The Lenore Marwil Detroit Jewish Film Festival celebrates the art of Jewish filmmaking by presenting films, encouraging discussion about Jewish stories, and creating shared experiences with filmmakers and audiences around the world. And through our history of promoting Israeli cinema as part of our diverse selection of Jewish films, we’re continuing to build a sense of community and inclusion for a broad range of audience members.

Schedule Of Events:

April 28, 2025
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Torn
After the October 7 attacks, artists Nitzan Mintz and Dede Bandaid launched the “Kidnapped from Israel” grassroots poster campaign in NY to raise awareness about the hostages taken by Hamas. Torn explores the motivations of activists putting up and tearing down the posters, revealing the complexities of the war through intense debates and personal stories.

Talk-back with director Nim Shapira and the artists following the screening, moderated by Prof. Yael Aronoff, Director of the Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel at Michigan State University.

May 1, 2025

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Colleyville
On January 15, 2022, an ordinary Shabbat morning at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, turned into a harrowing hostage crisis involving Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three others. Colleyville is a gripping real-life drama showcasing the resilience of the hostages and community while highlighting the complexities of antisemitism.

Talk-back with Ophir award-winning filmmaker Dani Menkin and Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker following the screening, moderated by Rabbi Paul Yedwab, Temple Israel.

May 4, 2025

1:00 PM - 3:30 PM - The Ancient Law-Silent Film with Live Klezmer Music

Silent Film-Drama - Germany - German with English subtitles - 128 minutes

This beautifully restored 1923 silent masterpiece tells the poignant story of a rabbi’s son who leaves his Polish shtetl to pursue acting in Vienna. The film is accompanied by a live musical score composed and performed by klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals and silent film pianist Donald Sosin, adding a unique, immersive dimension to this CineConcert experience.

The live performance is made possible by The Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts.

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Matchmaking 2
Romantic Comedy - Israel - Hebrew with English Subtitles - 110 minutes

Israel’s biggest box office hit of the year, Matchmaking 2, is the feel-good, long-awaited sequel to the beloved 2022 rom-com starring some of Israel’s brightest young talents. This tender, side-splitting celebration of clashing traditions and big-hearted characters follows a love-struck bachelor in a Jerusalem yeshiva, pressured to find his soulmate before it’s too late.

May 5, 2025
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - For the Living
Documentary - USA -English - 117 minutes

In 1945, 10-year-old Holocaust survivor Marcel Zielinski made a 60-mile journey by foot from Auschwitz-Birkenau to Krakow in search of his family. Decades later, 250 cyclists retrace his path in a mission called Ride for the Living. This powerful documentary draws parallels between his experience and the cyclists’ journey to spark a conversation about the struggle between dehumanization and empathy.

Talk-back with co-director Tim Roper and producer Lisa Effress following the screening.?

May 6, 2025
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Theater Kid featuring Tony Award-winner Jeffrey Seller in conversation with Douglas Sills

Tony Award-winner Jeffrey Seller in conversation with Tony Award-nominee Douglas Sills (Broadway's The Scarlet Pimpernel and HBO's The Gilded Age)

A coming-of-age tale from one of the most successful American producers of our time, Jeffrey Seller, one of the masterminds behind the Tony Award-winning musicals Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights, and Hamilton. Theater Kid is a gripping memoir about chasing a dream against many odds and finding acceptance and community. Jeffrey is a Suburban Detroit native and a proud graduate of the University of Michigan.

“I loved reading the wonderful, inspiring adventures of Jeffrey Seller’s life and career. If you feel like an outsider from the poorest part of town, take heart, your dreams can come true.”—Bernadette Peters

May 7, 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM - Shari & Lamb Chop - Dementia Friendly Showing

Documentary?- USA - English - 92 minutes

Before Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street, there was Shari Lewis and her beloved puppets including Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy, and Charlie Horse. This heartwarming bio-doc blends archival footage, TV clips, and interviews, celebrating Shari Lewis’s visionary spirit and offering a nostalgic journey that reconnects us with our inner child. Virtual appearance by daughter Mallory Lewis before the 1 p.m. screening.

Talk-back with director Lisa D'Apolito following screening.

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Shari & Lamb Chop
Documentary?- USA - English - 92 minutes
Before Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street, there was Shari Lewis and her beloved puppets including Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy, and Charlie Horse. This heartwarming bio-doc blends archival footage, TV clips, and interviews, celebrating Shari Lewis’s visionary spirit and offering a nostalgic journey that reconnects us with our inner child. Virtual appearance by daughter Mallory Lewis before the 1 p.m. screening.

May 8, 2025
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM - The Ring
Drama?- Israel, Hungary - Hebrew and Hungarian with English subtitles - 120 minutes

Arnon Noble, a devout man with a strong bond to his mother, a Holocaust survivor, embarks on a journey to Hungary with his estranged daughter to seek a legendary ring that once saved her life. Written by and starring Ophir Award-winning actor and beloved stand-up comedian Adir Miller, The Ring is based on his own family’s story of Holocaust survival.

7:00 PM - 9:30 PM - Bad Shabbos with Comedy Short Sauna Dreams
Comedy?- USA - English - 84 minutes

David and his fiancée Meg attend a Shabbat dinner at his mother’s house to introduce her Catholic parents to his Jewish family. When a turn of events leads to a frantic cover-up, the evening spirals into darkly comedic chaos. Uproariously funny with a cast featuring Emmy-winner Kyra Sedgwick, Method Man, and David Paymer, Bad Shabbos is filled with twists, turns, and laughs you won’t see coming!

Talkback with Rabbi Blair Nosanwisch, Adat Shalom Synagogue, and Rabbi Yonatan Dahlen, Congregation Shaarey Zedek.

May 11, 2025

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Midas Man
Biopic - UK - English - 112 minutes

Witness the rise of Brian Epstein, the visionary manager who catapulted The Beatles from a scrappy Liverpool band into global rock legends. The film details Epstein’s belief in The Beatles and the sacrifices he made to help them achieve fame. Midas Man features a star-making turn by Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen’s Gambit), alongside dynamic performances by Emily Watson, Jay Leno, and Eddie Izzard.

June 29, 2025
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Technion 10 Squared

Documentary?- Israel - English and Hebrew with English subtitles - 77 minutes

The story of this institution's hundred years on Mount Carmel provides a fascinating prism through which to describe the history of the State of Israel.

Panel discussion with special guest speaker Prof. Peretz Lavie, Past President, Technion, Haifa, Israel. 

Date: April 28-May 11, 2025

Location:
The Berman Center for the Performing Arts, 6600 West Maple Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48322

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