Get ready, film lovers! The countdown is officially on for the 14th annual Boulder Jewish Film Festival, returning to the Dairy Arts Center from October 25 – November 1!

This year’s lineup is an absolute powerhouse, celebrating the massive, unforgettable role Jews have played in shaping pop culture, the arts, and global history. Mark your calendars: tickets go on sale October 8 at thedairy.org, and you will not want to miss out on these incredible cinematic experiences.

Here is a sneak peek at the phenomenal films waiting for you:

Comedy

• You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution – Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, and Martin Short were among a group of unknown performers about to become major comedy stars when they were cast in a far-out hippie musical about Jesus written by a Jew.
• We Met at Grossingers – Built and run by three generations of trailblazing and principled women, the Catskills’ premier resort was not only a breeding ground for a generation of Jewish comics but also an oasis of inclusivity, creativity, and leisure.

Film and theater

• Tovah – Broadway legend, actress extraordinaire, humanitarian, adventurer, role model, dynamic bundle of charisma - and a woman of deep conviction - Tovah Feldshuh remains a proudly Jewish force to be reckoned with both on and off screen.

Television

• Rosenthal: The Great Showman – In 1970s Germany, the country’s most popular entertainer, whose Holocaust history is unknown to his adoring public, faces a moral dilemma when the demands of his career and his Jewish heritage come into conflict. Based on a true story.

 Music

• Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie – American folk music formed an improbable alliance with Jewish culture when the Oklahoma balladeer made beautiful music with his adored mother-in-law, famed Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt.

In addition to paying tribute to Tovah Feldshuh, Jenny Grossinger, and Aliza Greenblatt, remarkable women whose influence on American culture has been profound, the festival explores the female experience in three other award-winning titles.

• Labors of Love: The Life and Legacy of Henrietta Szold celebrates the founder of Hadassah, a deeply ethical yet pragmatic woman who devoted her life to improving the lives of both Jews and Arabs. Narrated by Tovah Feldshuh.
• Reading Lolita in Tehran honors resistance to political oppression and commends the power of female solidarity in post-revolutionary Iran. Based on the acclaimed memoir of the same title.
• Once Upon My Mother conveys the enduring strength of a French-Moroccan mother’s love for her child and her passionate determination to make him whole. Based on a true story.

The festival continues its tradition of illuminating Israeli life through films that transcend politics to cultivate compassion with profoundly human stories.

• The Sea – A young Palestinian boy sets off on a dangerous journey of discovery in this provocative, beautifully crafted, and deeply moving Israeli Oscar-winner and film festival favorite.
• The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue – A retired IDF general’s heroic effort to save his children on October 7 is both harrowing and inspiring, a testament to parental devotion and personal courage.
•  A Burning Man – As his son returns to active duty, an anxious father is paralyzed by a profound sense of helplessness, finding some measure of solace in the kindness of strangers.

Two French films explore aspects of the Holocaust through surprising stories of life-changing events.

• To Kill a Nazi – In a gripping true story that beggars belief, a French Holocaust survivor’s accidental encounter with fate inspires an act of daring with historic consequences.
• Lucky Star – Our serio-comic Community Centerpiece selected by the festival’s Advisory Committee follows the misadventures of a bumbling trickster in wartime France, an accidental deserter who stumbles upon his own innate sense of decency.

Our popular shorts program curated by Judith Dack showcases outstanding short-form storytelling from around the world.

Come out to the Dairy Arts Center, share in the laughter and tears, and be a part of Boulder's premier cultural event. For more information, reach out to founding director Kathryn Bernheimer at BJFF@boulderjcc.org. See you at the movies!