46th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival: World Premieres, Bay Area Filmmakers, Rachel Bloom to Receive Freedom of Expression Award
Nationally acclaimed actress and writer Rachel Bloom to receive Freedom of Expression Award at the Castro Theatre. Local films and filmmakers include new works by Marc Smolowitz and Steven Pressman.
The Jewish Film Institute (JFI) has announced the full program for the 46th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF), the longest-running Jewish Film Festival in the world.
The lineup brings many notable premieres to the Bay Area, including 6 World Premieres, 2 International Premieres, 3 North American Premieres, 5 United States Premieres, and numerous West Coast, California, and Bay Area Premieres. In addition to many returning and first-time filmmakers who will be presenting their work at the festival, the program also includes six JFI Supported titles, which are projects that received support from the organization’s growing Grants and Residency (renamed to the JFI Doc Lab for 2027) programs and reflect the year-round mission of the Jewish Film Institute. The festival returns to the newly restored Castro Theatre for the first time since 2022.
“Jewish identity is undergoing a profound generational transformation, and independent filmmakers are at the forefront of expressing what that means,” said Lexi Leban, JFI’s Executive Director. “In an era of media consolidation and algorithm-driven culture, SFJFF offers something increasingly rare: distinctive voices and artistic risk-taking. We are proud not only to present these films, but to invest in the filmmakers behind them—artists whose work is defining the future of Jewish-content storytelling and ensuring that independent voices continue to thrive in our culture.”
SFJFF46 will present 64 films: 21 narratives and 23 documentary features, as well as four shorts programs, including a showcase of Bay Area filmmakers on the Festival’s closing day. The lineup comprises works from 17 countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Palestine, Qatar, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Festival kicks off at the Herbst Theatre with the California Premiere of Tell Me Everything, the critically-acclaimed second feature film from Israeli director Moshe Rosenthal, which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. This is the second SFJFF Opening Night presentation for Rosenthal, who first attended SFJFF42 with Lior Ashkenazi in 2022 for a sold-out screening of Karaoke at the Castro Theatre. He is expected to attend. The screening is followed by a party upstairs in the Green Room of the War Memorial & Performing Arts Center, where attendees can enjoy delicacies from SFJFF’s culinary partners.
“SFJFF has a storied legacy of introducing American audiences to the work of talented, emerging international filmmakers,” said Dominique Oneil, JFI’s Director of Programming. “We are proud to continue that tradition with Moshe’s accomplished second feature that reminds us of the power of human connection in overwhelming times. The discovery of promising new voices in film is threaded throughout this year’s expansive slate and we hope moviegoers will step into the unknown and celebrate these filmmakers to watch.”
Closing Night on Saturday, August 1 at Landmark’s Piedmont Theatre is We Met at Grossinger’s about the making of one of the most central places to the development of American Jewish identity in the Catskills of New York. Director Paula Eiselt, comedian and actress Judy Gold, and producer Robert Bobby Friedman expected to attend. The Festival’s Centerpiece programs include the US Premiere of the tender narrative Where To? by Assaf Machnes (expected to attend)—integrating a mixed Israeli, Palestinian, and European cast and crew to explore complex themes of migration and belonging through the lens of life in contemporary Berlin.—and Michal Kosakowski’s (expected to attend) kaleidoscopic experimental documentary Holofiction, which recontextualizes imagery of the Holocaust’s representation in film and television to examine how historical memory is constructed and consumed.
“Memory is always a thread through the SFJFF program, but is particularly resonant and strong this year, from Holofiction and Landscapes of Memory—both connecting Holocaust memory to the present—to personal stories like Looking for Yadida and Given Names.” said Ash Cook, Festival Director. “It’s fitting that in this fraught historical moment, our filmmakers are concerned with what’s fixed and what’s immutable in our memories and how they inform our collective experience. They are contributing to how we will remember this present.”
The blending of fact and myth, entertainment and reportage, is also on display in the Take Action Spotlight Hollywood Does Abortion, which mines more than fifty years of entertainment media about abortion— from Norman Lear’s Maude to Dirty Dancing—to explore how media both reflects and shapes our understanding of the topic. By weaving together iconic entertainment moments and contemporary news footage, the film reveals the powerful role storytelling plays in influencing public perception, personal experience, and cultural memory. Directors Janet Goldwater and Mike Attie and actor and Executive Producer Rachel Bloom are expected to attend.
In conjunction with the film’s West Coast Premiere at the Castro Theatre, JFI presents Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning comedian and actress Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) with the Freedom of Expression Award, given annually by SFJFF to an artist who embodies the organization’s belief in a free, open, and just society. The evening concludes with an archival screening of Amy Heckerling’s 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, whose frank and matter-of-fact abortion storyline broke new ground, challenging taboos and reshaping how the subject was depicted in popular culture.
The first half of SFJFF46’s day at the Castro Theatre features premieres of new works by Bay Area filmmakers. Marc Smolowitz, a 2018 JFI Filmmaker in Residence, presents the World Premiere of The Lonely Child (Smolowitz and participant/writer/producer Alix Wall expected), a documentary a decade in the making about a Yiddish lullaby’s unexpected impact across generations, and the US Premiere of the Local Spotlight Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie by Steven Pressman (expected to attend), which excavates the folk music iconoclast’s deep, but largely unknown, connection to Jewish culture.
World Premieres at the Festival include The Darkest Light (director Simon Mendes and and producer Heidi Reinberg expected), Everything I Own (director Andrew Garbus expected), I Don’t Know What I’m Doing Here (director Jacob Pincus, producer Charlie McCollum, and participant Mima Kohn expected to attend), Necropolis, and Only Good Feelings (director Shervin Nassi expected).
SFJFF46 runs July 17–26 at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco in Kanbar Hall’s renovated state-of-the-art theatrical screening space. This extended run at the JCCSF marks the start of a deeper programmatic collaboration between the organizations to build community through cinema year-round, with future programs set for November 2026 and April 2027. SFJFF46 at the JCCSF hosts numerous premieres and presentations of films that received support from JFI either through its Grants or Residency programs. Since 2020, the Institute’s Artist Development programs have become one of the leading sources of support for independent Jewish-content films in the United States.
The JFI Supported section is anchored by a Director Spotlight on Israeli poet, writer, and filmmaker Netalie Braun (expected to attend), one of the most significant voices in the Israeli film industry today. Oxygen is an accomplished feature that boldly explores maternal love and obsession in a country embroiled in seemingly never-ending war. It received a 2024 JFI Completion Grant and won Best Israeli Feature at the 2025 Jerusalem Film Festival. The documentary Shooting, which had its World Premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, presents three gripping true stories to probe the dangerous intersection of storytelling, propaganda, and state power in Israeli society.
Additional JFI Supported films at SFJFF46 include:
- The Darkest Light by Simon Mendes (2022 Filmmaker in Residence)
- Everything I Own by Andrew Garbus (2021 Filmmaker in Residence)
- Landscapes of Memory by Leah Galant (2025 Filmmaker in Residence)
- Looking for Yadida by Israela Shaer Meoded (2025 Completion Grant)
- Who Killed Alex Odeh? by Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans (2025 Completion Grant and recipient of the Envision Award)
The Festival returns for the third consecutive year to the historic Roxie Theater for a lineup of Next Wave-oriented titles that push filmmaking boundaries and include promising new Jewish voices in cinema. The Next Wave Spotlight Act One (Spotlight Narrative, Tribeca Film Festival) is a rhythmic psychological thriller in which a lonely aspiring teen actress is drawn to an acting teacher who pulls her into a web of desire and control. Director Sophia Takal, known for her critically acclaimed debut Green, is expected to attend. Another Roxie highlight is a live collaborative screening and score between Bay Area-based video artist Annie Albagli and Brian Chase, drummer for the legendary indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, crafted exclusively for SFJFF46.
Further narrative highlights include the North American Premiere of psychological thriller Estate and the West Coast or California Premieres of Girl Dad, The Hedonist (director Nick Funess expected), Human Theories (director Jess Zeidman expected), The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo (director Michael Walker and writer Susan Gomes expected) and Our Bodies & Other Shames, all of which offer tender, nuanced coming-of-age and family stories. The Soundman (presented in Dolby Atmos at the JCCSF), and The Wedding Entertainer (or The Tale of Moishe Badhan) bring comedic tones to stories set within very particular worlds and periods.
Documentary highlights include the West Coast Premiere of Noga, about the Israeli pop star fresh from its World Premiere at Tribeca; the Sundance Award-winning Who Killed Alex Odeh? (Directors Jason Osder and William Youmans expected); the character studies Given Names, Far From Maine, Beyond the Duplex Planet, and Sun Bay; and the North American Premiere of The Mad Dog of Europe, an untold history of a little-seen Herman J. Mankiewicz film project. Poh Si Teng’s American Doctor and Bay Area filmmaker Sam Green’s The Oldest Person in the World (expected to attend), both of which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, are also on offer at the Festival.
Founded in 1980, SFJFF is the largest and longest-running festival of its kind and a treasured cultural touchstone in the Bay Area each year. JFI champions bold films and filmmakers that reflect the rich diversity of Jewish experience across the globe. Since its inception, SFJFF has been highly-regarded within the independent film ecosystem for its provocative, independent programming that has served as a springboard for emerging, mid-career, and established filmmakers alike, and the Festival’s singular role connecting Bay Area audiences with films that shine a light on unseen corners of Jewish life around the world.
LOCAL FILMS & FILMMAKERS
The following programs at the 46th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival were made with the participation of the San Francisco Bay Area’s independent film community.
Amazing Live Sea Monkeys
Mark Becker & Aaron Schock, USA Bay Area Premiere
Mark Becker and Aaron Schock both studied, lived and worked in the Bay Area. Mark studied at the Stanford Documentary program and shot his film Romantico in the Mission District.
American Doctor
Poh Si Teng, Malaysia, Qatar, USA
Director Poh Si Teng is an alumna of San Francisco State University.
Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie: A concert of Guthrie’s music by the Klezmatics was filmed at The Freight in Berkeley in December 2024. Director Steven Pressman has lived in San Francisco for 37 years, mostly in Noe Valley. He is an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley. Editor Richard Levien lives in the Excelsior. Cinematographers Andy Black and Vincente Franco are based in the Bay Area. Sound editing/design/mixing was done at IMRSV, the sound house in Berkeley, formerly known as Berkeley Sound Artists. Post-production finishing work (color correction, online conforming, etc) was done by Kim Aubry and Ashley Pagan at ZAP Zoetrope Aubry Productions, located in the Presidio. Lisa Stark, associate producer and co-writer, spent nine years (1984-1993) as an on-air reporter for KGO-TV (an ABC affiliate) in San Francisco.
Everything I Own: Producer Kristina Motwani lives and works in San Francisco and has been an SFFILM House Resident and BAVC MediaMaker Fellow. Director Andrew Garbus was a JFI Filmmaker in Residence.
Far from Maine
Roy Cohen, Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, West Coast Premiere
Executive Producer Jack Pearkes is based in the Bay Area. Seeds of Peace—the conflict resolution program whose camp in Maine was where participants Aseel and Roy met—has a specialized program for the Bay Area.
Hollywood Does Abortion: Steph Herold was interviewed for the film and was an advisor. Herold is a lead researcher at Abortion Onscreen, a program of ANSIRH (Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health). ANSIRH is a program within the UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health and is a part of UCSF’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences. Director Mike Attie attended the Stanford Documentary Program.
Landscapes of Memory
Leah Galant, USA, West Coast Premiere
2025 Filmmaker in Residence
Maya Cueva is a filmmaker who lives in Oakland and served as a sound recordist and as a narration director. Cueva is also a former JFI Filmmaker in Residence.
The Oldest Person in the World:
Sam Green, USA, Bay Area Premiere
Director Sam Green was a longtime resident of the Bay Area.
That’s How You Make a Torah (short): Director Laura Greenhall lived in Danville until the 8th grade.
The Darkest Light: Shlomo Carlebach founded the House of Love and Prayer at 347 Arguello Boulevard in Haight-Ashbury, during the Summer of Love. Shlomo was a fixture in San Francisco during the 1960s and throughout his career. He also played at the Berkeley Folk Festival multiple times and is famously featured on posters from the 1966 and 1968 festivals alongside Joanie Mitchell and Howlin’ Wolf. Director Simon Mendes spent two weeks filming in the Bay Area. He is also a former JFI Filmmaker in Residence. Throughout production and research, Mendes interviewed many people in the Bay Area with a specific interest in Carlebach and his legacy. Rabbi Sara Shendelman, who lives in Berkeley, was interviewed for the film and appears in it. Mendes also interviewed Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, who lives in Berkeley and has for many years been an outspoken, forceful voice against Shlomo’s sexual abuses, and was one of the first to publicly talk about the allegations. Aryae Coopersmith, who co-founded the House of Love and Prayer with Shlomo, lives in the Bay Area. Mendes also filmed and has been in contact with David A.M. Wilensky of The Jewish News of Northern California, who is the founder of the “Anything But Carlebach” Facebook page. The Bay remains the spiritual home of Shlomo Carlebach, on par with New York City and Jerusalem.
The Lonely Child: Director/producer Marc Smolowitz, producer/writer Alix Wall, and producer/writer Michaelle McGaraghan are based in San Francisco, Oakland, and El Cerrito. Other key crew members are also based in the Bay Area. The team filmed various performances and interviews locally. Marc was a JFI Filmmaker in Residence in 2018 with this film.
mdbr mdbr: Multimedia artist Annie Albagli is based in the Bay Area. She is a 2023-26’ Lucas Artists Residency Program Fellow at Montalvo Arts Center and has exhibited at 500 Capp Street, Headlands Center for the Arts and other Bay Area institutions.
Who Killed Alex Odeh?:
Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans, USA, West Coast Premiere
2025 JFI Completion Grant & Envision Award; Winner of the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Excellence, 2026 Sundance Film Festival
Directors Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans expected to attend. Co-director William Youmans lived in the Bay Area from 2000-2005. He is an alumnus of the University of California at Berkeley.
Shorts: From the Bay: Dan Wohfeiler (director of Looking for Mr. Israeli) lives in Berkeley. Vivian Kleiman (director of A Grain of Truth) lives in Berkeley and taught at Stanford University’s Graduate Program in Documentary Film and Video Production. Lauretta Molitor and Asali Echols (directors of Born Kicking) both live in the Bay Area. Sari Gilman (director of American Jew) lives in Berkeley.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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