PJFM Fall & Winter 2023-24 Schedule – See the Lineup!

PJFM is turning 43! Fall Fest 2023 is almost here, along with even more exclusive events throughout the year.

OPENING NIGHT

• REMEMBERING GENE WILDER (Documentary | USA)
  This Fall Fest 2023, have a seat and take an uproarious, emotional trip down memory lane with the legend himself, Mr. Gene Wilder! The comedy actor we all know and love receives the onscreen tribute he deserves in REMEMBERING GENE WILDER, a heartfelt documentary that spans the life and career of one of Hollywood’s funniest mensches. Director Ron Frank’s film, featuring intimate interviews with Mel Brooks, Carol Kane, and other friends and family of the late Wilder, reveals hilarious and moving anecdotes from the comedian’s personal and professional life. Directed by Ron Frank.

• “GETTIN’ WILDER” After Party Featuring Kosha Dillz
  Kosha Dillz is back and ready to rap! Proceeding the film, join PJFM and the rapper himself for an epic evening of music, schmoozing, and fun at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.

CLOSING NIGHT

• THE OTHER WIDOW (Narrative | Israel)
  Ella (Dana Ivgy), a 34-year-old theater costume designer, has been secretly having an affair with Assaf, the married playwright of the show. After his unexpected passing, she begins attending his family’s Shiva. The closer she becomes with his family, including his now widowed wife, Assaf’s “other woman” embarks on a sorrowful journey in which she learns to mourn in her own unique, independent way. With an excellent premise and hauntingly surreal imagery that mirrors Ella’s personal conflicts, Maayan Rypp’s film – nominated for nine Ophir Awards (Israeli Oscars) – is an honest look at everyday people, the mistakes they make, and the often peculiar ways of coping with loss. Directed by Maayan Rypp.

FEATURE FILMS

• ALLIANCE (Documentary | USA)
  Desperate to escape religious persecution in 1882 Imperial Russia, 43 Jewish families fled the region to a desolate plot of land across the ocean in Salem County, NJ, 40 miles outside Philadelphia. This group of people, a community with little to no agricultural skills, went on to create the Alliance Colony, considered to be the first successful Jewish farming community in the United States. ALLIANCE¸ a meticulously crafted film about the little-known history of the colony, is a fascinating look at Jewish resilience and success, a tribute to the legacy of these immigrants who arrived with nothing and created a safe haven of their own that spanned decades. Directed by Susan Donnelly.

• DELEGATION (Narrative | Israel/Poland/Germany)
  The school year is almost over for Frisch, Nitzan, and Ido, three Israeli teenagers about to enroll in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Together with their class, the trio embarks on a special field trip to the cold and snowy concentration camps and memorial sites in Poland. Private insecurities and emotional pains are soon unveiled as Frisch, Nitzan, and Ido are forced to confront their history and responsibilities as Jews. Amidst the tragic past that is literally presented in front of them, these teens come to question their own decisions, unsure of themselves as their next chapter in life – protecting their State – soon approaches. Directed by Asaf Saban.

• RABBI ON THE BLOCK (Documentary | USA)
  For Tamar Manasseh, a Black Jew, rabbinical student, and the founder of Mothers/Men Against Senseless Killings (MASK) in the South Side of Chicago, Judaism is not about gender or the color of your skin. Throughout her life, her experiences with racism and misogyny have compelled her desire to bridge the gap between Black Jews and Ashkenazi Jews. In her journey to becoming an ordained rabbi, this outspoken leader enables the Jewish practice of tikkun olam (“repairing the world”) in an effort to create connection among individuals, open dialogues into what it is like to be a Jew in 21st century America, and lessen the marginalization of Black Jews in modern society. Directed by Brad Rothschild.

• REMEMBERING MARRAKECH (Documentary | Israel/Morocco)
  When it comes to Moroccan Jewry, the preservation of Jewish history, landmarks, and culture is nothing short of vital. In the Jewish quarter of the Mellah, located in Marrakech, the Jewish sites once populated by thousands of Jews now sit quiet and desolate, visited by non-Jews and a now heavily reduced portion of the city’s remaining Jewish neighbors. REMEMBERING MARRAKECH, a collection of five short documentaries by students of Sapir College in Israel and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco, follows a variety of Marrakech locals, Jewish and Muslim, looking to restore and better educate themselves on the history of the city’s once-thriving Jewish scene. Directed by Kinar Dar, Amit Erell, Moshe Michael, Zakaria Habbad, Shani Beradt, Shani Cohen, and Rotem Elkayam.

JEWISH SHORTS

• THE ANNE FRANK GIFT SHOP (Narrative | USA)
  Employees of a design firm discuss the best ethical ways to attract younger people to the gift shop of the Anne Frank House in this hilarious dark comedy. Directed by Mickey Rapkin.
• KISS MY ASS (Narrative | USA)
  Molly Bernard (Younger) plays a woman on the way to get her first abortion alongside the ghost of her Yiddish-speaking great-grandmother. Directed by Arielle Goldman.
• LETTER TO A PIG  (Animation | Israel/France)
  A Holocaust survivor recounts his story of survival at school, prompting a schoolgirl to fall into a wild, visually dazzling dream where collective trauma and vengeance come to light. Directed by Tal Kantor.
• MY KIPPAH (Narrative | Spain)
  When a sly thief immerses himself with members of a Spanish synagogue in the hope of stealing its Sefer Torah, the potency of the Torah’s teachings strikes him on an emotional level. Directed by Ilan Rosenfeld.
• QUEER AND FRUM (Documentary | USA)
  This pressing documentary tells the true stories of Chaim Levin and Lieb Swartz-Brownstein, two former Orthodox Jews, whose journeys from battling their intersecting identities as gay and Orthodox to becoming openly queer spark a larger conversation about the current matter of queerness in the
  Orthodox Jewish community. Directed by Miki Katoni.

*PJFM APP EXCLUSIVE MEDIA

• STORIES FROM THE VIOLINS OF HOPE (Narrative | USA)
  Filmed and edited entirely on Zoom, STORIES FROM THE VIOLINS OF HOPE is the first-ever theatrical presentation about the history and legacy of Violins of Hope. With superb actors in multiple roles and beautiful musical renditions from the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony Chamber of Players, this original work of art pays tribute to the Weinstein family of Mandatory Palestine’s commitments to restoring violins recovered from the concentration camps. A unique form of digital storytelling through its minimalist style and skillfully edited sequences, the film is a dedication to Amon Weinstein, founder of the project, his family, and all those whose lives were personally changed by Violins of Hope’s inspiring mission. Directed by Susan Morgenstern.*The PJFM App is available now for download on iOS and Android devices.

   

THROWBACK CINEMA

• THE RUGRATS MOVIE: 25th Anniversary Screening (Narrative | USA)
  Tommy Pickles. Chuckie. Phil. Lil. Angelica. Reptar. The babies from one of the most iconic Nickelodeon shows of all time crushed the box office in 1998 with their feature film, THE RUGRATS MOVIE, which grossed close to $150 million at the worldwide box office and was followed by two sequels. Rugrats has been revered as being one of the first – if only – animated kids series to represent Jewish characters, featuring episodes dedicated to the history of Passover and Hanukkah. In honor of its 25th anniversary, PJFM is bringing this classic back to the big screen! All families are welcome for this delightful event. Directed by Igor Kovalyov & Norton Virgien.
• SOLOMON & GAENOR (Narrative | UK)
  An Orthodox Jew falls for a local girl in 1911 Wales in SOLOMON & GAENOR, Paul Morrison’s Jewish take on Romeo and Juliet. Nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 72nd Academy Awards, this epic romance has resurged years later with its love story and rare depiction of Welsh Jews. An underrated gem that even premiered at PJFM’s 19th Fall Festival in 1999, SOLOMON & GAENOR has all the ingredients of a sprawling, forbidden love story. With breathtaking shots that look like they’re right out of a painting, you won’t soon forget (and cry over) this forgotten revival of Jewish romantic cinema. Directed by Paul Morrison.
  
  

SPECIAL EVENTS

• EIGHT CRAZY NIGHTS (Narrative | USA/Canada)
  Wednesday, December 6, 7:00 PM
  It’s time to “latke and vodka” with Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah musical extravaganza! This Festival of Lights, join PJFM for drinks, latkes, and laughter galore with this animated classic. Sandler’s animated adult comedy from the early 2000s follows Davey Stone, a 33-year-old Jewish alcoholic living in a snowy, fictionalized town of New Hampshire. After getting arrested, he is ordered community service as the assistant referee for the town’s youth basketball league where he is forced to work alongside elderly, little Whitey Duvall (also voiced by Sandler), the head referee. Hilarity ensues, plus plenty of spontaneous, outrageous musical numbers. This holiday – or in this case, Chrismukkah – season, Davey will question his troublemaking lifestyle and learn the true meaning of kindness. Directed by Seth Kearsley.
• SCHINDLER’S LIST: 30th Anniversary Screening (Narrative | USA)
  Saturday, December 16, 6:30 PM 
  The incredible, almost impossible realism it pulls off in every frame. The haunting score. The unforgettable performances. The visually striking cinematography, from its opening shot of a Shabbat candle to a little girl in red walking through a massacre. Together, we never forget SCHINDLER’S LIST, a film whose imagery continues to stay ingrained into our souls. In commemoration of its 30th anniversary, PJFM invites everyone to see this unforgettable tribute on the big screen. Directed by Steven Spelberg.