JCC Chicago’s Jewish Film Festival Returns March 2025
19 Powerful Films Showcase Stories of Humanity through Drama, Documentaries and Comedy.
CHICAGO, IL (February 11, 2025) — JCC Chicago’s Jewish Film Festival returns March 2025 with 19 powerful films that showcase humanity through documentaries, dramas, and comedies. Now in its 12th year, this iconic film festival has been an important and highly anticipated cultural event within the community, screening nearly 300 films, debuting over 100 premieres and hosting 65,000 filmgoers throughout Chicago.
The JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival presents films that depict Jewish life, values, and history, with a mission of fostering an understanding of Jewish contributions to world culture. This year the festival is as relevant as ever – films are responding to the October 7th attacks, antisemitism on college campuses, and the technology industry in Israel. Multiple documentaries in the lineup showcase important Jewish figures in history from Elie Weisel to Charles Grodin to Brian Epstein. Additionally, Jewish culture has historically turned to humor as a coping mechanism; comedy can be experienced throughout the festival, especially in the film Bad Shabbos.
“The Jewish Film Festival is an opportunity to experience films from all over the world that show Jewish experiences and reflect all aspects of being Jewish,” said Ilene Uhlmann, Director of Community Engagement, JCC Chicago. “Our goal with this film festival is for people to come out and feel like they’ve learned something, like they’ve been inspired and transformed in some way. Every year we do our best to offer a wide range of films, to experience everything from documentaries to comedies.”
This year’s films include: 06:30, Bad Shabbos, The Blond Boy From The Casbah, Charles Grodin: Rebel With A Cause, Conquering Time; Agnes Keleti, Elie Weisel: Soul on Fire, The Glory of Life, The Hungarian Dressmaker, The Jewish Nazi, The Last Jews of Guantanomo, Midas Man, Nathan-ism, Neither Day Nor Night, Never Alone, October H8te, Of Dogs and Men, Shalom Passion: Never Again is Now!, The Spoils, TECHNION 10² , and The Two Mariettes. Full descriptions are below.
Addie Goodman, President and CEO of JCC Chicago shared these insights. “The carefully curated selection of films are connected by the theme of humanity—stories that balance the importance of understanding and honoring important moments in history and those that showcase the beauty of the Jewish traditions, culture and spirit. Community is at the heart of all we do at the J, and this year’s film festival is designed to again ignite conversations, grow hope, and inspire a more understanding, accepting and kind world.”
Film Highlights Include:
Midas Man. On Thursday 9 November 1961, a man named Brian descended the stairs to a cellar in Liverpool and changed the world forever. The film showcases the legendary career of Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Playing March 1, 7pm at the Wayfarer Theater in Highland Park.
October H8te. From Executive Producer Debra Messing and Director Wendy Sachs, OCTOBER H8TE is a documentary about the explosion of anti-Semitism on college campuses, on social media and in the streets of America in the aftermath of October 7th. Playing March 2, 4pm at the Wayfarer Theater in Highland Park. Select photos from JCC Chicago’s Growing Hope Humans of October 7 exhibition will be available to view in the lobby of the theater prior to the screening.
Charles Grodin: Rebel with a Cause. Raised in a Jewish household in Pittsburgh, Charles Grodin’s life embodied the concept of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. The film not only celebrates Charles Grodin’s hilarious acting career, but also his remarkable, decades-long, successful fight to get wrongly convicted people — most of whom were mothers of color with young children — out of prison. The film includes interviews with Robert De Niro, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Elaine May, Carol Burnett, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Alan Arkin, Ellen Burstyn, Marc Maron, Lewis Black, Marlo Thomas, and Jon Lovitz. Playing March 8, 4pm at the Wayfarer Theater in Highland Park.
Bad Shabbos turns a one-night-in-New-York story into a hilarious ensemble comedy. Kyra Sedgwick shines as the neurotic matriarch, with standout performances from Method Man, Catherine Curtin, and more, delivering pure comedic gold. Playing March 8, 7pm at the Wayfarer Theater in Highland Park.
Shalom Passion: Never Again is Now! Founded in the aftermath of tragedy, The Shalom Passion Initiative represents a profound reverence and love for Israel, igniting Jewish pride globally. Birthed by Carey Smolensky’s drive to channel grief into unity following the horrific terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, Shalom Passion: Never Again Now emerged from his heartening two-week pilgrimage to Israel, where he embraced, and uplifted those ravaged by conflict. Today, it stands as a beacon of hope, advocating compassion, togetherness, and resilience through educational outreach, volunteerism, and fundraising. At its core, Shalom Passion: Never Again is Now is a vibrant movement, championing the rich heritage and unbreakable spirit of the Jewish community and their enduring connection to their ancestral homeland. Playing March 9, 1pm at the Wayfarer Theater in Highland Park. Continue the conversation immediately following the screening with filmmaker Carey Smolensky. Select photos from JCC Chicago’s Growing Hope Humans of October 7 exhibition will be available to view in the lobby of the theater prior to the screening.
Elie Weisel: Soul on Fire. Told largely through his own words and eloquent voice, Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire seeks to penetrate to the heart of the known and unknown Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) – his passions, his conflicts and his legacy as one of the most public survivors of the trauma of the Holocaust. With unique access to personal archives, original interviews and hand painted animation, the film illuminates Wiesel’s biography as a survivor, writer, teacher and public figure. Playing March 23, 2pm at the Illinois Holocaust Museum.
The Film Festival will take place over three weeks in March 2025: Mar 1-2, 8-9 and 15-16, as well as Wednesday showings on March 12 and 19. There will also be two films shown on March 23 at the Illinois Holocaust Museum. Select films will feature post film Q&As.
Film Locations:
Wayfarer Theater
1850 2nd Street, Highland Park, IL 60035
Illinois Holocaust Museum
9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, IL 60077
The cost for the Film Festival is $15 per film in advance, $18 at the door. Special festival pass pricing is available for a limited time. Select films will include post-show Q&A sessions, exhibits, and a chance to meet the filmmakers. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit jccchicago.org/films25.
About JCC Chicago:
JCC Chicago works to ensure a vibrant, thriving and connected community through meaningful and impactful programs inspired by Jewish and human values. The largest Jewish community center in North America, JCC Chicago serves tens of thousands of children, teens, adults, seniors and families through an array of award-winning, life-enriching programs, services and experiences. To learn more, visit https://www.jccchicago.org.