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!
Light refreshments are served at in-person Film Club meetups, a $3.00 registration is required to attend.
2023 BJF Film Club Events
April 20, 7:30 PM at Congregation Kehillath Israel - Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen
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.
May 15, 7:30 PM at Congregation Kehillath Israel - Taking Sides
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.
May 24, 7:00 PM - Gentleman’s Agreement (VIRTUAL)
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.
June 6. 7:00 PM at Hebrew College - Walk on Water
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.
July 11, 7:00 PM at Hebrew College - A.K.A. Nadia
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.
August 8, 7:00 PM at Hebrew College - Magic Men
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.
October 26, 7:00 PM at JCC - Leona
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.
November 28, 7:00 PM at JCC - Shiva Baby
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.
