Charlotte Jewish Film Festival

Early Bird Special All Festival Pass: $160
Available November 15 -January 15th
Includes 18 films for only $160

All Festival Pass: $180
Available January 16th - 25th
Includes 18 films for only $180

Purchase the All Festival Pass Here

In January 1945, after 2 years as a prisoner in a death camp, 10-year-old Holocaust survivor Marcel Zielinksi embarked on a perilous 60-mile journey by foot from Auschwitz-Birkenau through an active war zone to Krakow, Poland. A child's desperate search for any surviving family members. A journey from Darkness to Light. Decades later, 250 cyclists from 12 different countries traveled to Auschwitz and re-traced 84-year-old Marcel's liberation path as a collective act of empathy called "Ride for the Living," which was created by JCC Krakow. Marcel's dehumanizing Holocaust experience and the empathy demonstrated during "Ride for the Living" provide a stunning parallel for Humankind's equally perilous journey between the two extremes of our nature: Dehumanization to Empathy. Darkness to Light. Igniting the urgent conversation: When will we stop building monuments for the dead and get busy re-humanizing the living? When will we finally say NEVER AGAIN and truly mean it.

This special event will include the film’s Producer Lisa Effress and Executive Director of the Krakow JCC, Jonathan Ornstein for a discussion and Q & A after the film

 Price: Free

Directors: Marc Bennet, Tim Roper
Language: English
Run Time: 117 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Country/Year: Krakow, Malopolskie, Poland 2024

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SWEDISHKAYT: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm has been canceled.

SWEDISHKAYT: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm is sponsored by Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community

Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion travelled to the last place on earth they’d expect YIDDISH to be a protected minority language: Sweden(?!), inspiring their funny and fascinating chronicle of the Swedish Jewish community, SWEDISHKAYT: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm.  In this special engagement, the boychiks from Montreal will not just accompany the film but perform their patented comedy duo shtik and close out the evening with live music. Expect to learn, laugh, and be inspired… not necessarily in that order.

*SWEDISHKAYT: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm is included in the all festival pass! 

Featuring a special live performance by YidLife Crisis (Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman) to bring some LIVE SHTIK to the Carolina Theatre.

 Price:   Starting at $25

Directors: Eli Batalion, Jamie Elman
Language: English and Yiddish with English Subtitles
Run Time: 77 min
Genre: Comedy
Country/Year: Canada-Sweden 2025

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Elie Weisel: Soul on Fire has been postponed until 2/5

Elie Weisel: Soul on Fire is sponsored by The Butterfly Project

Eighty years after his family’s deportation and the wholesale slaughter of European Jewry, Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire explores the man behind the searing memoir Night. The narration is in his own voice, revealing the known and unknown Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) - his conflicts, memories, and his legacy as one of the most public survivors of the Holocaust. With unique access to personal archives and using original interviews with his wife Marion and son Elisha, the film has a unique intimacy. It also includes his passion for human rights, whether confronting President Ronald Reagan about visiting a German cemetery, or pleading with President Clinton to take action during the war in Bosnia. With hand-painted animation by Joel Orloff and a score by Osvaldo Golijov, Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire illuminates the survivor, writer, teacher and public figure.

The New Jew is sponsered by The Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte

The New Jew: Days of War follows Israeli comedian Guri Alfi as he journeys through the American Jewish experience in the wake of October 7th. Through powerful personal stories—from families of hostages to young Jews navigating rising antisemitism and generational tensions around Israel—the film explores how this crisis has reshaped Jewish identity, safety, and belonging in the U.S. Blending empathy with his signature humor, Alfi brings humanity and accessibility to difficult topics, capturing both pain and resilience. A follow-up to the acclaimed 2021 series The New Jew, this timely documentary offers a heartfelt look at a community searching for unity and hope in uncertain times.

David Lubin, from Atlanta, GA will be joining in person to speak about his daughter IDF Sgt. Rose Lubin, 20, who died while guarding one of the most holy sites in the world after the attacks of Oct. 7.

Director: Moshe Samuels
Language: English
Run Time: 92 min
Genre: Documentary
Country/Year: United States, Israel

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Lost in Territories is sponsored by Temple Israel

Neighboring is a complex thing. Add to it a bloody multinational, inter-religious confrontation, stuffed with soldiers, terror organizations, fences, rockets, guns, knives and rocks, and you have a complete mayhem. Or as we all call it: “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”. Inspired by Academy Award nominated Argentinian film Wild Tales, Lost in Territories extracts the humor out of absurd situations where living together becomes a tricky challenge. It happens in the West Bank, the Wild West of the Middle East.

 Price:  $18

Director: Nadav Shlomo Giladi
Language: Hebrew
Run Time: 108 min
Genre:  Comedy
Country/Year: Israel 2025

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Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause is sponsored by Hearst Entertainment & Syndication

Charles Grodin’s extraordinary life and career as an actor-comedian and broadcast personality take center stage in this rich and multifaceted portrait of a consummate performer who infused humor with heart. A master of dry wit and deadpan delivery, Grodin captivated audiences with beloved performances in The Heartbreak Kid, Midnight Run, and countless sharp-witted late-night TV appearances. In his later years, Grodin quietly turned his focus to champion meaningful causes, using his platform as CNBC talk show host to advocate for justice and pressing social issues. Through a treasure trove of film and TV clips, insightful interviews, and heartfelt reflections, this vibrant tribute remembers a singular talent who left an indelible mark on both entertainment and humanity.

 Price: $18

Director: James L. Freedman
Language: English
Run Time:  93 min
Genre: Documentary
Country/Year: United States 2024

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Mazel Tov is sponsored by the Sandra and Leon Levine Jewish Community Center Board of Directors.

From acclaimed Argentinean actor and director Adrián Suar comes a heartfelt, humorously touching tale of family, forgiveness, and the ties that bring us back home. When Dario Roitman returns from the U.S. to Argentina for a family wedding and Bat Mitzvah, he anticipates the usual family drama. But his carefully laid plans for a family reunion are suddenly upended when he learns, just hours before his flight, that his father has passed away.

As the Roitmans gather for the funeral, old wounds resurface and longstanding tensions reach a boiling point. Despite the emotional turmoil, Dario remains determined to celebrate both the wedding and Bat Mitzvah, even if it means challenging tradition and risking further discord. Navigating grief, sibling rivalry, and delightfully eccentric grudges, the Roitmans reveal the messy yet enduring love of family. With humor, heart, and a touch of dysfunction, Mazel Tov captures the bittersweet hilarity of coming home—and the strength it takes to forgive, let go, and find joy amid the tears.

 Price:  $18

Director: Adrián Suar
Language:  Spanish with English subtitles
Run Time:  97 minutes
Genre:  Drama
Country/Year: Argentina 2024

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Labors of Love is sponsored by Hadassah Charlotte Metro Chapter

A visionary leader and one of history’s most influential, yet under-recognized, American Jewish women, Henrietta Szold left an indelible mark on the 20th century. She founded Hadassah in 1912, creating a vital link between American women and communities in Palestine. Through this organization, she established the region’s modern healthcare system, built on a mandate to treat Arabs and Jews equally. Later, she spearheaded Youth Aliyah, an operation that rescued 11,000 Jewish children from Nazi Europe.

 This heartfelt documentary, directed by Peabody award-winner, Abby Ginzberg, brings long-overdue recognition to Szold, offering a thought-provoking look at a woman who reshaped history through compassion and an unwavering belief in the power of humanity.

 Abby Ginzberg will be joining the festival to discuss the film and facilitate a Q & A, bringing deeper insight and enhancing the overall experience for the audience.

 Price:  $18

Director: Abby Ginzberg
Language: English
Run Time: 79 minutes
Genre: Documentary 
Country/Year: USA  2025

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Tatami is sponsored by Truist

Iranian female judoka Leila and her coach Maryam, who travel to the Judo World Championship, intent on bringing home Iran's first gold medal. Midway through the competition, they receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose. With her own and her family's freedom at stake, Leila is faced with an impossible choice: feign injury and comply with the Iranian regime as Maryam implores her to do, or defy them both and fight on, for the gold.

JKID Club and a Boxed Dinner will be available at an additional cost.

Price: $18

Directors: Zar Amir Ebrahimi & Guy Nattiv
Language: English, Persian
Run Time: 105 minutes
Genre: Drama
Country/Year: Georgia, United States, United Kingdom 2023

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Register for JKID Club Here

Marathon Mom is sponsored by Women of Temple Israel/Miriam’s Well

Marathon Mother tells the inspiring story of Beatie Deutsch, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish mother of five who, after a pause from athletics to focus on her family, reignites her passion for running. In 2015, driven by a personal promise and the challenges of motherhood, Beatie embarks on a rigorous journey to complete a marathon. As she trains with dreams of becoming an Olympian, her remarkable journey transcends the track, embodying a powerful message of perseverance and empowerment. Through her story, Beatie inspires other women to embrace their dreams and overcome their own challenges.

Join us for light appetizers prior to the film, provided by Kosher Charlotte.

Register for the CJFF fun run before the film.

In addition, Beatie Deutsch will be joining virtually for a Q & A after the film.

Price:  $18

Directors: Oren Rosenfeld, Rebecca Shore 

Language: English, Hebrew
Run Time: 90 min
Genre: Documentary
Country/Year: Israel 2025

Tickets

Register for Marathon Mom Fun Run Here

Among Neighbors is sponsored by Hearst

Combining magical realism and evocative hand-drawn animation with revelatory interviews and verité footage, “Among Neighbors” examines the story of a small, rural town where Jews and Polish Catholics lived side by side for centuries before World War II. The film brings the Polish response to the Holocaust to life through the last living eyewitnesses, revealing both love and betrayal as it zeroes in on the only living Holocaust survivor from the town, and an aging eyewitness who saw Jews murdered there — not by Nazis, but by her own Polish neighbors. Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Yoav Potash (“Crime After Crime,” Sundance Film Festival)

Price: $18

Director:  Yoav Potash
Language:  English, Polish
Run Time:  100 min
Genre: Drama
Country/Year: Poland 2025

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Matchmaking 2 is sponsored by Frolly.

After breaking box office records with their first film, the characters from Matchmaking return with this endearing romantic comedy set against Ashkenazi and Sepharic cultural tensions. Maor Schwitzer (Valley of Tears, Shtisel) stars as Baruch Auerbach, a graduate student who continues to live in a small room at the yeshiva where he studied and now serves as the faithful assistant to the matchmaker Malchi (Irit Kaplan, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem). When Malchi assigns him the task of picking up her younger daughter Shira from the airport, he decides it's time for him to get married but struggles to be seen as an eligible suitor. Featuring a stellar supporting cast that includes Reymonde Amsallem (Seven Blessings), this sequel is a fun trip in its own right that does not require familiarity with its predecessor.

Light Dessert Reception Prior to the Film

Price:  $18

Director:  Erez Tadmor
Language: Hebrew
Run Time:  110 min
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Country/Year: Israel 2024

Tickets

Once Upon My Mother is Sponsored by Pinnacle Bank

A mother's unwavering devotion helps her son, born with a clubfoot in 1963, overcome physical challenges and social barriers. Her powerful promise drives their remarkable journey through life's ups and downs.

Price:  $18

Director: Ken Scott
Language: French 
Run Time: 102 min
Genre: Drama
Country/Year: France, Canada 2025

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Grandfather and retired Israeli general Noam Tibon rescues his family from Hamas terrorists invading their home during the October 7, 2023 massacre - a coordinated assault on Israel sparking an ongoing conflict.

 Director, Barry Avrich will be joining for a Q & A after the film

 Price:  $18

Director:  Barry Avrich
Language: English  
Run Time:  95 Min
Genre:  Documentary
Country/Year: Israel 2025

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1970s, Esther, a tormented American in her forties, receives a letter upon the death of her mother: she must find a woman who lived in the 1930s in Palestine and holds a secret about her life. Esther begins her search in Israel helped by Zayde, a university professor with a peculiar past.1930s, a settlers’ village, the atmosphere of a new world. Moshe, a widower with two children, hires a woman to help him out. The arrival of Yehudit changes the life of Moshe and two other men: Yaakov, a romantic farmer, and Globerman, a cattle trader. A playful and tragic love intrigue begins. Tying together the threads that bind past and present, Esther and Zayde will discover a shocking truth.

Best Film Award - Bari International Film Festival

 Price:  $18

Director:  Guido Chiesa
Language:  Italian
Run Time:  117 min
Genre:  Drama
Country/Year: Italy 2025

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The Ring is sponsored by Diamonds Direct.

The Ring is a poignant tale of survival, redemption, and family inspired by true events. In 1944 Hungary, a young Jewish mother saves herself and her infant son from deportation by bribing a soldier with her cherished ring. Decades later in Israel, her son, now an observant Jew and estranged from his daughter, sets out to recover the ring as his mother’s health declines. Their journey to Budapest reveals hidden family secrets, unspoken generational traumas, and the chance for reconciliation. Balancing humor and heartfelt drama, The Ring offers a moving exploration of love, identity, and the unbreakable bonds of family.A heart-warming dramady about three generations and the family history that reconnects them. The Ring is based on Adir Miller's Holocaust survival story.

Price:  $18

Directors: Adir Miller, Doron & Yoav Paz
Language: Hebrew and Hungarian with English subtitles
Run Time: 122 min
Genre:  Drama Comedy
Country/Year: Israel 2024

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During the Second World War, François Touraine, a young piano prodigy, has no choice but to go and play in Germany to save the woman he loves. Because Rachel is Jewish in an age that no longer allows it… A great story of love, music and resistance through time and the horrors of the Occupation and Nazism.

 Price:  $18

Director: Jacques Otmezguine
Language:  French, German with English Subtitles
Run Time: 105 Min 
Genre: Drama
Country/Year: France 2025

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Ethan Bloom is sponsored by Temple Beth El

After losing his mother, thirteen-year-old Ethan finds solace in the Catholic church—a refuge that feels like home, even though he was born into a Jewish family. When his father insists on a bar mitzvah and Ethan’s secret unravels at his girlfriend’s confirmation party, the young seeker must confront the lies he’s told and the grief he’s been running from. Through the wisdom of an unconventional rabbi, the love of his complicated family, and his first romance with a cowboy-boot-wearing girl who can put him in a headlock, Ethan discovers that faith isn’t about choosing sides—it’s about honoring all the messy, beautiful pieces of who we are.

 Price:  $25

Director: Herschel Faber
Language:  English
Run Time: 95 min
Genre: Comedy
Country/Year: United States 2025

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