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Dayton Jewish Film Festival


The Dayton Jewish Film Festival offers outstanding world cinema that promotes awareness, appreciation and pride to the diversity of the Jewish people and to the community at large. Our goal is to educate and entertain through evocative, narrative and documentary films that portray the Jewish experience from historic to current global perspectives

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Dayton is delighted to announce that the 23rd Annual Dayton Jewish Film Festival will be presented June 1 – June 30, 2023.

Inspiring world-class cinema and programming highlight the diversity of the Jewish experience and the historical richness of Jewish culture and identity. Our engaging lineup of features, documentaries, and narratives
educate and entertain, while offering opportunities for personal reflection and connection within the Jewish community and beyond to the broader community.

The 2023 Festival will utilize a hybrid format, with most films available both for in-person and virtual viewing. We respectfully ask that you consider making a tax-deductible contribution to our Festival. Your gift will enable us to continue offering first-class films and companion programming to those fortunate enough to live in the Miami Valley.

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Check Out Last Year’s (2022) JCC Film Festival Film Schedule

In-person tickets

Opening Night movie and reception

 


 

Virtual ticket
Thursday, June 2, 2022, 7pm at Dayton Art Institute

That Orchestra with the Broken Instruments (Opening Night)

A broken string, fractured echo chamber, rustling valves. One brilliant conductor, three gifted composers, and 100 musicians meet for four days of rehearsals. They speak different languages. Their instruments are broken. An orchestra of professional and amateur musicians, young and old, prepare, against all odds, for a one-time-only concert for the Mekudeshet festival. A poetic, engaging take on broken and whole presents an eclectic array of Jerusalemites and their determined attempt, even if it’s just for one night, to create harmony out of a discordant city.

2021 – 1 hour, 19 minutes – Documentary, Musical Film – Hebrew, English, Arabic

Country: Israel

Competition – Musical Doc Section @ FipaDoc, France, 2022; Israeli Competition @ Docaviv International Film Festival, Israel, 2021

Venue: Dayton Art Institute

Guest Speaker, Neal Gittleman, Artistic Director and Conductor, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra

Neal Gittleman enjoys a career and reputation of international dimensions. With the historic merger of the Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra into the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance in July 2012, his expanded conducting duties include frequent performances with the Ballet and Opera.

Neal Gittleman inspires each listener’s imagination with his unique programming, in-depth comments, easygoing style and infectious enthusiasm for music. His focus is to make symphonic music readily available, as well as appreciated, by all musical tastes. Under his direction, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra has received the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music nine times. Neal Gittleman celebrated his 25th season with the DPO in the 2019–2020 concert season.

In-person tickets

 


 

Virtual ticket
Tuesday, June 7, 2022, 7pm at The Neon Theater

Plan A

Germany, 1945, Max, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, meets a radical group of Jewish resistance fighters, who, like him, lost all hope for their future after they were robbed of their existence and their entire families were killed by the Nazis. They dream of retaliation on an epic scale for the Jewish people. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Max starts identifying with the group’s monstrous plans….

2021 – 1 hour, 49 minutes – Drama, Thriller – English, German

Country: Germany

Nominated: Best Cinematography @ Awards of the Israeli Film Academy;
Nominee: Best Feature Film Award @ Haifa International Film Festival

Venue:  The Neon Theater

In-person tickets

 


 

Virtual ticket
Thursday, June 9, 2022, 7pm at The Neon Theater

Neighbors

In a Syrian border village in the early 80’s, little Sero attends school for the first time. A new teacher has arrived with the goal of making strapping Panarabic comrades out of the Kurdish children. To enable paradise to come to earth, he uses the rod to forbid the Kurdish language, orders the veneration of Assad and preaches hate of the Zionist enemy – the Jews. The lessons upset and confuse Sero because his long-time neighbors are a lovable Jewish family. With a fine sense of humor and satire, the film depicts a childhood which manages to find light moments between dictatorship and dark drama. Little Sero gets involved in dangerous pranks with his friends, and dreams of having a television so he can finally watch cartoons. But he also experiences how the adults around him are increasingly crushed by the despotism, violence and nationalism which surround them.

2021 – 2 hours, 4 minutes – Drama – Kurdish

Country: Switzerland, France

Winner: Audience Award (Best Feature) @ Spokane Jewish Cultural Film Festival 2022;
Winner: SF Film Critics Jury Prize @ Sand Francisco Jewish Film Festival 2021;
Winner: Audience Award @ Boston Jewish Film Festival 2021;
Winner: Special Jury Mention @ Warsaw Jewish Film Festival.

Venue: The Neon Theater

Guest Speaker, Dr. Elliot Ratzman

Dr. Elliot Ratzman holds the Chair of Jewish Studies in Earlham College’s Religion Department where he teaches courses on Jewish thought, history, and politics, interreligious encounters, and social ethics.

In-person tickets

 


 

Virtual ticket
Monday, June 13, 2022, 7pm at The Neon Theater

One More Story

Yarden Gat is a young and brilliant journalist working on a famous newspaper, who does not believe in love. When she eventually decides to go on a date, she reveals all her cards to the person she meets. She tells him that she slept with her boss and ruined her friend’s chance of having true love when she made him go out on a date each day of the month with a different woman, only to get a humiliating scoop for the newspaper. Maybe not the best story for a first date….Will any of them eventually find true love?

2021 – 1 hour, 31 minutes – Comedy, Romance – Hebrew

Country: Israel

Venue: The Neon Theater

In-person tickets

Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 7 pm Little Art Theater, Yellow Springs

 

In-person tickets

Thursday, June 16, 2022, 7pm at The Neon Theater

 


 

Virtual ticket
Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 7 pm at Little Art Theater, Yellow Springs
Thursday, June 16, 2022, 7 pm at The Neon

Berenshtein

The last surviving member of the great partisans who located Hitler’s secret weapon, the V2 missile development facility, revisits his past as a soldier in World War II.  By diving into his traumatic memories, he is forced to grapple with the dissociation and loss of identity that ensued after the war.  Despite this adversity, it becomes clear that he is able to stay true to his values through it all. Based on the true story of Leonid Berenshtein.

2021 – 1 hour, 50 minutes – Biography, History, War – Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, German

Country: Israel

Winner: Audience Award for Best Feature Film @ Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, 2022

Venue:  Little Art Theater, Yellow Springs; The Neon Theater, Dayton



Join us for coffee hour sponsored by Myrna Nelson at 9:30 in the lobby.  Guest speaker Dr. Martha Moody Jacobs
In-person tickets

 


 

Virtual ticket
Thursday, June 16, 2022, 10am at The Neon Theater

Cinema Sabaya

Nine women, Arab and Jewish, take part in a video workshop hosted by Rona, a young film director, who teaches them how to document their lives.  With each raw homemade footage shot by the women and shared with the others, the group dynamic forces them to challenge their views and beliefs as they get to know each other and themselves better.



2021 – 1 hour, 32 minutes – Drama, Comedy – Hebrew, Arabic

Country: Israel, Belgium

Film Partner: Hadassah

Winner: Best First Feature @ Jerusalem Film Festival;
Winner: Audience Award @ Jerusalem Film Festival;
2021 Official Selection @ The Chicago International Film Festival

Venue:  The Neon Theater

Guest Speaker, Dr. Martha Moody Jacobs

Martha Moody is a lifelong resident of Ohio. A novelist and physician from Dayton, Moody’s three previous books of fiction have sold close to 1 million copies. She is the author of Best Friends (2001), The Office of Desire (2007), and Sometimes Mine (2009).

In-person tickets

 


 

Virtual ticket
Tuesday, June 21, 2022, 7pm at The Neon Theater

200 Meters

Mustafa and his wife Salwa live 200 meters apart in villages separated by the Israeli border wall.  One day he gets a call every parent dreads; his son has been injured in an accident. Rushing to cross the Israeli checkpoint, Mustafa is denied on a technicality.  But a father’s love won’t give up and he will do anything to reach his son.  A 200 meter distance becomes a 200-kilometer odyssey, as Mustafa, left with no choice, attempts to smuggle himself to the other side of the wall.

2020 – 1 hour, 36 minutes – Drama, Adventure – Arabic, Hebrew, English

Country: Palestine, Jordan, Qatar

Winner: The BNL People’s Choice Award @ Venice Days;
Winner: Meet the Neighbors Competition @ Thessaloniki Film Festival;
Winner: Meet the Neighbors Special Jury Award @ Thessaloniki Film Festival;
Winner: Human Rights Jury Prize @ Atlanta Jewish Film Festival;
Winner: Audience Award @ Golden Rooster Awards

Venue: The Neon Theater

Guest Speaker Renate Frydman
In-person tickets

 


 

Virtual ticket
Thursday, June 23, 2022, 7pm at The Neon Theater

I Am Here

Ella Blumenthal is not your average 98-year-old. Her feisty and magnetic personality makes her past even more surprising. Follow this spirited South African Holocaust survivor as she reveals to her family her astonishing life journey and her unwavering appreciation of life.

2021 – 1 hour, 13 minutes – Documentary, Biography – English, Yiddish, Hebrew

Country: South Africa

Venue: The Neon Theater

Guest Speaker, Renate Frydman

Renate is the founder of the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center and the Charles and Renate Frydman Educational Resource Center

In-person tickets

 


 

Virtual ticket
Sunday, June 26, 2022, 7pm at The Neon Theater

Wet Dog (closing movie)

The 16-year-old Iranian Soheil moves to Berlin-Wedding with his parents.  He quickly befriends some Turkish and Arab youth from the Husseyn gang and falls in love with the Turkish girl Selma from the parallel class. What Soheil doesn’t tell his friends; he’s not a Muslim, but a Jew.

2020 – 1 hour, 43 minutes – Drama – German

Country: Germany

Venue: The Neon Theater

Virtual tickets – questions and answers

For more help or information please call 937-610-5513, Helen Jones, JCC Program Assistant

When are virtual films screenings?
Films will be available to view virtually with the following schedule

200 Meters Available Tues., June 21, 7:00 PM – Jun 23, 7:00 PM, 2022 in Ohio
Berenshtein Available Wed., June 15, 7:00 PM – Jun 18, 7:00 PM, 2022 in Ohio
Cinema Sabaya Available Thurs., June 16, 7:00 PM – Jun 18, 7:00 PM, 2022 in Ohio
I Am Here Available Thurs., June 23, 7:00 PM – Jun 25, 7:00 PM, 2022 in Ohio
Neighbours Available Thurs., June 9, 7:00 PM – Jun 11, 7:00 PM, 2022 in Ohio
One More Story Available Mon., June 13, 7:00 PM – Jun 15, 7:00 PM, 2022 in Ohio
Plan A Available Tues., June 7, 7:00 PM – Jun 9, 7:00 PM, 2022 in Ohio
That Orchestra with the Broken Instruments Available Thurs., June 2, 7:00 PM – Jun 4, 7:00 PM, 2022 in Ohio
Wet Dog Available Sun., June 26, 7:00 PM – Jun 28, 7:00 PM, 2022 in Ohio
How do I play the movie on my TV?
If you have an Apple TV, Chromecast (3rd gen or later), or a smart TV enabled with AirPlay or Chromecast, set your computer, mobile device or browser to “AirPlay” or “cast” to the TV device. Unlock the program on Eventive Virtual, then set your player window to full-screen using the icon at the lower right.

See our detailed instructions for our dedicated Apple TV and Roku apps below.

Chromecast will work on select Android devices, see instructions above. Chromecast on iOS devices are not compatible with the Eventive platform.

Important note: Due to content protection restrictions, the Screen Mirroring feature on Smart TVs and other devices cannot be used. Many browsers built into Smart TVs and other devices will NOT allow protected content to play.

You can also directly connect a laptop or computer using an HDMI cable by doing the following:

  • Make sure your computer is close enough to your Television for the HDMI cable to reach between them safely.
  • Connect one end of the HDMI cable into an available HDMI port on the TV. Take note of the HDMI input number it is being connected to.
  • Plug the other end of the cable into your laptop’s HDMI out port
  • Set the TV to the HDMI Input port that the computer is connected to using the source or display button on your TV remote.
  • If your computer’s display does not automatically appear on your television screen, you may need to have the computer manually detect the display.
  • Windows: Right-click on the desktop > Display Settings > Click Detect > Click the “Multiple displays” drop-down box and select “Duplicate these displays”) > Click Apply.
  • Mac: Go to the Apple Menu > choose System Preferences > Choose the “Displays” panel > Hold down the “Option” key to show the “Detect Displays” button – note that it replaces the ‘Gather Windows’ button > Click on “Detect Displays” while holding down Option to use the function as intended.
I’m seeing a black screen where the movie should be, but audio plays normally.
If you are using an external display, try disconnecting the display. Your display may not support the encryption necessary to securely stream your content. If you cannot detach the external display and are using Safari on a Mac, try switching to Google Chrome. If you are on a mobile device, try letting the film play for 15 seconds.
My movie won’t play! (General troubleshooting steps)
Please confirm that you are not on a VPN (Virtual Private Network). Eventive’s content protection protocol does not allow VPN access.

Are you logged in with the correct account? Please check your login status at the upper right of the Eventive window. If you are logged in you will see a circle with the initials of the account holder. To switch accounts, click on the circle and select “sign out”, then login (using email address or facebook login) to the preferred account.

If you are not logged in, you’ll see the word “login” at the upper right of the window. Click “login” and enter the desired account credentials.

You may also login directly from the order pop-up if you click “unlock movie” while logged out.

If all you see in the player window is a black screen, please click or tap on the window to activate the player controls.

How do I use the Eventive TV app on my Apple TV device?
Please download the “Eventive TV” app from the Apple TV App Store (accessible via your TV). You must have at least a generation 4 Apple TV to access the App Store.

When you open the app for the first time you’ll see an activation code. On another device, please navigate to watch.eventive.org/tv, then login if necessary and use the code to connect your account. Now, select from the available channels on the Eventive Apple TV app to begin watching. All of your unlocked content will be available on the app. If a program has not already been unlocked, you’ll have to unlock it on another device such as a laptop or mobile device first.

If you ever need to re-activate the TV app, you can select TV app setup by hovering over the login ID circle at the upper right of the device screen.

How do I access the Eventive TV app on Fire TV or Firestick?
Open your Firestick or Fire TV app and navigate to the magnifying glass icon to search. Enter EVENTIVE TV in the search field and select EVENTIVE TV when it appears, next press the down button on your remote to navigate to “Apps and Games” where you will find the EVENTIVE TV app. You can also add the Eventive TV app to your Amazon Fire TV via the Amazon website by clicking here.

Select the app and install on your device. Once installed you will then see a 6 character code you will enter into your account settings at watch.eventive.org/tv

Once you have entered the code your Fire TV will show all of the content you have unlocked for viewing via another device such as a laptop or mobile device.

How do I access the Eventive TV channel on Roku?
Search for “Eventive TV” in the Roku Channel Store on your Roku. You can also add the Eventive TV app to your Roku via the Roku website by clicking here.

Once you have installed the app, open it and follow the instructions to login. All of your unlocked content will be available on the app. If a program has not already been unlocked, you’ll have to unlock it on another device such as a laptop or mobile device first.

2022 Dayton Jewish International Film Fest Donors

  • 2500+ Studio Executive
    Anonymous
    Bernard Rabinowitz
    Sam Levin Foundation
  • 1000+ Director
    Gayle & Irvin Moscowitz
  • 500+ Screen Writer
    Michael Goldstein
    Lisa Hanauer & Sue Spiegel
    Mr. & Mrs. Mark Jones
    Barbara Mendelson
    Phillip A Office
    Marlene & Terry Pinsky
    Cantor Andrea Raizen
    Stephen Renas
  • 250+ Actor
    Theodore Arnovitz
    Michael & Patty Caruso
    Enrique & Ruth Ellenbogan
    Marni Flagel
    Renate Frydman
    Friends of the Community
    Michael Herrlein
    Linda & Steve Horenstein
    Susan & David Joffe
    Joseph & Marsha Johnston
    Ed & Marcia Kress
    Ann R. Laderman
    Marc & Julie Liss-Katz
    Judy Lipton
    David London & Kim Dinsmore
    Dr. and Mrs. Donald Marger
    The Rubi Girls
    Judy Schwartzman Mike Jaffe
    Norman & Mary Rita Weissman
    Joan & Peter H. Wells – In Memory of Rebecca Linville
  • 100+ Supporting Actor
    Beth Adelman
    Matt & Elaine Arnovitz
    Jack & Maryann Bernstein
    Beth Abraham Synagogue
    Ken & Lisa Blum
    Stanley & Connie Blum
    Libby & Ken Elbaum
    Alan & Becky Elovitz
    Adam & Tara Feiner
    Neil D. Friedman
    Felix Garfunkel
    Paula J Gessiness & Jay M. Holland
    Dr. Kim & Mrs. Shelley Goldenberg
    Martin Gottlieb
    Judy Heller
    Linda & Allan Katz
    Meredith & Jim Levinson
    Cheryl & Franklin Lewis
    Beverly A. Louis
    Carol & James Nathanson
    Carolyn Rice
    Alice & Burt Saidel
    Dan & Kim Shaffer
    Suzanne & Bob Thum
    Dieter & Suzi Walk
    Joni & Ralph Watson
    Dr. Warren Wingate
    Judy Woll
    Gary & Mary Youra
  • 18+ Crew
    Frieda Blum
    Dena Briskin
    Judy & Alan Chesen
    Phil & Louisa Dreety
    DeNeal Feldman
    Lynn Foster
    Bella Freeman
    Roz Gray
    Henry Guggenheimer
    Sharon & Izzy Guterman
    Helen Ostreicher Halcomb
    Lois Harris
    Meryl Hattenbach
    Clara Hochstein
    Jane & Gary Hochstein
    Emily & Jon Holt
    Karin Hirschkatz & Neil Katz
    Janice Kohn
    Kim & Candy Kwiatek
    Wendy Lipp
    Ruthe Meadow
    Linda Novak
    Edie Pequignot
    Cherie Rosenstein
    Helen Ross
    Nick & Bobbie Schmall
    Jeff & Julie Stoller
    Diane and Ralph Williams

2022 Dayton Jewish International Film Fest Committee

  • Andrea Raizen, Chairman
  • Judy Schwartzman, Vice Chairman
  • Mike Caruso
  • Jack Bernstein
  • Connie Blum
  • Alan Chesen
  • Enrique Ellenbogen
  • Ruth Ellenbogen
  • Renate Frydman
  • Felix Garfunkel
  • Michael Goldstein
  • Judy Grampp
  • Michael Herrlein
  • Gary Hochstein
  • Susan Joffe
  • Marc Katz
  • Tambrina Klein
  • Ryan Levin
  • Meredith Levinson
  • Dave London
  • Ruthe Meadow
  • Gayle Moscowitz
  • Bernard Rabinowitz
  • Steve Ranas
  • Elliot Ratzman
  • Marci Vandersluis
  • Marc Jacob, Sr. Director, JCC
  • Helen Jones, Program Administrator

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