The Seattle Jewish Film Festival (SJFF) is one of the largest and longest-running film festivals in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest Jewish film festivals in the country. A cornerstone program of the Stroum Jewish Community Center (SJCC), SJFF brings people together from across Washington-and virtually around the globe-to celebrate and showcase the vibrancy and diversity of global Jewish life through cinema to build connections, illuminate perspectives, increase understanding, and offer experiences that amplify profound Jewish experiences for everyone.

The Stroum Jewish Community Center is proud to present this preeminent public arts program and community gathering place to deepen comprehension, inspire connections, and strengthen community through global Jewish cinema and conversation. More than a film festival, SJFF serves as a vibrant cultural cornerstone for all.

Schedule of Events:

Saturday, March 22, 2025

8:00 pm: Opening Night Film and Festivities Midas Man- At Amc Pacific Place

Witness The Electric Rise And Fall Of Brian Epstein, The Visionary Who Catapulted The Beatles To Meteoric Fame And Unleashed A Cultural Revolution. Midas Man Stars Jacob Fortune-Lloyd With Cameos By Emily Watson, Jay Leno And Eddie Izzard.

Sunday, March 23, 2025

09:30 Am: Sunday Brunch And Film Welcome To Yiddishland: A Place With No Borders At Amc Pacific Place
10:30 Am: Film

Welcome To The Rousing Story Of The Revival Of The Yiddish Language By Contemporary Artists From Around The World Who Are Reigniting This Dying Mother Tongue In Music, Theater, Opera, And Literature. Guest: The Klezkatz

1:10 pm: Sephardic Spotlight The Blond Boy From The Casbah (Le Petit Blond De La Casbah

Passionate Filmmaker Antoine Travels To His Birthplace With His Young Son To Present His Latest Release: An Account Of His Bittersweet Jewish Childhood In Algeria. Event: Sephardic Coffee Chat (Echar Lashon) And Biscochos

4:15 pm: Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse

A Vividly Illustrated Film Exploring The Unwavering Wit And Insights Of Cartoonist Art Spiegelman, Best Known For Maus, His Groundbreaking, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Graphic Novel About His Holocaust-Survivor Parents

6:45 pm: Gay Gezunt! Lgbtqand Spotlight Pink Lady

In An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community In Jerusalem, Bati Has A Seemingly Perfect Life. But Her World Starts To Crumble When She Discovers Her Husband's Secret Affair With His Male Study Partner.

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

6:20 pm: The Most Precious Of Cargoes At Siff Uptown

A Poor Polish Woodcutter's Wife Defiantly Pledges To Raise A Jewish Child Thrown From A Passing Train In This Visually Stunning Animated Gem About Love Triumphing Over Hate From The Academy Award-Winning Director Of The Artist

8:30 pm: The City

Joe, A Private Detective, Takes On The Case Of A Mysterious Cabaret Singer-A Decision That Could Be His Last-In This Wildly Inventive Hip-Hop, Film Noir Opera And Homage To Crime Fiction And Israeli Rap

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

6:20 pm: Janis Ian: Breaking Silence At The J

The Epic Life Journey Of Illustrious Singer-Songwriter Janice Ian ("Society's Child," "At Seventeen") From Her Jewish Childhood On A New Jersey Chicken Farm Through Six Decades As A Disruptive Voice For Social Justice In The Music Industry

8:45 pm: Israeli Spotlight The Stronghold

Sinai, 1973: Michael Aloni ("Shtisel") Stars In This Heart-Pounding Portrayal Of A Remote Israeli Army Outpost On The Suez Canal Under Fire During The Yom Kippur War, Inspired By Films Like Saving Private Ryan.

Thursday, March 27, 2025

6:00 pm: Torn

The Controversy Surrounding The "Kidnapped From Israel" Grassroots Poster Campaign Sparks Clashes In The Streets Of New York City, Far From The Actual Conflict. Guest: Director Nim Shapira

8:30 pm: A Nice Jewish Boy

In This Quirky, Light-Hearted, Coming-Of-Age Comedy, Nerdy Bellisha Makes Up Wild Stories To Placate His Beloved Mother And Hide The Truth About Rising Antisemitism In Their Working-Class Paris Suburb.

Friday, March 28, 2025

1:00 pm: Friday Matinee At The J Shari And Lamb Chop

Hailing From A Jewish Bronx Family, Groundbreaking Artist Shari Lewis And Her Beloved Sock Puppet Companion, Lamb Chop, Were Adored Showbiz Stars Of Childhood Entertainment For Over 50 Years.

Saturday, March 29, 2025

6:00 pm: The Glory Of Life (Die Herrlichkeit Des Lebens)

The Exquisite Love Story Of Legendary Czech Novelist Franz Kafka And Dora Diamant, A Polish Jewish Woman, In The Last Year Of His Life.

8:35 pm: Israeli Spotlight

A Young Eritrean Refugee Facing Deportation Is Mistaken For A Professional Soccer Player Brought To Save A Floundering Israeli Team And Plays Along.

Sunday, March 30, 2025

12:10 pm: Carla The Rescuer

A Local Hero! Carla Peperzak, Now Age 101, Was A Teenager In The Dutch Resistance During Wwii And Helped Dozens Of Jews By Forging Id Cards. Four Generations Of Women In Her Spokane Family Tell Her Story.

Guests: Intro: Carla Peperzak; Director Clement Lye, Producer Kristine F. Hoover And Holocaust Educator Paul Regelbrugge

3:15 pm: Beethoven's Nine: Ode To Humanity

Can A Work Of Art Remain Relevant 200 Years After Its Creation? Delve Into The Enduring Legacy Of Beethoven's Masterpiece "Ode To Joy" And Its Unbreakable Connection With Recent Global Events, From The War In Ukraine To The Oct. 7 Tragedy In Israel.

Guest: Director Larry Weinstein

6:30 pm: Gay Gezunt! Lgbtqand Spotlight Sabbath Queen

The 21-Year Epic Journey Of Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, The Dynastic Heir Of 39 Generations Of Orthodox Rabbis, Who Is Torn Between Accepting His Ancestral Destiny Or Becoming A Drag Queen Rebel.

Guest: Director Sandi Dubowski
Event: Filmmaker Reception

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

7:00 pm: Blind At Heart At Majestic Bay Theatres

Adapted From A Bestselling Novel, This Powerful Romantic Drama Vividly Portrays The Moral Struggles And Gripping Journey Of A Young Medic Hiding Her Jewish Identity In Weimar-Era Berlin.

7:00 pm: Shorts Program Hashivenu: Return Us N Walla Walla

When People Speak Of Grit, They Usually Mean The Power Of Perseverance. With These Seven Films, We Explore A Divine Form Of Resilience, Hashivenu-Reaffirming Of Faith In Times Of Grief Or Crisis.

Thursday, April 3, 2025

7:00 pm: Shorts Program Hashivenu: Return Us At Hillel Uw

When People Speak Of Grit, They Usually Mean The Power Of Perseverance. With These Seven Films, We Explore A Divine Form Of Resilience, Hashivenu-Reaffirming Of Faith In Times Of Grief Or Crisis.

Saturday, April 5, 2025

7:30 pm: Closing Night Film Bad Shabbos At The J

This Darkly Hilarious, Highly Entertaining Screwball Comedy Stars Kyra Sedgwick As The Charming But Neurotic Matriarch Whose Shabbat Family Dinner Goes Horribly And Hilariously Wrong.

Guest: Director Daniel Robbins
Event: Filmmaker Reception

Sunday, April 6, 2025

3:00 pm: Closing Matinee And Sing-Along Fiddler On The Roof

Join us for the return of SJFF's classic closing film tradition- with costume prizes and noshes, and sing along to musical favorites such as "Tradition" and "If I Were a Rich Man." All ages welcome. Bring the whole mishpokhe (family)!

Event: Noshes of bubbie's blintzes and borscht

Date: March 22 - April 6, 2025

Location:

AMC Pacific Place, 600 Pine St #400, Seattle WA 98101
Hillel at University of Washington, 4745 17th Ave NE, Seattle WA 98105
Majestic Bay Theatres, 2044 NW Market St, Seattle WA 98107
SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle WA 98109
Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 East Mercer Way, Mercer Island WA 98040

Click here to Buy Tickets

Click here for more information