From October 26 through November 2, the Boulder Jewish Film Festival will return for its 13th year, with a dynamic lineup of films that entertain, inspire and foster insightful conversation. As with previous events, this year’s festival is being championed by founding director Kathryn Bernheimer and presented by the Boulder Jewish Community Center.
For the first time this year, a film advisory committee made up of veteran festival attendees supported Bernheimer in selecting three key films, including the centerpiece titled The Ring. This poignant drama portrays the son of an ailing Holocaust survivor who, along with his estranged daughter, sets out on a quest to recover a ring that saved his mother’s life during World War II. It’s one of five Israeli films featured in this year’s program.
“It’s more important than ever that we allow Israeli film artists freedom of expression,” says Bernheimer, noting that while none of the featured films are overtly political, they reflect on Israeli life, society and history—themes that she says are “even more critical this year, given the climate of boycott and protest.”
Bernheimer refers to the open letters signed last month by thousands of Hollywood actors and filmmakers, which debate the boycott of Israeli film groups. She also cites how escalating violence against Jews and escalating anti-Semitism influenced the upcoming festival’s selections.
Alluding to the firebombing attack on Pearl Street in June, Bernheimer says several of the films “have some relevance to what happened here in Boulder, and what’s happening around the country and around the world.”
These include Tatami, a political thriller that takes place during the World Judo Championships and explores how anti-Semitism affects the sports world. Another, titled Guns and Moses, is a reimagined Western in which a rabbi takes up arms to defend his community after a fatal attack.
“One that directly deals with October 7 is called Of Dogs and Men,” says Bernheimer, referencing the Hamas attacks on Israel in 2023. “I didn’t want to show anything that was re-traumatizing,” she adds, adding that the film takes a gentler approach to the subject by taking place after the assault.
This unique film, which combines fiction and nonfiction, follows a teenage girl who returns to her devastated kibbutz in search of her lost dog. Though she is a fictional character, those she encounters are actual survivors of the attack.
“The focus of this film is not outrage or anger or politics or what’s happened since,” says Bernheimer. “It’s really, at its core, about the need for healing and the challenge of healing, and I think that’s what we all need right now.”
She adds: “One of the things that makes a film festival experience unique and different from just going to your local cineplex to see a movie is that we bring the community together. Jews, non-Jews, people who like movies, people who have a connection to the subject — we share an experience together and we talk about that experience.”
Discussions are slated to take place after each screening. These are not lectures but, rather, open-ended dialogues that are meant to give audiences the chance to exchange thoughts and emotions, express what aspects of the films resonated with them and so forth, says Bernheimer.
For some talkbacks, Bernheimer will be joined by special guests such as Ben Ducoff, co-writer and lead actor of the festival opener titled Yaniv. This successful comedy tells the story of a high school teacher in the Bronx who, after losing funding for the school musical, aims to win money in an underground card game run by the Hasidic Jewish community. Between the two afternoon screenings on October 26, Ducoff will be teaching audience members how to play the game, which is called Yaniv.
On closing night, Swedishkayt: Yidlife Crisis in Stockholm will portray a Canadian comedy duo’s trip to Sweden, where they discover an unexpected wealth of Jewish culture. Katarina Schare, founder of Boulder-based Hävenly Baked Goods, will be present to offer her experience growing up Jewish in Sweden. Her gluten-free breads will also be served alongside other traditional Swedish cuisine before the final festival screening.
Tickets to the Boulder Jewish Film Festival are $16 per screening and available for purchase on the Dairy Arts Center website. All events will take place at the Dairy Arts Center, located at 2590 Walnut Street in Boulder.
