Jacob Burns Film Center Jewish Film Festival

The films in the 23rd edition of the JBFC's Jewish Film Festival offer close encounters with remarkable individuals in a wide range of fiction films and documentaries. In all of these films, personal stories lead to broader perspectives on history, culture, and society.

Schedule of Events:

4:00pm - The Heartbreak Kid
1972. 106 m. Elaine May. Bristol Myers Squibb. USA. English. Rated PG.

Charles Grodin has never been better than in this starmaking performance as sporting goods salesman and all-around schmuck Lenny Cantrow, who leaves his new wife (Jeannie Berlin) during their honeymoon to pursue the shiksa of his dreams, the midwestern blonde Kelly Corcoran (Cybill Shepherd). A bracing and hilarious comedy of discomfort, The Heartbreak Kid is the product of three great creative talents, with the genius director Elaine May working from a screenplay by Neil Simon and Bruce Jay Friedman.

Tickets: $13 (members), $18 (nonmembers)

7:00pm - Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause
Virtual Q&A with Director James L. Freedman
2025. 93 m. James L. Freedman. Independent. US. English. Rated NR.

Eternally sardonic, Charles Grodin had an ultra-dry wit and a laconic deadpan delivery that gave him a style all his own. Though his great performances include Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid and Martin Brest's Midnight Run, in which he co-starred with Robert DeNiro, Grodin was also beloved for his subversively funny late-night TV appearances with Johnny Carson and David Letterman. Somewhat surprisingly, Grodin turned towards social causes, most notably prison reform, with a CNBC talk show as his main platform. Filled with great footage spanning his career and celebrating his work as a comedian and as an activist, this is a fully rounded portrait of a unique performer and person.

Tickets: $20 (members), $25 (nonmembers)

7:00pm - Come Closer
2024. 107 m. Tom Nesher. Greenwich Entertainment. Israel. Hebrew with subtitles. Rated NR.

Israel’s official selection for the Best International Feature Academy Award (and winner of Israel’s own Best Film and Best Director awards), Come Closer is an electrifying debut by Tom Nesher, daughter of the acclaimed director Avi Nesher. Deeply personal, the film was made as a response to the tragic death of Tom’s younger brother, Ari. Also making her unforgettable debut is lead actress Lia Elalouf, who is exhilarating and heartbreaking as she goes through a wild emotional journey that includes an intense and transformative relationship with a secret girlfriend from Ari’s past. This gripping film marks Tom Nesher as an important talent to watch.

Tickets: $13 (members), $18 (nonmembers)

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