Welcome to the Jewish Film Festival of Southwest Florida

 

 

Celebrating our 29th year, the Jewish Film Festival of Southwest Florida presents a diverse selection of outstanding Jewish films. 

In February 2025, join us for another year of engaging films that examine Jewish history, heritage, and culture. 

 

Flims will be screened at

 Regal Belltower Stadium 20 Theaters

13499 Bell Tower Dr. | Fort Myers, FL | 33907

 

Open seating at all films for general admission tickets.

Reserved seating available with your sponsorship.

 

Your tickets will be available at Willcall each evening!

 

For more information contact Danielle Bernstein 239.481.4449 ext.4 or danielleb@jfedlcc.org

 

8 Film Series / $91 ~ Individual Films / $13 each

Sponsorship Opportunities

Be a “REEL” Supporter

Ticket Sales

Festival Passes & Individual Tickets

Festival Pass

On sale Nov. 1, 2024

Individual Tickets

On sale Dec. 1, 2024

SNEEK PREVIEW....

View Movie Trailers Below

Running on Sand 

OPENING MATINEE

Sunday, February 2

3:00 P.M.

Comedy/Drama/Sport
104 minutes, Hebrew with English Subtitles

Hope without Boundaries

Tuesday, February 4

6:30 P.M.

Documentary
65 minutes, Hebrew with English Subtitles

Aumari, a young Eritrean refugee living in Israel, is about to be deported back to his home country. After a spontaneous escape attempt at the airport, he is mistaken for a Nigerian striker, who is supposed to arrive at the same time. Aumari seizes the opportunity and benefits for his change of identity as the new key acquisitions for the team of ‘Maccabi Netanya’. Despite the absence of any soccer talent, Aumari is able to cover-up and heal the divisions of his struggling team, while a tender romantic bond with charmingly unconventional daughter of the team owner is growing.

Amidst the war in Ukraine, an Israeli field hospital is established to care for those affected by the conflict. The medical teams face challenges as they treat Ukrainian patients who have lost everything. The film highlights the intersection of history, culture, and compassion as the Israeli teams, some descended from Holocaust survivors, offer help and hope to those in need. A touching portrayal of humanity and the power of small acts of kindness to bring people together.

Bad Shabbos 

MATINEE

Friday, February 7

12:00 P.M.

Comedy 
84 minutes, English 
 

Colleyville

Tuesday, February 11

6:30 P.M.

Documentary
80 minutes, English

An engaged interfaith couple are about to have their parents meet for the first time over a Shabbat dinner when an accidental death gets in the way.

Poster for ColleyvilleIn the safe haven of Colleyville, Texas, on January 15, 2022, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three others find themselves hostages when a stranger disrupts a typical Saturday morning at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Dani Menkin, this gripping real-life drama unfolds over an 11-hour standoff, testing their resilience and courage in unimaginable ways. This international event captured the world's attention live on TV and will feature never-before-seen footage from those harrowing 11 hours, providing a unique perspective on the ordeal.

Avenue of the Giants

Thursday, February 13

6:30 P.M.

Holocaust 
102 minutes, English

 

Kidnapped

Tuesday, February 18

6:30 P.M.

Documentary/Drama 
134 minutes, Italian, Hebrew, Latin, English Subtitles

Stephen Lang (Avatar) and Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade) star in a heartrending, Northern Californian-set cross-generational odyssey of healing and discovery, an extraordinary friendship blooms between an aging soul and a troubled girl, each bearing unspoken pains. For over 50 years, Holocaust survivor Herbert Heller, now a toy store owner, concealed his wartime memories even from his family. But as illness looms, he befriends Abbey , a teen grappling with her own buried anguish, inspiring him to open up. By sharing their individual struggles, a path to mutual empathy unfolds, offering newfound purpose.

In 1858, in the Jewish quarter of Bologna, the Pope’s soldiers burst into the home of the Mortara family. By order of the cardinal, they have come to take Edgardo, their seven-year- old son. The child had been secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby and the papal law is unquestionable: he must receive a Catholic education. Edgardo’s parents, distraught, will do anything to get their son back. Supported by public opinion and the international Jewish community, the Mortaras’ struggle quickly take a political dimension.

Guns & Moses 

Thursday, February 20

6:30 P.M.

Thriller
94 minutes, English

Stronghold 

CLOSING MATINEE

Sunday, February 23

3:00 P.M.

War/Drama
113 minutes, Hebrew with English Subtitles 

A beloved small town rabbi in the high desert becomes an unlikely gunslinger after his community is violently attacked.

After sustaining a surprise Egyptian attack during the Yom Kippur War, a desolate Israeli outpost falls under siege. While the surviving soldiers prepare for a final, hopeless battle, the Doctor comes up with an alternative plan that may save them but comes at a heavy price.