Welcome to the 24th 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 universal experiences and issues that confront our common humanity.
Special thanks to our sponsors: Oregon Israel Fund of OJCF; Oregon Jewish Life Magazine; Leonard & Lois Schnitzer Charitable Supporting Fund of OJCF; Diane Solomon, Family fund; Cedar Sinai Park; Schnitzer CARE Foundation; Reuben & Liz Menashe; Carolyn Weinstein, Hasson Realtors; Jewish Federation of Greater Portland; Community Warehouse; Mittleman Jewish Community Center; Portland Jewish Academy; Holzman Foundation; JStreet; German Consulate; Jewish Family & Child Services and Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education; Cong. Neveh Shalom, Cong. Shaarie Torah, Jim and Susan Winkler, and Margulis Jewelers.
Download a printable PDF of the Festival schedule
Want a Festival Pass? Join the Silver Screen Club at the Supporter level or above and bring along a guest for free!
A Tale of Love and Darkness
Directed by Natalie Portman
Based on Amos Oz’s acclaimed international bestseller, A Tale of Love and Darkness recounts the time Oz spent with his …
Censored Voices
Directed by Mor Loushy
The Six-Day War in 1967 ended with a stunning victory for Israeli military forces against neighboring countries Egypt, Syria, and …
Demon
Directed by Marcin Wrona
Things quickly get out of hand at a Polish wedding when the groom appears to have been possessed by a …
Fever at Dawn
Directed by Péter Gárdos
July, 1945. Miklos is a twenty-five-year-old Hungarian who has survived the camps and has been brought to Sweden to convalesce. …
In Search of Israeli Cuisine
Directed by Roger Sherman
“If hummus and falafel are the only things that come to mind when you think about Israeli food, then this …
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You
Directed by Heidi Ewing, Rachael Grady
Norman Lear is arguably the most influential creator, writer, and producer in the history of television. His legendary 1970s TV …
Once in a Lifetime
Directed by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar
A dedicated history teacher at a French high school, Anne is determined to give the best education she can to …
P.S. Jerusalem
Directed by Danae Elon
P.S. Jerusalem is the story of one family in search of home. After living in New York City for two …
The Art Dealer
Directed by François Margolin
When her art dealer husband brings home a ravishing 18th century painting, Esther, a journalist, thinks nothing of it until …
The Kind Words
Directed by Shemi Zarhin, Sasson Gabai
Embittered, spiky-tempered restaurateur Dorona and her two very dissimilar brothers receive a bombshell when they learn the man who raised …
The Kindergarten Teacher
Directed by Nadav Lapid
In this ambitious tale about the human drive to create, Nadav Lapid subverts the traditional teacher-student relationship, warping it from …
The Last Mentsch
Directed by Pierre-Henry Salfati
Marcus Schwarz has spent a lifetime concealing his Jewish heritage. After surviving the horrors of Auschwitz, he has painstakingly created …
The Midnight Orchestra
Directed by Jerome Cohen Olivar
Michael Abitbol, the son of a once famous Jewish musician, returns to Casablanca for the first time after leaving Morocco …
Time to Say Goodbye
Directed by Viviane Andereggen
Twelve-year-old Simon has a lot to deal with. His life in Hamburg has him traveling back and forth like a …
Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt
Directed by Ada Ushpiz
The German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt caused an uproar in the 1960s by coining the subversive concept of the "Banality of …