PJFM’s annual film and media festival returns to Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. 12 films, including a shorts program, master class, family event, comedy night, and so much more! 10 days of unforgettable Jewish cinematic and digital storytelling. PJFM’s 44th festival brings the most unique Jewish international films and digital media content from across the globe, from Philadelphia movie premieres to repertory cinema and collaborative events with local organizations. Events take place at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, Gratz College, Ambler Theater, Kaiserman JCC, Penn Hillel, and Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel.

Festival Schedule:

1:30 PM: Telling Nonie

Directed by Pat Schwartz and Uriel Sinai
Documentary Feature | Israel/USA | 2023 | 51 min | English and Hebrew with English subtitles

Tormented by his role in a 1950s Gaza assassination, Geizi Tsafrir, an elderly Israeli agent, seeks redemption. Reflecting on his time with Shin Bet (Israeli Secret Service) and the killing of an Egyptian lieutenant colonel, he decides to confront his past and contacts the colonel’s daughter, Nonie Darwish, once intent on avenging her father’s death but now a prominent voice against radical Islam and a supporter of Israel. The mysterious email from Tsafrir sets Darwish on an emotional journey into her past, culminating in a meeting with him in Los Angeles. This winner of the Haifa International Film Festival’s Best Israeli Documentary Award explores intricate emotions, history’s complexities, and the bumpy path toward mutual understanding and forgiveness.

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4 PM: The Catskills

Directed by Lex Gillespie
Documentary Feature | USA | 2024 | 84 min | English

THE CATSKILLS is a feature-length documentary on the rise and fall of the Borscht Belt. With a trove of lost-and-found archival footage and a cast of characters endowed with the gift of gab, Lex Gillespie’s charming film journeys into the storied mountain getaway north of New York City that served as refuge for Jewish immigrants fleeing poverty, as well as a lavish playground for affluent Jewish families. Stand-up comedians share their best shtick while former waiters, entertainers, and dance instructors recount tales of the family-run resorts and bungalows that inspired films like Dirty Dancing (1987).

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Tickets:
$15 General Admission
$13 Senior
$10 Student