Film Festival, 2024
Between theTemples opens with a loud, keening blast from a shofar. This film is about a man in mourning and in crisis, but it’s also about the people in his life: his moms, the synagogue’s congregation, its golf-loving rabbi and the rabbi’s conveniently, anxiously single daughter. Ben (Jason Schwartzman) is the straight man in the comedy of his life. Sweeping him up is Carla (Carol Kane). The movie is consistently funny, but its humour tends to be fairly gentle because it’s rooted in human behaviour rather than in condescending, judgmental ideas about such behaviour.
Year 2023
Country USA
Director Nathan Silver
Cast Jason Schwartzman, Carol Kane, Dolly De Leon
Language English
Runtime 101 minutes
Genre Comedy
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Ellen Hamer with Gerald Hamer
Cyndi and Max Mintzberg
Linda Thayer and Elliott Myers
Sandy and Ian Penn
Sheila Romalis
Dr. Andrea Tuka and Dr. Harry Karlinsky
Guns & Moses
Sunday, April 27 at 4:00 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
• Guests: Director, Salvador Litvak,
Executive Producer, Horatio Kemeny
Starring Christopher Lloyd and Dermot Mulroney, this action-packed thriller sees a beloved yet unique Hasidic rabbi in a small Californian town forced to act when his congregation is violently attacked. With no one willing to help, Rabbi Zaltzman becomes an unlikely figure of retribution and resistance. Helmed by Salvador Litvak, widely recognized as “The Accidental Talmudist,” Guns & Moses is a gripping drama that rises beyond its genre to explore profound themes of identity, morality, and resilience. At its heart, is Rabbi Mo Zaltzman, portrayed with depth and authenticity by Mark Feuerstein, a joyful and perceptive Hasidic rabbi.
Year 2024
Country USA
Director Salvador Litvak
Cast Alona Tal, Neal McDonough, Christopher Lloyd, Mark Feuerstein
Language English
Runtime 93 minutes
Genre Crime, Thriller
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Ellen Flanders and Mel Ackerman
Horatio Kemeny
Debbie and Ed Lewin
Hillary Meredith and Jeffrey Goldberg
Karen Novak and Phil Moses
Jack Sniderman
Diane & Phil Switzer
Bad Shabbos
Sunday, April 27 at 6:30 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Winner: Audience Award, Narrative, Tribeca Film Festival, 2024
Bad Shabbos is here to prove that even Shabbat can go haywire in this offbeat comedy. This chaotic “one-night-in-New-York” story turns family dinner into a sidesplitting disaster. When two couples -- Abby and Benjamin and David and Meg (freshly converted to Judaism) -- gather for a traditional Shabbat dinner with their parents, things spiral faster than you can say “hamotzi” when an incident derails the evening entirely. Cue Meg’s devoutly Catholic parents who are due any moment to arrive and meet David’s very Jewish family… And before you know it, Shabbat becomes a comedy of biblical proportions.
Year 2024
Country USA
Director Daniel Robbins
Cast Milana Vayntrub, Kyra Sedgwick, Ashley Zukerman
Language English
Runtime 84 minutes
Genre Comedy
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Leo Franken, The Spectacle Shoppe
Lorne Greenberg
Hillary Meredith and Jeffrey Goldberg
Norman Mills
Garry Zlotnik, ZLC Financial
Sabbath Queen
Sunday, April 27 at 8:30 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
• Guest: Director, Sandi Dubowski
Sabbath Queen was filmed over the course of 21 years and follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, including Chief Rabbis of Israel. He is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny and becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul: an everybody-friendly, G*d-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. The documentary joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, championing interfaith love, and stand up for peace. The film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult, rapidly changing 21st century.
Year 2024
Country USA
Director Sandi Dubowski
Cast -
Language English, Hebrew, Arabic with English subtitles
Runtime 105 minutes
Genre
Documentary
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Highway 65
Kvish Ha’Sargel
Monday, April 28 at 1:00 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Winner: Special Mention, Jerusalem Film Festival, 2024
Nominee: Best Film, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Actor, Iran Amedi, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Director, Maya Dreifuss, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Screenplay, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
A gorgeous widow disappears in a godforsaken town. Nobody cares except for a female police detective who never lets go. It’s a scorching hot summer in the small town of Afula. Daphna, 40, an outspoken and pugnacious police officer, has been relocated from Tel Aviv. The local petty crimes are a far cry from the big city crime she is used to. When a former beauty queen and army widow disappears, Daphna raises a troubling question – why isn’t anybody looking for her? Fearing the worst, Daphna has to find answers, and as she gets further embroiled in the case, she makes risky choices and crosses professional boundaries.
Year 2024
Country Israel
Director Maya Driefuss
Cast Tali Sharon, Idan Amedi, Sara von Schwarze
Language Hebrew with English subtitles
Runtime 109 minutes
Genre Drama
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Horatio Kemeny
Hester Street
Monday, April 28 at 4 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Carol Kane, Academy Awards, 1976
Winner: Interfilm Award, Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival, 1975
Winner: National Film Registry, National Film Preservation Board, USA, 2011
Nominee: Best Film, Valladolid International Film Festival, 1977
Nominee: Best Comedy adapted from another Medium, Writers Guild of America, USA, 1976
This review of HesterStreetappeared in the New York Times in 1975: There is nothing very original about Hester Street except its loveliness. Literally, it is a small movie about the struggles and transformations of the Jews who settled in the Lower East Side and tried to reconcile the ordered values they brought along with the unmarked opportunities they found. The immigrant theme, with its anecdotes, its incongruities, its mixture of comedy and pathos, has been played through any number of stories, novels, memoirs, and films. How, then, can this film be so good? Partly, it is because movies are performances as well as creations. The effect of seeing Hester Street is that of seeing a familiar play, lit up by an intent and flowering mind. Performance doesn’t refer simply to the acting, though the cast of Hester Street, which opened yesterday at the Plaza Theatre, is superlative, and Carol Kane in the starring role is extraordinary. It refers to the whole framing of the picture by Joan Micklin Silver, its author and director: Hester Street tells the story of the comic and painful Americanization of Jake and Gitl, an immigrant couple from Russia.
Year 2021 (1975)
Country USA
Director Joan Micklin Silver
Cast Steven Keats, Carol Kane, Mel Howard
Language English
Runtime 89 minutes
Genre Comedy, Drama
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
The Dayhu Family Foundation
Wendy Fouks and John Anthony
Debby Freiman and David Schwartz
Gilda Rayburn and David Batist
Barbara Small and Leonard Schein
A Real Pain
Monday, April 28 at 6:30 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Winner: Best Supporting Actor, Kieran Culkin, Academy Awards, 2025
Winner: Best Supporting Actor, Kieran Culkin, Golden Globes, 2025
Winner: Best Original Screenplay, BAFTA Award, 2025
Winner: Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, Jesse Eisenberg, Sundance Film Festival, 2024
Winner: Prix spécial du jury, La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival, 2024
Winner: virtuoso Award, Kieran Culkin, Santa Barbara International film Festival, 2025
Nominee: Best Original Screenplay, Academy Awards, 2025
A Real Pain, written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, is a finely tuned, melancholic yet, at times, a startlingly funny exploration of loss and belonging. Eisenberg also stars as David, a fidgety, outwardly ordinary guy. Eisenberg as David, along with his very complicated cousin Benji (Kieran Culkin won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for this role), set off on a heritage tour of Poland. Their beloved grandmother, who had recently passed away, was a Holocaust survivor and the cousins decide to visit the house she grew up in.
Year 2024
Country USA, Poland
Director Jesse Eisenberg
Cast Kieran Culkin, Jesse Eisenberg, Olha Bosova
Language English
Runtime 90 minutes
Genre Comedy, Drama
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Leanne Averbach
Risa and Bill Levine
Sheila Romalis
Barbara and Herb Silber
Art Toft
Come Closer
Karov El’ai
Monday, April 28 at 8:30 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Nominated for 13 Israeli Academy Awards
Winner: Best Film, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Winner: Best Director Ophir Award, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Winner: Viewpoints Award, Tom Nesher - Tribeca Film Festival 2024
Winner: Directors to Watch, Tom Nesher, Palm Springs International Film Festival, 2025
Winner: Viewpoints Award, Tribeca Film Festival, 2024
Winner: Emerging Filmmaker Award, Tom Nesher, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, 2025
Israel’s Official Selection for the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
Come Closer is an achingly beautiful exploration of love, loss, and resilience, distinguished by its exceptional storytelling and a heart-stopping lead performance by Lia Elalouf making her feature film debut. This riveting drama follows Eden, a young woman whose world is changed forever by the sudden death of her younger brother. Consumed by grief and searching for a way to reconnect with him, Eden uncovers a secret girlfriend from her brother’s past. With breathtaking cinematography, Come Closer invites us into Eden’s world where love blurs the lines between healing and heartbreak. Ultimately, it’s a story of self-discovery, showing how the path to moving forward sometimes requires facing the deepest parts of ourselves. Inspired by filmmaker Tom Nesher’s personal tragedy—the death of her younger brother, Ari Nesher, six years ago—the film has earned acclaim at festivals worldwide with its universal themes and unforgettable storytelling. Come Closer is a film that stays with you, echoing long after the final frame, and is a powerful testament to the fragility of life and the fierce love that drives us forward. ComeCloser is Tom Nesher’s first film.
Year 2024
Country Israel
Director Tom Nesher
Cast Lia Elalouf, Darya Rosenn, Neta Garty
Language Hebrew with English subtitles
Runtime 108 minutes
Genre Drama
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
The Wertman Family Dedicated in loving memory of Rochelle, Cristina and Regina Wertman z”l
PLATINUM SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
CORPORATE SPONSORS
MEDIA SPONSORS
COMMUNITY SPONSORS
VJFF 2025 FESTIVAL CALENDAR
April 24 - May 1
THU24
7pm Midas Man Page 10
FRI25 SAT26 SUN27 MON28 TUE29
1pm Full Support with short Neurim Page 11 1pm Between the Temples Page 12
4pm Guns & Moses Page 13
6:30pm Bad Shabbos Page 14
8:30pm Sabbath Queen Page 15 1pm Highway 65 Page 16
4pm Hester Street Page 17
6:30pm A Real Pain Page 18 8:30pm Come Closer Page 19
1pm Call Me Dancer Page 22
4pm Diane Warren: Relentless Page 23
6:30pm Crossing the River and Inked: Our Stories Remarked Page 24 8:30pm 6:30 with short Tattooed4Life Page 25
WED30 THU1 FRI2 SAT3 SUN4
1pm Pink Lady Page 26
4:00pm Eid Page 27
6:30pm Halisa Page 28
8:30pm Soda Page 29 1pm Janis Ian: Breaking Silence Page 30 4pm Blind at Heart Page 31
7:15pm Running On Sand Page 32 1pm UnBroken Page 33 3pm Of Dogs and Men with short I See You Page 34 11am Shari & Lamb Chop Page 35
1:30pm Beethoven’s NINE: Ode to Humanity with short Escape Page 37
4:30pm The Other Page 38
7:30pm The Property Page 39
Call Me Dancer
Kalla mig dansare
Tuesday, April 29 at 1 pm
• Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Winner: Best Film, Miami Jewish Film Festival, 2024
Winner: Best of the Fest Audience Vote, Palm Springs International Film festival, 2024
Winner: Audience Award, Vancouver International Film Festival, 2023
Winner: Best Documentary by a Woman Filmmaker, NY Indian Film Festival, 2023
Call Me Dancer tells the story of a hip-hop dancer from Mumbai who is forever changed when he accidentally walks into a ballet class. Manish is captivated by ballet’s athleticism but he doesn’t tell his struggling parents that he has dropped out of school and used their savings to pay for dance classes. 70-year-old Israeli American Yehuda Ma’or arrives in Mumbai to teach ballet at an inner-city dance school after losing his last teaching position. He once had a renowned career as Israel’s top dancer at the Bat Dor Dance Company and had been a teacher to ballet’s greatest stars, like Rudolf Nureyev and Natalia Makarova. Teaching in Mumbai is not what Yehuda is used to – but he needs a job. When he discovers Manish, he feels like he’s won the lottery. Call Me Dancer is a story of hope, heartache, and hard work. Together, Manish and Yehuda transform each other’s lives, searching to uncover who and what they are. Yehuda seeks a purpose and a place to call home. Manish dreams of dancing on the world-stage but struggles to break free from the confines of his own economic and social circumstances.
Year 2023
Country USA, UK, India
Director Pip Gilmour, Leslie Shampaine
Cast -
Language English, Hindi with English subtitles
Runtime 84 minutes
Genre Documentary
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Hillary Meredith and Jeffrey Goldberg Weinberg Residence
Diane Warren: Relentless
Tuesday, April 29 at 4 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Nominee: Audience Award, SXSW Film Festival, 2024
Nominee: Best Music Documentary Feature, Nashville, Film Festival, 2024
Diane Warren, is a prolific Jewish songwriter with an unparalleled track record of writing mega-hits for industry giants, and emerges as a force to be reckoned with in Diane Warren: Relentless. Boasting 15 Academy Award nominations, an Honorary Oscar along with Grammy, Emmy, and Golden Globe Awards, Diane Warren has etched her name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In this intimate documentary, filled with Diane’s signature humour, audiences get a rarely seen glimpse into Diane’s life from an underdog’s journey to where she is today. With first-hand commentary from Cher, Gloria Estefan, David Foster, Jennifer Hudson, Kesha and many more to showcase the creative genius that is Diane Warren.
Year 2024
Country USA
Director Bess Kargman
Cast Jerry Bruckheimer, Cher, Quincy Jones
Language English
Runtime 92 minutes
Genre Documentary
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Miri and Larry Garaway
Lynne and Mitchell Gropper
Horatio Kemeny
Karen Krivel
Crossing the River
Inked: Our Stories Remarked
Tuesday, April 29 at 6:30 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
• Guest: Director, Allan Novak
Crossing the River is a documentary about the incredible story of the world’s oldest living Holocaust survivor siblings. With unparalleled access to the subjects and their archives, filmmaker Allan Novak has been filming his family for the past 40 years and uses the occasion of their newfound celebrity as an opportunity to look back and fill in the missing pieces of their past.
Year 2023
Country Canada
Director Allan Novak
Cast -
Language English
Runtime 30 minutes
Genre Documentary
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
• Guest: Director, Dara Bratt
An exploration into a captivating yet complex, new phenomenon—where third generation descendants of Holocaust survivors choose to remember their ancestors through Holocaust tattoos. An act that invites us to confront questions about memory, Jewish identity, and selfexpression. How do we preserve memory for a generation that soon won’t be able to tell it themselves?
SPONSORS
Randa Bloom and Harvey Field Sandra Broudy and Tobin Robbins Dr. Ann, Julius and Ann Chala in loving memory of Chaim Kornfeld z”l Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre
Year 2023
Country USA
Director Dara Bratt
Cast -
Language English
Runtime 30 minutes
Genre Documentary
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
06:30
Tuesday, April 29 at 8:30 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
An exceptional documentary capturing with profound sensitivity the harrowing events of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th. It features firsthand accounts from survivors at seven different attack sites, each story vividly brought to life through the creative use of miniature models and animations. The strength of 06:30 lies in its nuanced depiction of that terrible day. This approach conveys the horror without explicitly showing it, offering a restrained yet deeply impactful portrayal.
Preceded by:
Tattooed4Life
2024 | Israel | Doc | 30min | Hebrew with English subtitles
Dir: Kinerret Hay-Gillor
Liraz, a survivor of the Nova Music Festival massacre, wields her tattoo needle as a weapon against pain. Her mission is profound: to immortalize the 364 souls who perished on that fateful day.
Year 2023
Country Israel
Director Alon Daniel
Cast -
Language Hebrew with English subtitles
Runtime 65 minutes
Genre Documentary
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Karen James
Pink Lady
Wednesday, April 30 at 1:00 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Winner: Best Directing,Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, 2024
Winner: Best Narrative Feature Film, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, 2025
Winner: Best Narrative Feature Film, Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, 2025
Bati has a seemingly perfect life in her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem. She is married to Lazer and the young couple have three beautiful children. But their world starts to crumble when Lazer is beaten and blackmailed. Truths are revealed about why he was beaten and he attempts to “cure” his queerness and keep his family. The contradiction is blunt enough to upend one’s sense of self: if queerness is profoundly contrary to a deeply religious Jew, how could G*d impose it upon one of his most observant adherents? As Bati finds her way through the course of these truths, her awareness grows to understand what she needs to do.
Year 2024
Country Israel
Director Nir Bergman
Cast Estee Yacov Mecklberg, Haim Mecklberg, Marica Stocchi
Language Hebrew with English subtitles
Runtime 107 minutes
Genre Drama
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSOR
Margo Fluker and Barry Sanders
Eid
Wednesday, April 30 at 4:00 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Winner: Best Israeli Feature, Israeli Feature Film Competition, Jerusalem Film Festival, 2024
Winner: Best Actor, Shadi Mar’i, Israeli Feature Film Competition, Jerusalem Film Festival, 2024
Nominee: Best Film, Awards of the Israeli Films Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Actor, Shadi Mar’i, Awards of the Israeli Films Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Supporting Actor, Hisham Suliman, Awards of the Israeli Films Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Director, Yousef Abo Madegem, Awards of the Israeli Films Academy, 2024
Eid tells a very particular story set in Rahat, the largest Bedouin city in Israel. Eid (Shadi Mar’i) is a construction worker who has problems fitting into the conservative society he has been born into and he dreams of becoming a playwright. He’s in love with a married Arab actress who lives in Paris and helps him with his writing. When his parents inform him that they are arranging a marriage for him with a girl he’s never met, he has no choice but to marry. The film tells the story with such skill and intensity that it transcends its setting and will have a universal appeal. Mar’i is a familiar face in Israeli TV from his performances in Fauda, among many other roles.
Year 2024
Country Israel
Director Yousef Abo Madegem
Cast Shadi Mar’i, Angham Khalil, Anat Hadid
Language Hebrew, Arabic with English subtitles
Runtime 90 minutes
Genre Drama
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Audrey Mehler and David Paperny
Halisa
Wednesday, April 30 at 6:30 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Winner: Best Film - Israeli Feature Film Competition, Haifa International Film Festival, 2024
Nominee: Best Film, Award of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Actress, Noa Koler, Award of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Supporting Actress, Dana Berkovich, Award of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Actor, Anatoliy Belyy, Award of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Every day, Sarah cares for other people’s babies at the Children’s Health Centre in Haifa’s impoverished, multi-ethnic neighbourhood of Halisa, but she also yearns for a child of her own. After two years of failed attempts, her desperate desire for motherhood collides with the struggles of a young mother. sarah’s longing culminates in a risky decision with potentially devastating consequences. The exceptional performances of these two gifted actors, Noa Koler and Dana Berkovitz, are manifested in creating a reality so close to home for anyone longing for a child to love.
Year 2025
Country Israel
Director Sophie Artus
Cast Noa Koler, Anatoliy Belyy, Dana Berkovich
Language Hebrew with English subtitles
Runtime 94 minutes
Genre Drama
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Evelyn Levine and Perry Schneiderman
Soda
Wednesday, April 30 at 8:30 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Nominee: Best Supporting Actor, Zohar Strauss - Award of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Eva, a beautiful seamstress, arrives with her daughter in an Israeli working-class Moshav in 1954. Shalom Gottlieb, a former partisan leader and current factory foreman, falls for Eva, who offers him a chance at happiness and a life filled with beauty and laughter. But rumours of Eva’s past as a Kapo during the Holocaust shake the community. Shalom’s choice to be with Eva now means not only betraying his family, but also his fellow partisans and his duty to uncover her secret. Israeli stars Lior Raz (Fauda) and Rotem Sela (Bloody Murray, a comedy on CBC Gem) lead this captivating drama from acclaimed Israeli filmmaker Erez Tadmor.
Year 2024
Country Israel
Director Erez Tadmor
Cast Lior Raz, Rotem Sela, Netta Shpigelman
Language Hebrew with English subtitles
Runtime 99 minutes
Genre Drama
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Sheryl and Saul Kahn with Hodie Kahn
Rozanne Kipnes and Geoffrey Druker
Eli Gorn with Nathan Neumer
Moshe Mastai
Birgit Westergaard and Norman Gladstone
Janis Ian: Breaking Silence
Thursday, May 1 at 1 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Janis Ian: Breaking Silence chronicles the remarkable journey of Jewish singersongwriter Janis Ian, beginning with her teen years when her song “Society’s Child” became a hit single about an interracial love relationship. In the mid-70s, she ascends to major stardom with the hit “At Seventeen”, her masterful take on adolescent pain and alienation. She cemented her place as a voice for outsiders everywhere. In the 1980s, she moved to Nashville reinventing herself as primarily a songwriter. Eventually she returned to performing and continued to write songs that addressed difficult subjects. Her music continues to attract new fans, inspiring listeners with her disarmingly candid lyrics and unwavering resilience in the face of personal and professional challenges.
Year 2024
Country USA
Director Varda Bar-Kar
Cast Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Janis Ian
Language English
Runtime 115 minutes
Genre Documentary
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Ellen Balka
Cathy Paperny and Ron Ritch
Blind at Heart
Die Mittagsfrau
Thursday, May 1 at 4 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Nominee: Best Film, Bavarian Film Awards, 2024
Nominee: Best Film, Tokyo International Film Festival, 2023
Barbara Albert’s film adaptation of Julia Franck’s bestseller, which won the German Book Prize, is a stirring homage to female physicality and self-empowerment. When we first meet Helene, the “Great War” has ended and you get the sense that anything is possible for this bright, beautiful young woman. Helene and her sister Martha are itching to escape from the family home. By chance, the girls discover that their mother has a sister, Fanny, an exotic and glamorous creature who offers the girls a chance to escape from the home and move to Berlin. The sisters arrive in Weimar-era Berlin and Helene dreams of becoming a doctor but Nazism is tightening its grip on the country. Soon Helene loses touch with her dreams, then with her essence, then her identity. A great struggle takes hold and Helene must fight to regain her power and her life.
Year 2023
Country Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg
Director Barbara Albert
Cast Mala Emde, Max von der Groeben, Thomas Prenn
Language German with English subtitles
Runtime 136 minutes
Genre Drama
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSORS
Sally and Michael Geller
Yael and Jeremy Horwitz
Bob Markin
Running on Sand
Larutz Al HaChol
Thursday, May 1 at 7:15 pm • Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Winner: Best Debut Film, Haifa International Film Festival, 2023
Winner: Best Screenplay, Haifa International Film Festival, 2023
Winner: Audience Choice Award (Best Future), Stony Brook Film Festival, 2024
Winner: Audience Award (Best Narrative Feature), San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 2024
Nominee: Best Film, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2023
In Running On Sand, Omari, an Eritrean refugee, is about to be deported after five years of working as a dishwasher in Tel Aviv; but just as he arrives at the airport and about to be put on a flight home, he manages to flee. As he looks for a way out of the airport he is mistaken for a famous Nigerian soccer star arriving to play for the Maccabi Netanya team. Despite the absence of any soccer talent, Omari is able to cover-up and heal the divisions of his struggling team, while a tender romantic bond with the charmingly unconventional daughter of the team owner is growing. The movie hits the sweet spot between a truly light-hearted comedy and a real drama, with engaging characters you care about, and funny situations. The film has a strong narrative and a heartfelt message about treating people with respect, no matter where they are from.
Year 2023
Country Israel
Director Adar Shafran
Cast Chancela Mongoza, Kim Or Azulay, Zvika Hadar
Language Hebrew with English subtitles
Runtime 104 minutes
Genre Comedy, Drama
Rating All films at the Fifth Avenue are 19+ only
SPONSOR
Royal Bank of Canada
UnBroken
Friday, May 2 at 1:00 pm • Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre
Winner: Festival Award, Hot Springs International Women’s Film Festival, 2024
Winner: Audience Award, Berkshire International Film Festival, 2024
Winner: Festival Choice, Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, 2024
Winner: Audience Choice Award, RiverRun International Film Festival, 2024
UnBroken chronicles the seven Weber siblings who evaded certain capture and death, and ultimately escaped Nazi Germany following their mother’s incarceration and murder at Auschwitz. After being hidden in a laundry hut by a benevolent farmer, the children spent two years on their own in wartorn Germany. On May 20, 1946, after fleeing Nazi Germany, the Weber siblings made headlines when they arrived in the United States by boat. All seven siblings somehow managed to survive their hellish ordeal by staying together. That is until they were split up by the United States foster system. After 40 years of separation, the Weber siblings would reunite, piecing together memories of their incredible journey in the process. Documenting this amazing story and legacy, Beth Lane, the daughter of the youngest Weber sibling, brings her family together to tell their story from the very beginning.
Year 2023
Country USA, Germany, Israel
Director Beth Lane
Cast -
Language English, German with English subtitles
Runtime 97 minutes
Genre Documentary
Rating subject to classification
SPONSORS
Marie Doduck with Bernice Carmeli and Cathy Golden
Maureen and David Kling
Karen and Jack Micner
in loving memory of all our parents
Susie and Chaim Micner z”l
Kela and Louis Guincher z”l
Arnold and Anita Silber Family Foundation
Of Dogs and Men
Friday, May 2 at 3 pm • Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre
Nominee: Best Film, Venice Horizons Award, Venice International Film Festival, 2024
OfDogsandMen is framed as a fiction but is a documentary in spirit. The central figure is a fictional 16-year-old, Dar (Ori Avinoam, credited as co-writer). Dar manages to sneak into her now vacant Kibbutz, Nir Oz, to find her missing dog, though it is clear that the animal’s fate stands in for finding her missing mother, whose diary extracts are heard in voice-over throughout. Dar meets actual members of the community including Natan Bahat, an elderly man who muses about the current situation of a Palestinian friend living across the border. Dar meets Yamit Avital, a schoolteacher tidying up a now empty kindergarten and Nora Lifshitz, a woman who rescues dogs that have been stray since the attacks.
ViewerDiscretion-Onebriefsceneshowsmomentsfromtheattacksandaftermathinfootage glimpsed briefly on Dar’s mobile.
Preceded by:
I See You
2023 | Israel | Doc | 20min | Hebrew with English subtitles
Dir: Adam Weingrod
Winner: Best Documentary under 60 minutes, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
A poignant portrait of Dan Layani, who, after 25 years of total blindness, regains his sight and sees his wife and four children for the very first time. However, the newfound light in Danny’s life begins to dim, taking a sharp turn.
Year 2024
Country Israel, Italy
Director Dani Rosenberg
Cast Ori Avinoam, Yamit Avital, Nora Lifshitz
Language Hebrew with English subtitles
Runtime
82 minutes
Genre Drama
Rating subject to classification
SPONSOR
Anonymous
Shari and Lamb Chop
Sunday, May 4 at 11 am • Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre
• Guest: Mallory Lewis & Lamb Chop, via Zoom
• Film introduction by Director, Lisa D’Apolito, via Zoom
Nominee: Best Documentary, Cleveland International Film Festival, 2024
Enter the enchanting world of a groundbreaking artist and her beloved sock puppet companion in Shari and Lamb Chop. Hailing from a Jewish Bronx family, Shari Lewis rose from playful beginnings in the ‘50s with her engaging children’s variety shows, leading to the debut of iconic Lamb Chop on Captain Kangaroo. Over the course of her extraordinary career, she amassed an impressive collection of accolades, including 13 Emmy Awards, a Peabody and authored 60+ children’s books, becoming an adored star recognized for her sundry talents as a ventriloquist, singer, dancer, and even a magician. This sensational biography melds archival footage, TV clips, and interviews, including insights from daughter Mallory (who continues performing with Lamb Chop), exploring the bond between performer and her puppet.
Year 2023
Country USA
Director Lisa D’Apolito
Cast -
Language English
Runtime
Genre
92 minutes
Documentary
Rating subject to classification
SPONSORS
Arlene Howard and Irv Dardick
The Lutsky Familes
Nancy Stern and Stephen Schachter
Beethoven’s NINE: Ode to Humanity
Sunday, May 4 at 1:30 pm • Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre • Guest: Director, Larry Weinstein
In early 2023, filmmaker Larry Weinstein set out to make a documentary about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. It was supposed to be about how far we have come in the two hundred years since it was written. But when world events pull Larry into his own film, the question becomes a deeply personal one. Beethoven’s NINE: Ode to Humanity is a film about music, but also about war and hope. It follows nine unique individuals, including Ukrainian musicians, a deaf composer, a Polish rock star, a best-selling author, a legendary cartoonist and Weinstein himself, as they try to better understand the legacy of Beethoven’s Ninth, the composer’s own struggles, the inspiration music can provide and how humanity continues to look for hope even in the darkest times.
Preceded by:
Escape: The True Story of Morris Schnitzer
2024 | Canada | Drama | 21min | English
Dir: Héctor Herrera
Fleeing Germany before the onset of World War II, Jewish teenager Morris Schnitzer assumes false identities, endures imprisonment, joins the resistance in Belgium and ultimately saves the life of the man who protects him, all in an effort to survive and regain his name.
Year 2024
Country Canada
Director Larry Weinstein
Cast Ludwig van Beethoven, Keri-Lynn Wilson
Language English
Runtime 83 minutes
Genre Documentary
Rating subject to classification SPONSORS
Herb Auerbach
Rhona Gordon and Larry Barzelai
Nomi Kaplan and Gerry Growe
Ethel Kofsky and Don Rosenbloom
Carole and Lucien Lieberman
Michael Levy in loving memory of Ann Erhcke z”l
Barbara Small and Leonard Schein
The Other
Sunday, May 4 at 4:30 pm • Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre
• Guest: Director, Joy Sela
Winner: Ophir Award, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Filmed from 2017-2024, including post October 7th and during the subsequent war, The Other focuses on Israeli and Palestinian peace-builders, anti-occupation activists, artists, academics, ex-fighters, bereaved parents and many more living the reality on the ground. Whether in non-violent co-resistance, peace-building, or shared community, we witness those who have only known each other through hate, bloodshed, inequality, and war, transcend beyond narratives and belief systems. They teach us that unlearning deep-seated conditioning is possible and that we can liberate ourselves from generational trauma, hatred and fear—no matter how ingrained and legitimate those fears are.
Year 2024
Country USA
Director Joy Sela
Cast Ali Abu Awwad, Bassam Aramin, Bushra Awad
Language Hebrew, Arabic with English subtitles
Runtime 97 minutes
Genre
Documentary
Rating subject to classification
SPONSORS
Anne and Eric Andrew
Leanne Averbach
Sid Katz
Judy Oberlander and Mark Wexler
Barbara Small and Leonard Schein
The New Israel Fund of Canada
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
The Property
Sunday, May 4 at 7:30 pm • Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre
Nominee: Best Actress, Tali Sharon, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Actress, Rivka Michaeil, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Supporting Actor, Use Hochman, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Nominee: Best Screenplay, Awards of the Israeli Film Academy, 2024
Graphic novelist Rutu Modan’s award-winning book, The Property, is adapted as a film directed by her sister, Dana Modan. Her debut film tells the story of a young Israeli woman and her grandmother travelling to Warsaw to reclaim the deed to an apartment building their family was forced to relinquish in World War II. As their trip becomes more complicated than it initially seemed, The Property veers off into directions you most likely won’t expect and there are no easy answers or clear villains in the way it plays out. Family history, with all its messiness and secrets, is front and centre and Jewish history is the backdrop in this offbeat comedy/drama. The two lead actors are perfectly cast and do exceptional work.
Year 2024
Country Israel, Poland
Director Dana Modan
Cast Uri Hochman, Rivka Michaeli, Sharon Strimban
Language English, Hebrew, Polish with English subtitles
Runtime 110 minutes
Genre Comedy, Drama
Rating subject to classification
CLOSING NIGHT SPONSORS
Judy and Isaac Thau
