The Louisville Jewish Film Festival announces its 27th season!

February 8 – 23, 2025

The festival is showcasing a spectacular season featuring 11 top-rated, thought-provoking films. In addition, the festival will present 6 special event programs.

Passes and tickets are on sale now!

Thank you for believing in the power of film to open minds.
Together we’ll continue to inspire, entertain and build bridges.

Opening Night, $22
Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us on opening night for award-winning comedy Bad Shabbos beginning with a “Who Done It?” themed reception at 7:30 p.m. with light hors d’oeuvres and treats. Your ticket to the event includes a chance to win a gift card for dinner at Repeal Oak Fired Steakhouse.

In-person Film Pass, $89 per person
$118 value
Includes all in-person films, special programs, and opening night special event.

Films Included: Bad Shabbos, The Very Narrow Bridge, The Boy in the Woods, Kidnapped, Where Life Begins, No Name Restaurant, Running On Sand, Come Closer, Sabbath Queen

Virtual Film Pass, $54
$72 value
Includes 6 full-length virtual films plus 1 virtual short film.

Full-length Films Included: The Boy in the Woods, Where Life Begins, No Name Restaurant, Running On Sand, Come Closer, The Milky Way

Short Film Included: I See You

Individual Tickets
Full-length films: $12
Full-length films – Student pricing: $5 (Live events only. Purchase ticket at event.)

Excludes opening night event featuring Bad Shabbos.

Bad Shabbos
Opening Night Celebration at the Trager Family JCC, $22 Join us opening night for the film Bad Shabbos with a “Who Done It” themed evening. The event will begin with a reception at 7:30 p.m. featuring light hors d’oeuvres. Your ticket to the event includes a chance to win a gift card for dinner at Repeal Oak Fired Steakhouse.

Film Description: An engaged interfaith couple are about to have their parents meet for the first time over a Shabbat dinner when an accidental manslaughter gets in the way. **Bad Shabbos sponsored by Dr. Jeffrey and Mrs. Susan Callen**

Sat, Feb 08, 2025 7:30 pm
Trager Family JCC | Shapira Foundation Auditorium

Come Closer
**Available Virtually: Feb.16th to Feb.23rd** When her beloved brother dies, Eden’s grief takes a dangerous turn as she discovers his secret girlfriend. With stunning visuals and a haunting soundtrack, this poignant drama explores the depths of love, loss and obsession. **Special Event immediately following 7:30 p.m. film**

Sun, Feb 16, 2025 12:00am EST – (Virtual)
Sat, Feb 22, 2025 7:30 pm – Baxter Avenue Theater

I See You
**FREE VIRTUAL FILM (Available Feb. 8th to Feb. 23rd.)** “I See You” paints a poignant portrait of Danny 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. Through intimate family archives and meticulous animated paintings, Danny shares his captivating story of resilience, self-discovery, and the profound power of perspective.

Fri, Fri, Feb 07, 2025 12:00pm EST – (Virtual)

Kidnapped
The story of Edgardo Mortara, a young Jewish boy living in Bologna, Italy, who in 1858, after being secretly baptized, was forcibly taken from his family to be raised as a Christian. His parents’ struggle to free their son became part of a larger political battle that pitted the papacy against forces of democracy and Italian unification. **Special Event immediately following 7:30 p.m. film** ***Kidnapped sponsored by Wilma Probst Levy***

Sat, Feb 15, 2025 7:30 pm – Trager Family JCC | Shapira Foundation Auditorium

No Name Restaurant
**Available Virtually: Feb.16th to Feb.23rd** In this spirited and absurdist culture-clash comedy, two very different men must work together to survive in the Sinai Desert. One is the lost and befuddled Ben, an ultra-Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn who has missed his flight to Alexandria, where he is to help the dwindling Jewish community in need of a 10th man for its Passover celebration. The other is the dyspeptic Adel, a Bedouin man trying to track down his runaway camel. The men travel across the desert on foot, sharing details of their personal lives and love of food, giving their plans a chance to go increasingly haywire. Winner of Building Bridges Jury Award at Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Winner of One Future Prize at Munich Film Festival, Winner of Best Production at Bavarian Film Awards

Sun, Feb 16, 2025 12:00am EST – (Virtual)
Tues, Feb 18, 2025 7:00 pm – The Temple

Running on Sand
**Available Virtually: Feb.8th to Feb.15th** Aumari, a young Eritrean refugee living in Israel, is about to be deported back to his home country. After a spontaneous escape attempt at the airport, he is mistaken for a Nigerian striker, who is supposed to arrive at the same time. Aumari seizes the opportunity and benefits for his change of identity as the new key acquisitions for the team of ‘Maccabi Netanya’. Despite the absence of any soccer talent, Aumari 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. **Special Event immediately following 7 p.m. film**

Sat, Feb 08, 2025 12:00am EST – (Virtual)
Thurs, Feb 20, 2025 7:00 pm – Baxter Avenue Theater

Sabbath Queen
Sabbath Queen is a remarkable 20 year journey in the life of Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, a 39th generation Orthodox rabbi — and drag queen. **Special Event immediately following 4:00 p.m. film Director of Sabbath Queen, Sandi DuBowski will join us for a Q&A session. Moderated by Cantor David Lipp** ***- Sabbath Queen sponsored by Congregation Adath Jeshurun through Cantor David Lipp’s Discretionary Fund***

Sun, Feb 23, 2025 4:00 pm – Speed Art Museum | Speed Cinema

The Boy in the Woods
**Available Virtually: Feb.16th to Feb.23rd** The Boy in the Woods follows the true story of Max, a Jewish boy escaping Nazi persecution. After he is separated from his family, Max finds temporary refuge with a Christian peasant (Richard Armitage). After a tense stand-off with Nazi police. Max must live in the woods and learn to survive alone in a landscape crawling with Jew-hunters and, partisans and haunted by ghosts. He and Yanek, another boy in hiding like Max, rescue a baby girl, but their heroic act comes at a tragic price. Based on the best-selling memoir by Holocaust survivor Maxwell Smart.

Thurs, Feb 13, 2025 7:00 pm – Congregation Adath Jeshurun
Sun, Feb 16, 2025 12:00am EST – (Virtual)

The Milky Way
**Only Available Virtually: Feb.8th to Feb.15th** Tala, an indie singer songwriter who just gave birth to her first daughter, takes up a job at “Milky Way”, a dairy for mother’s milk. The need to earn a living and support her baby with no father in the picture has pushed Tala into this awkward job. Everything would have worked out just fine if only Tala wasn’t Tala – a natural born trouble maker.

Sat, Feb 08, 2025 12:00am EST – (Virtual)

Very Narrow Bridge
THE NARROW BRIDGE is a searching journey into the souls of four people who, after searing pain, develop strengths they never had before. We watch with wonder as Bushra, Rami, Meytal and Bassam, women and men who lost a child or parent in violent conflict, transform their grief into a bridge for reconciliation. **Special Event immediately following 7:00 p.m. film** Join us for a Q&A session with Shiri Ourian, Executive Director of the American Friends of the Parents Circle, a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization working towards peace. Moderated by Dr. Ranen Omer-Sherman, JHFE Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies at the University of Louisville, and Trent Spoolstra, Director of Jewish Community Relations Council.

Tues, Feb 11, 2025 7:00 pm – Trager Family JCC | Shapira Foundation Auditorium

Where Life Begins
**Available Virtually: Feb.8th to Feb.15th** An ultra-orthodox Jewish family from Aix-les-Bains comes to a farm in southern Italy for a brief stay every year to carry out a sacred mission: harvesting citrons. Here Elio, the farm owner, meets Esther, the rabbi’s daughter, who is tired of the constraints imposed by her religion. Through this relationship, Esther will understand the importance of freedom and find her path, and, in the same way, Elio will find the peace he had lost for a long time.

Sat, Feb 08, 2025 12:00am EST – (Virtual)
Sun, Feb 16, 2025 2:00 pm – Baxter Avenue Theater