Welcome to the 21st annual Portland Jewish Film Festival, produced by the Northwest Film Center and co-presented with the Institute for Judaic Studies. While the Festival specifically celebrates the diversity of Jewish history, culture, and identity, we hope that these films and the stories they tell resonate beyond their settings and speak to experiences and issues that confront our common humanity.
Special thanks to our sponsors: Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation; BedMart; Cedar Sinai Park; Portland Chapter of Hadassah; Hasson Realty; the Holzman Foundation; Honest Tea; the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, San Francisco; Jerry Eckstein, CPA; Jewish Federation of Greater Portland; Paul and Joan Sher; J Street Portland; Mittleman Jewish Community Center; Oregon Israel Business Alliance; Oregon Jewish Museum; Oregon Israel Community Foundation; Portland Jewish Academy; Diane Solomon Family Fund; Wieden+Kennedy; and Ruben J. and Elizabeth Menashe. Full festival passes are available at nwfilm.org.
A.K.A Doc Pomus
Directed by Peter Miller, William Hechter
Doc Pomus’s dramatic life is one of American music’s great untold stories, despite his being the only member of the …
Barriers
Directed by Golan Rise
Two young officers at a checkpoint are confronted by two women from a “Watch” organization intent on disruption.
Besa: The Promise
Directed by Rachel Goslins
During World War II, Albanian Muslims provided shelter for thousands of Jewish refugees from Germany, Austria, and Bulgaria. Invoking the …
Carrying the Light
Directed by Guy Natanel
A London rabbi makes a spiritual journey on foot from the Frankfurt Synagogue in Germany, where his father was the …
Fill the Void
Directed by Rama Burshtein
The winner of Israeli Academy Awards for Best Film and Best Actress, FILL THE VOID is a nuanced portrait of …
Gypsy Davy
Directed by Rachel Leah Jones
When an American white boy with Alabama roots becomes a Spanish flamenco guitarist in Andalusian boots, what happens along the …
Hava Nagila
Directed by Roberta Grossman
One hundred and fifty years of Jewish history and culture come to life in this joyous exploration of the famous …
Let’s Dance!
Directed by Gabriel Bibliowicz
This extraordinary window onto Israeli society explores how the need to move, shift, and be in constant motion has produced …
Life in Stills
Directed by Tamar Tal
At the age of 96, Miriam Weissenstein never imagined that she would be facing a new chapter in her life. …
Melting Away
Directed by Doron Eran
The first Israeli feature film to address the issues of transgendered people and their families, MELTING AWAY follows a family …
Oma & Bella
Directed by Alexa Karolinski
Oma and Bella are two friends who live together in Berlin. Having survived the Holocaust and subsequently staying in Germany …
Out in the Dark
Directed by Michael Mayer
One night in Tel Aviv, Nimr, a Palestinian student, meets Roy, a young Israeli lawyer, and they fall in love. …
Policeman
Directed by Nadav Lapid
“A boldly conceived drama pivoting on the initially unrelated activities of an elite anti-terrorist police unit and some wealthy young …
Portrait of Wally
Directed by Andrew Shea
“Portrait of Wally,” Egon Schiele’s portrait of his mistress, Walburga (“Wally”) Neuzil, is the pride of the Leopold Museum in …
Stand Up!
Directed by Asi Tzobel
Dudi, a distracted young yeshiva student, secretly dreams of being a stand-up comic, but it’s a secret that may have …
The Ballad of the Weeping Spring
Directed by Benny Toraty
Torn apart by tragedy, a legendary band reunites to play an emotional final concert in THE BALLAD OF THE WEEPING …
The Divide
Directed by Tzvi Yehuda Herling
A young army officer must choose between his ideals and the reality that his family’s home in a settlement near …
The Law in These Parts
Directed by Ra'anan Alexandrowicz
A Grand Jury Prize winner at the Sundance Film Festival, THE LAW IN THESE PARTS is an unflinching examination of …
The Other Son
Directed by Lorraine Lévy
Joseph, an 18-year-old preparing to join the Israeli army for his mandatory military service, lives at home in Tel Aviv …
The Rabbi’s Daughter
Directed by Racheli Waserman
Racheli Wasserman’s telling of her and her three sisters’ search for different paths than those of their parents.
The World is Funny
Directed by Shemi Zarhin
Blurring fantasy and reality into a multi-layered, tragicomic exploration of past traumas and catharsis, THE WORLD IS FUNNY is now …