BJF Film Club

We all love films, and we love talking about films with you, which is why Boston Jewish Film has launched the BJF Film Club so we can get together to talk about films!

For each Film Club meeting, we will share information on how to watch the film on your own beforehand. Most meetups are held in person at partner community spaces in the greater Boston area, along with occasional Virtual Film Club meetings added to the schedule. And, whether in-person or virtual, you can expect fun, insightful conversations with fellow BJF Film Club attendees during the event!

To attend BJF Film Club events, register for the event and then screen the film on your own before the meetup.

Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be served at in-person Film Club meetups.

Click HERE to Register for Upcoming Events

2025 BJF Film Club Events

Please join us for our January 2025 BJF Film Club meetup to discuss Live at Mr. Kelly’s, Wednesday, January 15 at 11 AM at the JCC Greater Boston (located in the Wexler Lounge at 333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459) for an exciting and lively conversation led by Boston Jewish Film Executive Director, Susan Adler.

Live at Mr. Kelly’s – 2021 Documentary

Directed by Ted Bogosian

The iconic Mister Kelly’s, once called a “supernova in the local and national nightlife firmament,” illuminated legendary Chicago’s Rush Street and the entire country by launching talents like Barbra Streisand, Richard Pryor, Bob Newhart, Bette Midler, and Steve Martin. Its visionary owners, George and Oscar Marienthal, smashed color and gender barriers to put unknown, controversial voices on stage–and transform entertainment as America knew it in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Now, with the club long gone and its star talent reaching its golden years, George’s son David and director/screenwriter Theodore Bogosian go on a quest to collect the memories of the clubs before they are lost. Celebrity interviews include Bob Newhart, the Smothers Brothers, Dick Gregory, Lainie Kazan, Herbie Hancock, Dick Cavett, Tim Reid, Fred Willard, and Ramsey Lewis. Through interviews, live footage, photos, music, and song, the film portrays the most beloved and famous talent of our time at the decisive moments when they showed up, dug deep, and broke in.

HOW TO WATCH: Stream the film for free on Tubi or Hoopla. Rent on Amazon or AppleTV.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

This event is in partnership with JCC Greater Boston.

Please join us for the February 2025 BJF Film Club VIRTUAL meetup on Zoom to discuss the Oscar-nominated film The Brutalist, on Tuesday, February 18th at 7:00 PM for an engaging and interesting conversation led by Boston Jewish Film Artistic Director, Joey Katz.

THE BRUTALIST

Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost.

HOW TO WATCH: The Brutalist is currently playing in theaters. Click HERE to see where the film is screening near you.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $2.00.

This event is in partnership with JCC Greater Boston.

Please join Boston Jewish Film for our March 2025 BJF Film Club meetup to discuss Liberty Heights on Tuesday, March 18th at 11:00 AM at the JCC Greater Boston (located in the Teen Lounge at 333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA  02459) for an exciting and lively conversation for an exciting and lively conversation led by Diane Carasik Dion.

LIBERTY HEIGHTS
Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) co-stars in this 1999 coming-of-age drama by Barry Levinson, set in 1950s Baltimore, focusing on a pivotal year in the life of the Kurtzman family. As two generations of the family navigate the challenges of a shifting society, the film explores themes of Jewish-American culture, identity, race, religion, and social class—themes that resonate today. Joe Mantegna, Ben Foster, Orlando Jones, Bebe Neuwirth, and Anthony Anderson round out the cast.

Writer-editor Diane Carasik Dion had a long career at WGBH Boston as editor of ‘GBH Magazine, the public TV and radio program guide. Like Liberty Heights filmmaker Barry Levinson, Dion, a longtime cinephile, grew up in Baltimore during the 1950s, a time of significant social upheaval.

HOW TO WATCH: Stream Liberty Heights for free on Tubi and Kanopy.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

This event is in partnership with JCC Greater Boston.

Please join Boston Jewish Film for our April 2025 BJF Film Club meetup to discuss A Real Pain on Wednesday, April 16th at 11:30 AM at the JCC Greater Boston (located in the Teen Lounge at 333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA  02459) for an exciting and lively conversation led by Boston Jewish Film Board President, Ken Shulman.

A REAL PAIN

David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin in an Oscar-winning role) are cousins travelling to Poland to pay homage to their grandmother. The pair couldn’t be more different, and as they become mired in arguments, their trip becomes increasingly challenging. David is a tech worker with a settled family living in Manhattan, while Benji has an unconventional and rebellious lifestyle. With their painful family history setting the backdrop for their tour, the pair go on a challenging journey that brings them closer than ever.

HOW TO WATCH: Rent it on Amazon Prime, AppleTV, or Hulu.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

This event is in partnership with JCC Greater Boston.

Please join Boston Jewish Film for our May 2025 BJF Film Club meetup on Tuesday, May 20th, 11:00 AM at the JCC Greater Boston (located in the Teen Lounge, 333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA  02459) for an exciting and lively conversation led by Boston Jewish Film Executive Director Susan Adler.

CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH

Fresh out of college and stuck at his New Jersey home without a clear path forward, 22-year-old Andrew begins working for bar mitzvahs. While attending a bar mitzvah, he discovers his talent for party organizing, which leads to numerous job opportunities. When he forms a unique friendship with a young mother and her teenage daughter with autism, his life begins to flourish.

HOW TO WATCH: Rent it on AppleTV or Amazon Prime.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

This event is in partnership with JCC Greater Boston.

Please join Boston Jewish Film for our June 2025 BJF Film Club meetup on Thursday, June 19th, 11:00 AM at the JCC Greater Boston (located in the Wexler Lounge, 333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA  02459) for an exciting and lively conversation led by Diane Dion.

AVALON

This drama, largely based on the family history of director Barry Levinson, follows the immigrant Krichinsky clan as they settle in Baltimore during the early 20th century. While Sam Krichinsky (Armin Mueller-Stahl) establishes roots in the city and finds a wife (Joan Plowright), his ambitious son, Jules (Aidan Quinn), who changes his last name to Kaye, tries to live the American Dream by opening an appliance store, revealing cultural and generational gaps.

HOW TO WATCH: Rent it on Amazon, AppleTV, or Fandango.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

This event is in partnership with JCC Greater Boston.

Please join Boston Jewish Film for the July 2025 VIRTUAL BJF Film Club meetup on Zoom to discuss the film Wet Hot American Summer on Wednesday, July 16th at 7:00 PM for an engaging and interesting conversation led by Boston Jewish Film Artistic Director Joey Katz.

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER

The setting is Camp Firewood, the year 1981. It’s the last day before everyone goes back to the real world, but there’s still a summer’s worth of unfinished business to resolve. At the center of the action is camp director Beth, who struggles to keep order while she falls in love with the local astrophysics professor. He is busy trying to save the camp from a deadly piece of NASA’s Skylab, which is hurtling toward Earth. All that, plus: a dangerous waterfall rescue, love triangles, misfits, cool kids, and talking vegetable cans. The questions will all be resolved, of course, at the big talent show at the end of the day.

HOW TO WATCH: Available to rent on Amazon, AppleTV, and YouTube.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $2.00.

This event is in partnership with JCC Greater Boston.

Please join us for the BJF Film Club VIRTUAL meetup to discuss The Chosen, on Thursday, August 21, at 7:00 PM for a fun and vibrant conversation led by Boston Jewish Film Board Member, Alan Sagan. Alex holds a doctorate from Harvard University. His academic work focuses on the Holocaust and the history of film.

THE CHOSEN (1981)
Danny and Reuven become good friends while playing stickball, despite being from different branches of Judaism. Although they have differences, their friendship grows strong. When they reach college, outspoken support by Reuven’s professor father for a national Jewish state causes conflicts with Danny’s conservative father, leading to tension between the friends.
HOW TO WATCH:  Available to stream for free on Fubo, Kanopy, and Plex.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $2.00. You will receive the link to join the Zoom conversation in your confirmation email.

This event is in partnership with JCC Greater Boston.

Please join us for our next BJF Film Club meetup to discuss Dough on Thursday, September 18, 7:30 PM at Congregation Kehillath Israel for an exciting and lively conversation led by Anna Winestein, Director of Programs at Congregation Kehillath Israel.

DOUGH (BJFF 2015)

Curmudgeonly widower Nat Dayan (Jonathan Pryce) clings to his way of life as a Kosher bakery shop owner in London’s East End. Understaffed, Nat reluctantly enlists the help of teenager Ayyash (Jerome Holder), who has a secret side gig selling marijuana to help his immigrant mother make ends meet. When Ayyash accidentally drops his stash into the mixing dough, the challah starts flying off the shelves, and an unlikely friendship forms between the old Jewish baker and his young Muslim apprentice. Dough is a warmhearted and humorous story about overcoming prejudice and finding redemption in unexpected places.

HOW TO WATCH: Stream the film on Chai Flicks, Amazon, and AppleTV.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

This event is in partnership with Congregation Kehillath Israel and JCC Greater Boston.

Please join us for our next BJF Film Club meet-up to discuss Au Revoir Les Enfants on Thursday, October 16, 11 AM at JCC Greater Boston, for an engaging and lively conversation led by a true cinephile and great friend of BJF, Betsy McCarthy, and BJF Executive Director, Susan Adler.

AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS
Louis Malle’s autobiographical masterpiece explores his wartime friendship with a Jewish boy at a Catholic boarding school in Nazi-occupied France. Julien is a bright, spoiled boy who is both irritated and intrigued by Jean, the mysterious new boy at school who appears to be there under the protection of the priests. Between their love of books, jazz piano, and pranks, their friendship develops, and Julien slowly realizes that Jean is probably Jewish. Malle superbly recreates the atmosphere of this cloistered upper-class school where courageous priests try to resist wartime authorities, where collaborators and cowards abound, and where the children’s innocence is ultimately shattered.

HOW TO WATCH: Stream the film on Hulu, HBO Max, and Fandango.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

This event is in partnership with JCC Greater Boston.

Please join Boston Jewish Film for our November 2025 BJF Film Club meetup for an exciting and lively conversation.

HOW TO WATCH: Details to come!

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

This event is in partnership with Congregation Kehillath Israel and JCC Greater Boston.

Prior BJF Film Club Events

2024 BJF Film Club Events

2023 BJF Film Club Events

Please join Boston Jewish Film for our first Film Club meetup to discuss Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen on Thursday, April 20th at 7:30 PM at Congregation Kehillath Israel, 384 Harvard Street Brookline, and be part of a fun and vibrant conversation led by Boston Jewish Film Artistic Director, Lisa Gossels.

Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen captures director Norman Jewison’s vision to recreate the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia and reimagine Fiddler on the Roof, the beloved stage musical on the big screen.

Stream the film on Paramount+ or for free on Kanopy through your local library. You can also rent the film through Prime Video, Kino Now, or Vudu.

Please join Boston Jewish Film for our second BJF Film Club meetup to discuss the film Taking Sides on Monday, May 15 at 7:30 PM at Congregation Kehillath Israel (384 Harvard Street, Brookline) for a fun and vibrant conversation led by Boston Jewish Film Board President, Ken Shulman.

TAKING SIDES

Fiction, 2002, France/UK/Germany/Austria, 105 minutes

Director: István Szabó

Cast: Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgård, Moritz Bleibtreu, Birgit Minichmayr

Based on a true story, Taking Sides focuses on the American-led investigation of Wilhelm Furtwangler (Stellan Skarsgård), one of Germany’s most renowned conductors, who was suspected of working with the Nazis. In the bombed-out Berlin of the immediate post-war period, Major Steve Arnold (Harvey Keitel) is charged with making an example of Furtwangler due to his status as a high-profile cultural figure in Germany, and Arnold pulls no punches in questioning him about possible ties to the Hitler regime.

HOW TO WATCH: Stream the film on Tubi or Prime Video.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

Boston Jewish Film’s third BJF Film Club meetup will feature an online discussion of the film Gentleman’s Agreement on Wednesday, May 24, at 7:00 PM in Zoom for a fun virtual conversation led by Boston Jewish Film board member Alex Sagan. Alex holds a doctorate from Harvard University. His academic work focuses on the Holocaust and film history.

GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT

Fiction, 1947, US, 118 minutes

Director: Elia Kazan

Cast: Gregory Peck, Philip Schuyler Green, Dorothy McGuire, Kathy Lacy, John Garfield, Dave Goldman, Celeste Holm

A reporter (Gregory Peck) pretends to be Jewish to cover a story on antisemitism and personally discovers the true depths of bigotry and hatred.

HOW TO WATCH: Rent the film on Amazon, YouTube, or Google Play.

Screen the film on your own before the virtual meetup. This discussion will take place via Zoom. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $2.00. You will receive the link to join the Zoom conversation in your registration confirmation email.

Please join us for our next BJF Film Club meetup to discuss Walk on Water on Tuesday, June 6 at 7 PM at Hebrew College (located at Temple Reyim 1860 Washington St., Newton) for an exciting and lively conversation led by Boston Jewish Film Board Member, Barbara Resnek.

WALK ON WATER

Fiction, 2004, Israel/Sweden, 103 minutes

Director: Eytan Fox

Cast: Lior Ashkenazi, Knut Berger, Caroline Peters

Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi) is an agent in the Mossad. His wife has recently committed suicide, and the agency decides that he needs to take on a less challenging assignment: to find an aging Nazi war criminal.

Directed by Eytan Fox ( Sublet BJFF 2020, Yossi and Jagger BJFF 2004, Florentene BJFF 1998, Song of the Siren BJFF 1996) and nominated for 8 Ophir Awards, including Best Picture!

HOW TO WATCH: Stream the film on Kanopy, Plex, Tubi, and Prime Video.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

Please join us for our next BJF Film Club meetup to discuss A.K.A. Nadia on Tuesday, July 11 at 7 PM at Hebrew College (located at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington St., Newton) for an exciting and lively conversation led by Susan Axe-Bronk. Susan is a friend of BJF, a child psychologist, and a children’s book author. She is a film lover and enjoys discussing films.

A.K.A. NADIA

Fiction, 2015, Israel, 115 minutes

Director: Tova Ascher

Cast: Netta Shpigelman, Oded Leopold, Ali Suliman, Eli Keren-Asaf, John Hurt

Can a person reinvent herself without dealing with the consequences of her past? Maya has lived as a Jewish choreographer, wife, and mother, but she was born as Nadia, a daughter of a Muslim family. More than 20 years after she abandoned her identity, her past rears its head again.

HOW TO WATCH: Stream the film for free on Tubi or rent on Amazon.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

Join us for our next BJF Film Club meetup to discuss Magic Men on Tuesday, August 8 at 7 PM at Hebrew College (located at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington St., Newton) for an exciting and lively conversation led by Boston Jewish Film Executive Director, Susan Adler.

MAGIC MEN (BJFF 2014)

Fiction, 2014, Israel, 100 minutes

Hebrew, Greek, and English (with English subtitles)

Directors: Erez Tadmor, Guy Nattiv

Cast: Makram Khoury, Zohar Shtrauss, Ariane Labed, Vangelis Mourikis, Nony Geffen

Avraham Kofinas, an elderly Israeli Jew of Greek origins, and his estranged Hasidic rapper son Yehuda embark on a road trip from Israel to Greece, searching for an old magician who saved Avraham’s life during World War II. Their journey leads to unexpected encounters, ultimately bringing them to a final confrontation between father and son.

WINNER – Best Actor (Makram Khoury), Ophir Awards (Israel’s Academy Awards)

HOW TO WATCH: Stream the film for free on Tubi or rent on Amazon.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

Please join us for our next BJF Film Club meetup to discuss Leona on October 26 at 7 PM at the JCC Greater Boston (located in the Community Room at 333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459) for an exciting and lively conversation led by Dalia Wassner, Ph.D., Director of the Brandeis Initiative on the Jews of the Americas.

LEONA

DIRECTOR: Isaac Cherem

English, Spanish, Portuguese with English subtitles.

Content advisory: Nudity, sexual content

Leona is an intimate, insightful, and moving film about a young Jewish woman from Mexico City who finds herself torn between her family and her forbidden love. Ripe with all the drama and interpersonal conflicts of a Jane Austen novel, watching her negotiate the labyrinth of familial pressure, religious precedent, and her burgeoning sentiment is both painful and beautiful. There are no easy choices to be made, and the viewer travels back and forth with her as she struggles with her heart to take the best path.

HOW TO WATCH: Stream Leona on Amazon Prime.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

This event is in partnership with JCC Greater Boston.

Please join us for our next BJF Film Club meetup to discuss Shiva Baby, November 28 at 7 PM at the JCC Greater Boston (located in the Gallery at 333 Nahanton Street, Newton, MA 02459) for an exciting and lively conversation led by Boston Jewish Film Board Vice President Dana Volman.

SHIVA BABY (BJFF 2020)

DIRECTOR: Emma Seligman

When Danielle joins her family at a shiva, the last person she expects to run into is Max, the ‘sugar daddy’ she said goodbye to just a few hours earlier. With this unexpected clash of her worlds, Danielle is forced into juggling multiple roles: the good Jewish daughter, entertaining small talk with estranged relatives, playing it cool with her ex-girlfriend Maya, and keeping her relationship with Max a secret. A provocative and comedic examination of relationships in the ‘hook-up’ culture of the digital age.

HOW TO WATCH: Stream Shiva Baby on Max, Hulu, and Kanopy, or rent on Prime Video.

Screen the film on your own before the meetup. Dive deeper by watching the BJFF2020 conversation with Director Emma Seligman, moderated by Bright Lights Series programmer Anna Feder.

Registration is required – the fee to attend is $3.00. Light refreshments will be provided at the event.

This event is in partnership with JCC Greater Boston.