The twelfth annual WinterFest, presented by the Jewish Film Institute, is an electrifying showcase of bold, independent films that expand and evolve the Jewish story across two action-packed days at the Vogue Theater in San Francisco. From innovative dramatic features to illuminating documentaries, WinterFest 2025 invites communities in the Bay Area and beyond to dive deep into tales that entertain, challenge, educate, and delight us.

Schedule of Events:

1:30 pm: Free for All: The Public Library

Directors Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor expected to attend

One of the most valued yet endangered institutions, public libraries were founded on a visionary principle: to create a space where anyone can access a universe of information, free of charge. Director Dawn Logsdon travels across the United States, uncovering the stories of historic and modern-day figures who have shaped libraries into pillars of democracy. From the Lower East Side of New York to the Chinatowns of the American West, this inquisitive documentary examines how libraries have supported immigrant communities and how those communities, in turn, have shaped public libraries. It draws stark parallels between the book bans of Nazi Germany and those happening today across the U.S., probing the ways in which the institution has upheld the core values of accessibility and intellectual freedom. Free For All: The Public Library celebrates the civic institution where communities are built, futures are imagined, and, in Jewish tradition, the pursuit of knowledge is valued and encouraged.

4:30 pm: Most People Die on Sundays

David, a gay Jewish millennial  studying abroad in Italy, returns home to Buenos Aires for his uncle's funeral. Upon arrival he is surprised to learn his mother plans to remove his father's life support after years in a coma. Recovering from a devastating break-up and feeling overwhelmed, David avoids saying goodbye to his father by half-heartedly attempting to hook up with random men, scheduling specialist appointments, and practising for his driver's license. But he can only avoid his problems for so long, and his emotional homecoming propels him to finally confront them.

Argentinian actor Iair Said's impressive first narrative feature is a dryly funny and endearingly heartfelt dark comedy, which touches on the emotional toll of grieving loved ones while dealing with the under-discussed financial burden associated. This intimate family story, which premiered in Cannes' ACID program, is brought to life by Said's raw and honest lead performance alongside the wonderful Rita Cortese, who plays David's mother with tender naturalism. -CELESTE WONG

7:00 pm: Everything You Have is Yours

Director Tatyana Tenenbaum, producer Brighid Greene, and participant Hadar Ahuvia expected to attend

In this sensitively crafted documentary, choreographer Hadar Ahuvia interrogates the roots of the Israeli folk dances she grew up dancing with her mother. Facing romanticized stories about her grandparents, Zionist ‘kibbutznik' settlers in Palestine in the 1930's, she begins a personal endeavor unpacking and confronting the appropriative origins of this inherited dance. Through this vulnerable, personal story a larger weaving of powerful artistic portraits emerge- Jewish, Israeli, and Palestinian dancers living in New York City question what is inherited and what to choose to carry forward.

Director Tatyana Tennenbaum conveys the power of dance as an embodied medium for grieving, healing, resistance and reclamation. Everything You Have Is Yours honors these powerful associations, reminding us of our shared humanity and the need for collective liberation.

Please also join the filmmakers at the Creative Interventions: The Role of Art in Healing Political Division panel on Sunday, February 23 at 1:30pm for an extended conversation.