Welcome back to the festival! It’s been a while since we enjoyed this amazing film festival together as a community and we are excited to share so many incredible movies from around the world.

While we know it’s nice to sit on a comfortable couch, just steps away from the kitchen, there is nothing like watching these great films together with friends and family. The laughs are bigger, the tears seem more heartfelt, and the bonds we build with one another are stronger and more relevant now than ever.

So please join us, in person, for 25 unforgettable films—as we celebrate 25 amazing years!

Schedule:

Thursday, April 27, 2023

7:00pm: Hidden Musical Gems from Yiddish Soundtracks at The Berman

Hidden Musical Gems from Yiddish Soundtracks

Straight from New York! Isle of Klezbos & Friends: Live klezmer band, Yiddish movie clips, and interactive talk.

This captivating "tour" features musical moments from famous Yiddish films such as The Dybbuk and Molly Picon's Mamele, as well as comic and dramatic tunes from a variety of lesser-known movie masterpieces. Enjoy the songs and hear fascinating insights into the movies and the music of bygone days. Featuring vocalist Mikhl Yashinsky.

90 minutes
Yiddish w/ English subtitles

Sunday, April 30, 2023

1:00pm: Air Born at The Berman

This inspiring documentary celebrates the heroism andcourageous attitude of Israeli pilots, touchingly told through the eyes of the children who grew up in Israeli air forcebase housing in the 1960s and 1970s.

69 minutes
Hebrew w/ English subtitles

4:00pm: Israel Swings for Gold at The Berman

In 2021, Israel's baseball team competed in the Olympics for the first time. With no media allowed in Tokyo's Olympic Village, the players record their own experiences quickly learning that representing Israel on the world stage is not just fun and games. In-person talk-back with director Seth Kramer

75 minutes
English

7:00pm: Hummus Full Trailer at The Berman

In this gangster comedy caper, three mixed-up shipping containers at an Israeli harbor bring together Arabs, Orthodox Jews, and gay florists to solve the mishap. With a stellar troupe of Israeli stars, this hilarious rollercoaster ride is packed with over-the-top, Tarantino-esque action.

92 minutes
Hebrew w/ English subtitles

Monday, May 1, 2023

1:00pm: America at The Berman

The engrossing story of an Israeli man who returns to Israel after 10 years in America. An encounter with a childhood friend and his future-wife will change everyone's lives. A story set between a flower shop and an ancient monastery, a swimming pool and the Mediterranean Sea, life and death - and somewhere in the middle.

127 minutes
Hebrew w/ English subtitles

4:00pm: The Devil's Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes at The Berman

This unforgettable film unearths long-lost, secret recordings of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust's Final Solution, openly confessing his participating in the planning and implementation of one of the greatest atrocities in world history.

108 minutes
Hebrew/German/English

7:00pm: Paris Boutique at The Berman

Nominated for six Israeli Academy Awards (Ophirs), Paris Boutique is a romantic comedy of mistakes. A fish-out-of-water Jewish-French lawyer and a duplicitous but amiable Israeli hustler unravel a mystery in Jerusalem's Old City in this delightful female-buddy romcom.

81 minutes
Hebrew/French

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

1:00pm: Our (Almost Completely True) Story at The Berman

A tall, aging shiksa showbiz icon meets a short, out-of-work Jewish voice actor in a bird store--what are the chances? Real-life showbiz couple Mariette Hartley and Jerry Sroka co-star in this delightful crowd pleaser featuring a "Who's Who" ensemble cast including Bernie Koppell, Tess Harper, Morgan Fairchild, John Rubinstein, Peter MacNicol, and Sam McMurray.Live on-screen talk-back with co-stars Mariette Hartley and Jerry Sroka.

92 minutes
English

4:00pm: Farewell, Mr. Haffmann at The Berman

Jewelry assistant Francois Mercier is an ordinary man, aspiring to own his own shop and start a family with the woman he loves. When faced with German occupation, his employer Mr. Haffmann arranges for Mercier to temporarily "buy" the store. This turns into a Faustian bargain, turning their lives upside down, forever changing their fates.

115 minutes
French

7:00pm: The Way to Happiness at The Berman

In this enchantingly tale, a Viennese Holocaust survivor becomes a boisterous restaurateur in Brussels, feeding his devoted diners Jewish delicacies while nourishing his love of cinema, to cover his past and find true love. Sure to warm your soul and delight your senses.

112 minutes
Yiddish/German/French

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

1:00pm: Cinema Sabaya at The Berman

Eight women, Arab and Jewish, take part in a video workshop hosted by Rona, a young filmmaker. With each camera take, the women learn an illuminating lesson in empathy in this celebration of female collaboration and a deft and heartfelt portrait the power of art to unify and create connections across cultures. Israel's submission for the International Feature Oscar.

91 minutes
English/Hebrew/Arabic

4:00pm: Back In Berlin at The Berman

After his father dies, Bobby returns to England and finds an old suitcase, hidden by his father, revealing the truth about his family who perished in the Holocaust. He invites Manuel, his German-born childhood friend, to translate the documents discovering another family's secret as they embark on a journey that puts their friendship to the test.

60 minutes
Hebrew

7:00pm: Just As I Am: The Shira Choir at The Berman

A little film with a big heart follows the lives of choir members of all abilities during a pandemic. This touching journey through sorrow and joy, life and death, is a reminder to always treasure one another and shows how music heals and uplifts.

Live on-screen performance by the Shira Choir preceding the film.

Live on-screen Q & A with Director Evan Beloff and Cantor Daniel Benlolo with in-person moderator, Cheryl Chodun, Former WXYZ News Reporter/Adjunct Professor.

53 minutes
English

7:00pm: Only in Theaters at Emagine Royal Oak

EXCLUSIVE SCREENING: EMAGINE ROYAL OAK! Only In Theaters with introduction by Paul Glantz,co- founder and chairman of Emagine Entertainment

Laemmle Theatres, the beloved 84-year-old arthouse cinema chain in Los Angeles, is facing seismic change and downward pressure. Yet the family behind this multigenerational business, whose sole mission has been to support and elevate the art of film, is determined to see it survive.

94 minutes
English

Thursday, May 4, 2023

1:00pm: SHTTL at The Berman

One of the most spellbinding films of the year, this evocative and visually compelling film beautifully recreates and captures the life, loves, and discord of a Yiddish-speaking shtetl in Ukraine on the eve of the Nazi invasion of Soviet Ukraine. Features a remarkable cast including Moshe Lobel and Yiddish-fluent actor Saul Rubinek.

114 minutes
Yiddish

4:00pm: Matchmaking at The Berman

Witty and romantic, Matchmaking is a Romeo and Juliet-like saga about two young, ultra-Orthodox singles looking for a match. Plenty of one-liners about spicy salads and noodle kugels, with a heavy dose of Yiddish, are sprinkled into this hit contemporary rom-com--Israel's biggest box office smash of the year!

96 minutes
Hebrew

5:45pm: Patron Night – Pre-Glow at The Berman

Featuring Aaron Jonah Lewis and the Detroit Square Dance Society Band, with cowboy-themed grub & drink!

7:30pm: Jews of the Wild West at The Berman

From cowboys and gunslingers to entrepreneurs and artists, Jews of the Wild West traces the real history of Jewish cowboys and cowgirls that is a largely forgotten chapter of the American West, taking an eye-opening look at the legacy and pioneering spirit of those who definitively shaped westward expansion.

Live on-screen talk-back with director Amanda Kinsey following film

80 minutes
English

Friday, May 5, 2023

1:00pm: The Students of Umberto Primo at The Berman

Based on recently discovered documents, this docudrama tells the stories of nine Greek-Italian Jewish students who were among the hundreds of Jewish children studying at the Public Italian school, Umberto Primo, until Nazi soldiers entered the region and forever changed the course of their histories.

80 minutes
Italian/English/Greek

Sunday, May 7, 2023

1:00pm: My Father’s Secrets at The Berman

A funny, poignant, and thought-provoking animated film that focuses on a family's journey to reconciliation after facing the trauma of the Holocaust. An intimate story of survival and the triumph of the human spirit based on Michel Kichka's autobiographical graphic novel.

74 minutes
English/French

4:00pm: How Saba Kept Singing at The Berman

94-year-old David "Saba" Wisnia survived Auschwitz by entertaining his Nazi captors with his beautiful singing voice. But it was his love for another prisoner that gave him the will to go on. Now reunited, they share more astonishing secrets in this uplifting and life-affirming story. A breathtaking testament to the power of music, art, and love from Executive Producers Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.

80 minutes
English/Hebrew/Polish

7:00pm: iMordecai at The Berman

A heart-warming movie based on a true story, iMordecai stars Emmy-winner Judd Hirsch and Academy Award-nominee Carol Kane as Holocaust survivors living in Miami. When Mordecai takes the big step of getting an iPhone, the device opens him up to new experiences and adventures, making him feel like a kid again. iMordecai urges us all to live life to the fullest.

102 minutes
English

Monday, May 8, 2023

7:00pm: Paris Boutique (Repeat Showing) at Emagine Royal Oak

Nominated for six Israeli Academy Awards (Ophirs), Paris Boutique is a romantic comedy of mistakes. A fish-out-of-water Jewish-French lawyer and a duplicitous but amiable Israeli hustler unravel a mystery in Jerusalem's Old City in this delightful female-buddy romcom.

81 minutes
Hebrew/French

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

7:00pm: My Father’s Secrets (Repeat Showing) at Emagine Royal Oak

A funny, poignant, and thought-provoking animated film that focuses on a family's journey to reconciliation after facing the trauma of the Holocaust. An intimate story of survival and the triumph of the human spirit based on Michel Kichka's autobiographical graphic novel.

74 minutes
English/French

Date: Thursday, April 27, 2023 - Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Locations:

The Berman Center For The Performing Arts -  6600 W Maple Rd, West Bloomfield, MI 48322
Emagine Royal Oak -  200 N Main St, Royal Oak, MI 48067

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