Celebrating
FEST BEST
THE 2026 SAN ANTONIO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
This year, the San Antonio Jewish Film Festival enters its 25th year, shining a spotlight on the stories, creators, and characters that have defined a generation of Jewish cinema. Each year, this festival transforms our community into an audience of dreamers and believers, gathering together to laugh, cry, and celebrate the art of Jewish storytelling on screen.
PRESENTED WITH SUPPORT FROM
Producer
Randi Brosterman & Bob Hutchens
Ann Pomerantz
Mary Sue & Maurie Kern
Elsa Barshop
Director
Charles Lerner
Janet L. Atkins
Barbie Scharf-Zeldes & Adam Zeldes
James Lazarus & Susan Gershenhorn
Dr. Roxanne Henkin & Mary Lou Dougherty
Jody & Jack Fries
Bonnie Reed & Stu Schlossberg
Luann & Dr. Larry Cohen
Carisa & Josh Heiss
Danna & Jim Halff
Alice & Rick Thorner
Kristy & Alan Petlin
Jeff Shapiro
Jim Barshop
Cinematographer
Dr. Steven G. Kellman
Annie & Koby Sokoloff
Gordon & Mary Weiner
Clarance Dickinson
Karen Furman
Randell Drum
Susan Cook
SUPPORT THE SAN ANTONIO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
Your sponsorship helps bring powerful Jewish stories to our community and supports year-round film events at the JCC. Contributions fund film licensing, theater experiences, and the programs our audiences love.
All sponsorship levels include advanced reserved seating and the chance to purchase extra tickets before public sales.
Producer
$1200
4 tickets to every February screening plus Lone Star Cinema and Summer Series
Priority reserved seating
Recognition online and at all events
Director
$600
2 tickets to every February screening plus Lone Star Cinema and Summer Series
Priority reserved seating
Recognition online and at all events
Cinematographer
$300
10 tickets to use across the Festival and Summer Series
Reserved seating
Recognition online and at all events
Support Jewish stories & become a sponsor today!
A JOURNEY THROUGH 25 YEARS
From our first screening to today, a look at how we got here.
THE EARLY YEARS
Small screenings, big conversations. A grassroots effort focused on bringing Jewish stories to local audiences.
GROWING THE FESTIVAL
Expanding film selections, new venues, and a growing audience as the festival became a staple of San Antonio’s cultural calendar.
COMMUNITY & CONNECTION
More than film, the festival became a place for dialogue, shared experience, and connection across generations.
TODAY & BEYOND
A 25-year tradition that continues to evolve, supported by our sponsors and partners who help bring these stories to the screen.
KEY MILESTONES
2001 Festival founded in partnership with Mel Pomerantz.
2006 | 5th Annual Festival
Featured 19 films over five days at Santikos Northwest 14, marking early growth and momentum.
2014 | 13th Annual Festival
Expanded programming with documentaries and feature films, supported by a dedicated screening committee. Pandemic Era–2022
Adapted through innovation, including the start of a virtual Summer Series partnership with the Austin Jewish Film Festival.
2023 | 22nd Annual Festival
Returned fully in person at the Holzman Auditorium on the Campus of the San Antonio Jewish Community, reaffirming the shared viewing experience.
(of blessed memory)
25 YEARS. MANY SCREENS. ONE COMMUNITY.
The Venues That Brought Our Films to Life
2002–2005
Santikos Embassy Theatre
2006
Santikos Northwest Theatre
2007–2008
San Antonio Museum of Art
2009–2011
Bijou Theatre (later Bijou Cinema Bistro)
2012–2016
Santikos Embassy 14
2017–2018
Santikos Palladium IMAX at The Rim
2019–2020 Regal Alamo Quarry Stadium 16
2021–2022
Virtual 2023–2026 The Campus of the San Antonio Jewish Community
VOICES GUIDING THE FESTIVAL
Betsy Cowan
SanAntonioJewishFilmFestival Director
It is a testament to the hard work of the volunteers and leadership at our JCC over the last 25 years, that our Jewish Film Festival is arguably as impressive and sophisticated as those in communities much larger and with greater financial resources. Because we are both nimble and discerning, we are able to select for our audiences new releases that may not yet have screened in flagship festivals, and we are proud that we have built a solid reputation for being agile and capable.
Jody Fries
SanAntonioJewishFilmFestival CommitteeMember
One of my favorite times of the year is the annual JCC Film Festival. I love seeing a variety of films with new perspectives that I may not have thought about. Even more than the films though is the opportunity to see friends I don’t get to see often and the conversations the films can lead to. It’s nice to have deeper conversations of dissecting what we shared over a coffee or snack after the films.
Ryan Reed ChairmanoftheBarshopJCC Board
The annual Jewish Film Festival is at the heart of our mission –it inspires, educates and enriches. I’m so proud of the 25 year history and all that will come in the next 25 years!
Thank you to our committees, chairs, staff, sponsors and attendees that have made the Festival such a meaningful event year after year.
MelPomperantzandIhadthepleasureofbeingthefirstto chairtheJCCJewishFilmFestivalin2001.Whileitwas25years agoandIdon’tremembereverydetail,Idorememberhow muchfunwehadandhowincredibleitwastoworkwithMel andthecommittee.Theresponsewaswonderful,andthe festivalwassuchasuccessthatitcontinuedtogrow.I’mso gratefultoseeitstillthrivingtoday.Mazeltovonthe25th anniversaryandheresto25more!
-LalaReifGossen
WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE
FREE Concessions
A welcoming community experience. Powerful films that spark emotion, conversation, and connection.
Stories honoring Jewish life and voices, celebrating 25 years of Jewish cinema.
2026 LINEUP
SAN ANTONIO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
February12,7:00PM A Matter of Size
February14,7:00PM Anita February15,1:00PM La Rafle February15,4:00PM Sixty Six
February19,7:00PM The Sea February21,7:00PM The Stamp Thief February22,2:00PM Cabaret Total February22,4:00PM The Road Between Us
The Star of David indicates Best of Fest, a curated selection of standout films. Special anniversary bonus content to be announced.
A Matter of Size is an Israeli comedy (yes, comedy!) like nothing you've seen before, a hilarious and heart-warming tale about a coming out of a different kind: four overweight guys who learn to love themselves through the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling!
Herzl (Itzik Cohen) has been struggling with his weight ever since he was young, and his overbearing mother made it no easier on him. His friends Aharon (Dvir Benedek) and Gidi (Alon Dahan) struggle with the issue of weight in their personal lives as well; from fear of losing a spouse to a "thinner" man, to coming out as a gay bear.
When Herzl loses his job as a cook and starts washing dishes in a Japanese restaurant, he discovers the world of Sumo, where large people such as himself are honored and appreciated. Through the restaurant owner Kitano (Togo Igawa), a former Japanese Sumo coach (supposedly hiding from the Yakuza in Israel) , Herzl and his friends fall in love with a sport involving "two fatsos in diapers and girly hairdos". However, Herzl's dedication to this demanding men-only sport threatens his budding relationship with Zehava (Irit Kaplan), a plus-size social worker.
FEBRUARY
12, 2026
A MATTER OF SIZE
Directed by Erez Tadmor and Sharon Maymon
Israel
Released: 2010
Hebrew, Japanese 90 minutes
FEBRUARY 14, 2026
ANITA
Directed by Marcos Carnevale
Argentina Released: 2011 Spanish 104 minutes
story of a young woman with Down syndrome anzo) who lives a happy, routine life in Buenos meticulously cared for by her mother Dora ward nominee Norma Aleandro). One tragic 994, everything changes when Anita is left alone, d helpless after the nearby Argentine Israelite Mutual Association is bombed (the deadliest bombing in Argentina's history). As Anita wanders through the city, she learns not only to care for herself, but touches the lives of those around her, from an alcoholic to a family of Asian immigrants.
Anita is the latest from renowned filmmaker Marcos Carnevale, director of "Elsa and Fred". The film stars Academy Award nominated actress Norma Aleandro (called the "Meryl Streep" of Argentina), Peto Menahem, Luis Luque, Leonor Manso (who was named Best Supporting Actress at the 2009 Argentine Academy Awards for her performance), and introduces Alejandra Manzo as Anita!
In picturesque Montmarte, three children wearing a yellow star play in the streets, oblivious to the darkness spreading over Nazi-occupied France. Their parents do not seem too concerned either, somehow putting their trust in the Vichy Government. But beyond this view, much is going on. Hitler demands that the French government round up its Jews and put them on trains for the extermination camps in the East. The collaborators start to put the plan into effect and within a short time, 13,000 of Paris’s Jews, among them 4,000 children, will be rounded up and sent on a road with no return.
The fateful date: July 16th, 1942, 71 years ago. With a meticulously constructed script based on extensive research and first-hand accounts, writer/director Rose Bosch brings to the screen one of the most moving dramas of the year.
Powered by fluid direction and a string of stars- from Jean Reno (The Da Vinci Code, Leon: The Professional) to Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds, The Concert)- La Rafle (The Roundup) became a big box-office hit in France, and its audiences included thousands of young people who came to learn about a dark chapter in their country’s history.
FEBRUARY
15, 2026
LA RAFLE
Directed by Roselyne Bosch
Starring Jean Reno, MĂ©lanie Laurent, Gad Elmaleh France
Released: 2012
French, German, Yiddish 124 minutes
FEBRUARY 15, 2026
SIXTY SIX
Directed by Paul Weiland UK, France, US
Released: 2006 English 93 Minutes
A heartfelt British coming-of-age comedy that follows 12-yearold Bernie Reuben, a boy determined to make his Bar Mitzvah the most memorable day of his life. Set in London during the summer of 1966, Bernie's plans are thrown into chaos when he realizes his big day lands on the same date as the World Cup Final. As the England football frenzy consumes the entire country, Bernie navigates family quirks, personal insecurities, and the universal struggle to feel seen.
Blending humor and warmth, the film captures the bittersweet journey of growing up and the meaning of family, tradition, and identity.
Khaled, a 12-year-old boy from a Palestinian village, is thrilled to join a school trip to see the sea for the first time. However, at an Israeli military checkpoint, soldiers declare his travel permit invalid and send him back, while his classmates continue on. Determined and heartbroken, Khaled sets out alone to reach the sea, despite not knowing the way or speaking Hebrew. His father, Ribhi, an undocumented laborer working in Israel, abandons his job and risks arrest to search for his missing son.
FEBRUARY 19, 2026
THE SEA
Directed by Shai Carmeli-Pollak
Israel
Released: 2025 Hebrew, Arabic, English 93 Minutes
FEBRUARY 21, 2026
THE STAMP THIEF
Directed by Dan Sturman United States Released: 2025 English, Polish, German 103 Minutes
From an Oscar, Peabody, and Emmy award-winning team, “The Stamp Thief” is part detective story, part heist film, and part untold history. The documentary investigates a tale dating back to the Holocaust: that a mysterious Nazi stole priceless stamp collections from concentration camp victims and buried the stolen stamps in a small town in Poland. Embarking on a real-life “Argo”- like adventure, one-time “Seinfeld” producer Gary Gilbert sets out to confirm the story and recover the stamps. His tactic: a fake movie shoot. His goal: to return the stamps to their rightful owners, hopefully delivering a small measure of justice more than 70 years after the Holocaust.
Assi, a failed actor, returns home to his family after completing reserve duty during the war. Though he dreams of becoming a successful performer, reality finds him teaching theater at the local high school and putting on a nightly cabaret show at the community center. An unexpected turn of events suddenly thrusts him into the spotlight—but not for the reasons he had hoped. Assi is forced to choose whether to give up on his dreams or fully chase them. Directed by Roy Assaf
FEBRUARY 22, 2026 CABARET TOTAL
Israel
Released: 2024
Hebrew 91 Minutes
FEBRUARY 22, 2026
THE ROAD BETWEEN US
Directed by Barry Avrich Canada
Released: 2025 English 95 Minutes
The film follows retired Israeli general Noam Tibon's decision on 7 October 2023 to drive down south from Tel Aviv to rescue his son Amir Tibon and his young family from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, near the northern Gaza Strip. During Hamas’ attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz over a quarter of residents were killed or taken hostage. Amir, his wife, and two small children were hiding in the safe room of their family home hearing the shooting and shouting all around them, including shots taken in their living room. At 4 PM in the afternoon, close to twelve hours after they began hiding out, Noam and his wife Gali arrived to save them together with the army and other family members.
