(NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The Rutgers Jewish Film Festival will feature eleven thought-provoking and entertaining films, dynamic discussions with filmmakers and special guests, and New Jersey premieres. Running from November 6-16, 2025, the festival will be held at the Regal Cinema Commerce Center, North Brunswick.
With films from the USA, Israel, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Poland, and Hungary, the festival offers new perspectives on Jewish history, identity, and experience. From interracial protests in 1960s America, to Stockholm's vibrant contemporary Yiddish scene; from Holocaust resistance in Finland, to international love stories–there is something for everyone in this year's lineup. Ticket are $15.
THE FILMS
Eleanor The Great preceded by Double Happiness | After losing her closest friend, 94 year-old Eleanor (June Squibb) relocates to New York and unexpectedly finds comfort in a group of Holocaust survivors - by sharing a story that isn’t hers. As her connection to the group deepens, so does the risk of discovery. A poignant, comic tale that explores memory, grief, and the complicated ways we seek belonging. Country: USA; Year: 2024; Director: Scarlett Johansson; Run Time: 98 minutes; Language(s): English. Double Happiness is a short film directed by New York filmmaker Shari Albert. Screenings: Thursday, November 6 @7:00pm and Tuesday, November 11 @ 3:00pm.
SODA | In 1954 Israel, former partisan Shalom Gottlieb (Lior Raz, FAUDA) is drawn to a beautiful newcomer. When rumors surface of her past as a Nazi collaborator, he risks everything—family, honor, and friendships—to uncover the truth. A tense, emotional drama of forbidden desire, past trauma, and moral reckoning. Country: Israel; Year: 2024; Director: Erez Tadmor; Run Time: 96 minutes; Language(s): Hebrew. Screenings: Saturday, November 8 @ 9:15pm and Sunday, November 16 @ 5:15pm.
The Floaters | A rebellious rock musician takes a job at a Jewish summer camp, unleashing chaos, campfire confessions, and risqué laughs. Featuring Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This) and Steve Guttenberg, this bold, offbeat comedy explores identity, legacy, and belonging as the impromptu theater club prepares for parent’s night. A wild, heartfelt ride with sharp, irreverent humor. Country: USA; Year: 2025; Director: Rachel Israel; Run Time: 101 minutes; Language(s): English. Screenings: Sunday, November 9 @ 5:15pm and Saturday, November 15 @ 9:30pm.
Never Alone | As Nazi influence intensifies, Finnish-Jewish businessman Abraham Stiller takes enormous risks to shield Jewish refugees during WWII. Based on true events, this gripping drama highlights an untold chapter of courage, resistance, and humanity in wartime Finland—where sanctuary is scarce, but hope endures. Country: Finland; Year: 2025; Director: Klaus Haro; Run Time: 85 minutes; Language(s): Finnish with English subtitles. Screenings: Saturday, November 8 @ 7:00pm and Tuesday, November 11 @ 7:30pm.
The Ring | When his Holocaust-survivor mother falls ill, Arnon Noble embarks on a journey to Budapest in search of the legendary gold ring that once saved her life. Joined by his estranged daughter, their quest becomes a moving exploration of memory, reconciliation, and identity. A heartfelt dramedy spanning three generations, inspired by Adir Miller’s personal family history. Country: Israel; Year: 2024; Director: Adir Miller; Run Time: 122 minutes; Language(s): Hebrew and Hungarian with English subtitles. Screenings: Thursday, November 6 @ 3:15pm and Sunday, November 16 @ 12:00pm.
The Property | Regina and her granddaughter Mika journey to Poland to reclaim family property seized during WWII. But when Regina abruptly abandons the mission to pursue a long-lost love from seventy years ago, Mika is left juggling a nosy relative, a charming tour guide, and a lot of unanswered questions. Based on Rutu Modan’s graphic novel The Property. Country: Israel, Poland; Year: 2025; Director: Dana Modan; Run Time: 108 minutes; Language(s): Hebrew and Polish with English subtitles. Screenings: Thursday, November 13 @ 2:30pm and Saturday, November 15 @ 7:00pm.
A Letter to David | Filmmaker Tom Shoval pens a personal cinematic letter to David Cunio abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Using unseen footage from Youth (Berlinale 2013), starring David and his twin Eitan, this deeply moving documentary blurs the lines between art and life, exploring memory, fate, and the tragic echoes between fiction and real-life conflict. Country: Israel, USA; Year: 2025; Director: Tom Shoval; Run Time: 74 minutes; Language(s): Hebrew with English subtitles. Screenings: Tuesday, November 11 @ 12:30pm and Thursday, November 13 @ 7:30pm.
Soul of a Nation | A powerful, eye-opening chronicle of recent Israeli history marked by deep internal conflicts around Judicial reform, women’s issues and the soul of its democracy. Then came the October 7 attack, shaking the country to its core and sparking an extraordinary wave of solidarity. This gripping documentary reveals how a nation, fractured and reeling, found unexpected unity, resilience, and hope in the face of its greatest modern crisis. Country: USA, Israel; Year: 2025; Director: Jonathan Jakubowicz; Run Time: 105 minutes; Language(s): English and Hebrew with English subtitles. Screening: Sunday, November 16 @ 2:30pm.
Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round | An interracial protest is sparked when Black college students are arrested at a segregated Maryland carousel in 1960. When Jewish communities join, an historic alliance is formed despite fierce opposition. Featuring rare footage and voices of key figures, this film brings an untold story of courage, unity, and the birth of a movement vividly to life. Country: USA; Year: 2024; Director: Ilana Trachtman; Run Time: 90 minutes; Language(s): English. Screening: Sunday, November 9 @ 12:30pm.
Swedishkayt: Yidlife Crisis in Stockholm | Get ready to laugh and kvell! Comedy duo, Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman explore Stockholm’s Jewish scene - where Yiddish, to their surprise, is a protected minority language. Blending sharp wit with heartfelt reflection, they explore 250 years of history, quirky community tales, and cultural surprises finding unexpected connections across the Atlantic. Screenings: Sunday, November 9 @ 3:00pm and Thursday, November 13 @ 12:30pm.
Festival Speakers include Nancy Spielberg, producer of A Letter to David (Nov. 13), a deeply moving cinematic letter to David Cunio abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas on October 7; Ilana Trachtman, director of Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round (Nov. 9), about the birth of a historic alliance of Blacks and Jews in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement; and Shai Korman (Nov. 9) producer of The Floaters, an offbeat comedy set in a Jewish summer camp, featuring Steve Guttenberg and Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This). (Check website for updates on speakers.)
The Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life connects Rutgers University with the community through public lectures, symposia, Jewish communal initiatives, cultural events, and teacher training in Holocaust education.
