Join us January 11-31 for our annual Tucson J International Film Festival! 

Welcome to the 33rd Tucson J International Film Festival beginning on Thursday, January 11, 2024 and ending on Sunday, January 21 with an extended window for virtual viewing for most films through January 31. 

The 2024 Tucson J International Film Festival is multi-access, running from January 11 through January 31 for the Greater Tucson area. This year screenings will take place at various locations around Southern Arizona. Be sure to check the brochure for screening dates, times, and locations. All in-person post-film programs will be recorded and available for viewing after each event takes place. Zoom links will be included in the Eventive confirmation emails.

New this year: There are some films that are restricted to in-person viewing only, and all Eventive films may be viewed only by those watching in the Greater Tucson area. If you have any questions about your location, please reach out to us at [email protected] 

SCHEDULE

SUN, JAN 7, 2024

FREE SHORTS PREVIEW + PASS SALE | 10AM AND 1PM 

This year’s shorts will be streamed in the ballroom at the Tucson J. Each screening will run about 2 hours. No RSVP required. 

PJ LIBRARY PRESENTS A DRIVE-IN AT THE J | 3:30-5PM

Families enrolled in or eligible for PJ Library should join at the Tucson J for decorating cardboard box cars and screening an episode of Shaboom! This event is supported by Tucson Hebrew Academy. RSVP to [email protected] 

Sun, Jan 7 at 3pm at the DesertView Performing Arts Center in Saddlebrooke (39900 S Clubhouse Dr)

THE SHADOW OF THE DAY

DRAMA

2022 / Italy / 129 minutes / Italian with English subtitles

Luciano, a wounded WWI veteran, runs a classy restaurant in central Italy. When a young woman with a secret appears in search of a job, he hires her and sets in motion a series of events including substantial danger, love and more. The story is unforgettable and compelling, the photography is beautiful and the acting superb.

Sponsored by: Cookie Little + Dennis Baxter and Donna + Ray Dennison 

MON, JAN 8

PRE-FESTIVAL MEET-UP ON ZOOM | 6PM

Committee members will share trailers for particular films and give insight to why certain films were selected. Register on Eventive.

TEEN SCREEN AT THE TUCSON J | 6:30PM

A screening of My Boss, Charlie. Reach out to [email protected]  for details. 

Thu, Jan 11 at 7pm at The Loft Cinema (3233 E Speedway Blvd)

MARCH 68

DRAMA

2022 / Poland / 115 minutes / Polish with English subtitles

Two young students - Hania and Janek - meet and fall in love in the midst of social turmoil in 1960’s Warsaw. While the young lovers are uninterested in politics, they find themselves unable to avoid it when Hania’s parents lose their jobs due to the antisemitic purge and are forced to emigrate. Hania does not want to leave Janek, and the couple soon participate in a protest rally at the university where they discover freedom comes at a high price. 

Sponsored by: Cookie Little + Dennis Baxter and Donna + Ray Dennison

POST-FILM PROGRAM | THU, JAN 11

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE FILM SCREENING

Tom Miller, retired University of Arizona Humanities professor, and Cookie Little, film festival committee member, will be in conversation about what was going on in the world in 1968.

Fri, Jan 12 at 1pm at the Tucson J

HOPE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES

DOCUMENTARY

2022 / Israel / 65 minutes / Hebrew + Ukrainian with English subtitles

In the midst of the war in Ukraine, an Israeli field hospital is established. The film follows the daunting challenges faced by the medical teams, many of whom are descendants of Holocaust survivors, as they treat Ukrainian patients who have lost everything. Amidst the chaos and destruction, the film highlights the power of small acts of kindness to bring people together. 

Sponsored by: Mary and Barry Ganapol

Supported by: The Weintraub Israel Center

Sat, Jan 13 at 7pm at the Tucson J 

PARIS BOUTIQUE

ROMANTIC COMEDY

2022 / Israel, France / 82 minutes / Hebrew + French with English subtitles

Louise, a Jewish lawyer, arrives from Paris to finalize  an important real estate deal, using Neta, a chance driver, the cunning heroine from Mahane Yehuda, who immediately senses an economic opportunity and decides to stick with Louise at any cost. When the two visit the Old City of Jerusalem, they discover a secret. A comedy of mistakes unfolds in the heart of magical Jerusalem, along with a story of friendship between two women at a critical point in each of their lives.

Supported by: The Weintraub Israel Center 

Sun, Jan 14 at the Tucson J at 1pm, followed by a hummus and pita snack bar

ISRAEL SWINGS FOR GOLD

DOCUMENTARY

2023 / United States / 77 minutes / English

In 2021, Israel’s baseball team competes in the Olympics for the first time. With no media allowed in Tokyo’s Olympic Village, the players record their own experiences. Mostly newly minted Israelis, they log unexpected battles against antisemitism on and off the field.

Sponsored by: Fay Green + Israel Wygnanski and Rachel + Jonathan Green

Supported by: The Weintraub Israel Center

Sun, Jan 14 at 2pm at Green Valley Beth Shalom Temple Center (1751 N Rio Mayo)

MY NEIGHBOR ADOLF

DRAMEDY

2022 / Germany, Israel, Poland / 92 minutes / English, German, Hebrew, Spanish + Yiddish with English subtitles 

Polsky, a grumpy Holocaust survivor living in South America in 1960, is convinced that his new neighbor is none other than Adolf Hitler. When officials fail to take his claim seriously, he begins his own investigation. What follows is a fascinating study of stereotyping gone humorously awry.

Sponsored by: Anne + David Lowe and Tamar + JR Bergantino

Supported by: Hadassah Southern Arizona and The Weintraub Israel Center

Sun, Jan 14 at 4pm at the Tucson J

THE GOLDMAN CASE

DRAMA, BASED ON TRUE EVENTS

2023 / France / 115 minutes/ French with English subtitles

This is a riveting French courtroom drama based on the 1975 trial of Pierre Goldman on charges of murder, illegal gun possession and falsifying passport documents. Goldman was a controversial left-wing activist. Eyewitness testimony is debunked; racism in the police force is exposed; courtroom antics by the participants are over the top.

Sponsored by: Audrey Brooks + Dick Lauwasser and Elisabeth Guillen

Mon, Jan 15 at 4pm at The Loft Cinema (3233 E Speedway Blvd)

SIMONE: WOMAN OF THE CENTURY

DRAMA, BASED ON TRUE EVENTS

2022 / France / 139 minutes / French with English subtitles

Simone Veil, an extraordinary woman lawyer in post-war France eminently challenges and transforms her era advocating for prison reform and women’s rights, messages still keenly relevant today. As a Holocaust survivor, her strength of will guides her as she rises to high offices in the French government.

Sponsored by: Aubrey and Deanna Mendelow

Supported by: Alliance Française de Tucson

Mon, Jan 15 at 7:15pm at the Tucson J 

THE NARROW BRIDGE

DOCUMENTARY

2022 / Australia / 76 minutes / English, Hebrew + Arabic with English subtitles

THE NARROW BRIDGE explores the journeys of four people who, after searing pain, develop strengths they never had before. Despite fierce opposition, these Israelis and Palestinians who lost a child or other loved one in the conflict, find strength in forgiveness and friendship forged from a common tragedy. Together they are building a grassroots movement and transforming their grief into a bridge for understanding and reconciliation.

Supported by: The Weintraub Israel Center 

POST-FILM PROGRAM | MON, JAN 15 AT 11AM VIA ZOOM

FIRST TO STAND: THE CASES + CAUSES OF IRWIN COTLER

DOCUMENTARY

Irwin Cotler and Margo Cowan, JD, Pima County Public Defender, will be in conversation about Irwin’s work.

Tue, Jan 16 at 7pm at The Loft Cinema (3233 E Speedway Blvd) 

PERFECT STRANGERS

DRAMEDY

2021 / Israel / 95 minutes / Hebrew with English subtitles

Seven childhood friends join for a fabulous dinner on the night of an eclipse. They play a game where whatever call, text or message they receive on their phone must be shared with everyone. In this funny, but at times excruciating experiment, they uncover unsuspected emotions, deceptions, yearnings and alter egos, quickly 

discovering that no one is quite who they are thought to be. 

Sponsored by: Suzette Joffroy

Supported by: The Weintraub Israel Center

POST-FILM PROGRAM | TUE, JAN 16 AT 11AM VIA ZOOM

SIMONE: WOMAN OF THE CENTURY

DRAMA, BASED ON TRUE EVENTS

Lisa Vapné has a PhD. in Political Sciences from Sciences Po (Paris). She wrote the preface to the profile of Simone Veil in the book “Femmes Mémorables” (2023). Lisa will be in conversation with Elisabeth Guillen, film festival committee member, about Simone’s life and accompolishments. 

Tue, Jan 16 at 5pm via Zoom

FOUR HOURS A DAY

DOCUMENTARY

2022 / Israel / 56 minutes / Hebrew with subtitles

Four Hours a Day is the extraordinary, previously untold story of young mothers in the kibbutz movement in Israel. Based on Orian Chaplin’s bestselling book, it follows a phenomenon that affects thousands of mothers and their children to this day. Following kibbutz ideology, babies were taken from their mothers and lived and were raised in a children’s home. This documentary asks how these mothers feel today about what they were forced to do years ago, and how they and their children have coped with the emotional distress in later years.

Sponsored by: Joy and Dr. Michael Feldman

Supported by: The Weintraub Israel Center 

POST-FILM PROGRAM | TUE, JAN 16 AT 5PM VIA ZOOM 

Yuval Malka, Senior Community Shlicha, will be in conversation with individuals about their experience growing up on the kibbutz during Israel’s formative years.

Wed, Jan 17 at 4pm at the University of Arizona’s Gallagher Theater (1303 University Blvd). Be advised that you may need to pay to park in a campus parking lot.

MATCHMAKING

ROMANTIC COMEDY

2022 / Israel / 96 minutes / Hebrew with English subtitles

Moti Bernstein is “the perfect catch,” according to his ultra-Orthodox family and his two matchmakers. He is sent on a flurry of dates with eligible Ashkenazi women, but only has eyes for his sister’s friend, Nechama, who is from a Moroccan Mizrahi family. This film was Israel’s biggest 2023 box office hit.

Supported by: The Weintraub Israel Center

Wed, Jan 17 at 7pm at The Loft Cinema (3233 E Speedway Blvd)

THE STORY OF ANNETTE ZELMAN

DRAMA, BASED ON TRUE EVENTS

2023 / France / 93 minutes / French with English subtitles

Annette Zelman and Jean Jausion want to get married, but Jean’s parents are opposed. Annette is reported to the Gestapo with unintended consequences.

Sponsored by Rabbi Stephanie + Dr. Jack Aaron 

POST-FILM PROGRAM | WED, JAN 17

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE IN-PERSON FILM SCREENING

Lori Shepherd, Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center Executive Director, will be in conversation with Rabbi Stephanie Aaron of Congregation Chaverim about denunciation, in the film and throughout history

Thu, Jan 18 at 4pm at AMC Foothills Mall: Auditorium 1 (7401 N La Cholla Blvd) with My Father’s Secret

THE ARTIST’S DAUGHTER: OIL ON CANVAS

DOCUMENTARY

2022 / Israel / 60 minutes / Hebrew with subtitles

In an effort to better understand her long estranged father, filmmaker Margarita Linton visits the exhibition of his work in the gallery of a museum in Tel Aviv. She has not seen him - an esteemed Russian painter - in over a decade, but she is hopeful that this new exhibition could be the opportunity for them to reconnect. And though her father’s love eludes her, she remains masterfully determined to make meaning out of the void.

Supported by: The Weintraub Israel Center

Thu, Jan 18 at 7pm at Tucson J, preceded by 20s, 30s and 40s happy hour at 6pm for schmoozing and light appetizers and drinks

LESS THAN KOSHER

MUSICAL CAMPY COMEDY

2023 / Canada / 66 minutes + 10 minute pre-recorded coda / English

When her family’s synagogue is in need of a Cantor, Viv, a singer and self-proclaimed “bad Jew,” is stealthily recruited by a Rabbi who sees potential. What follows is family drama, self-discovery and gorgeous liturgical music from an unexpected source.

Sponsored by: Sarah Iden, Marc Herman + Family

Fri, Jan 19 at 1pm at the Tucson J 

THE SHADOW OF THE DAY

DRAMA

2022 / Italy / 129 minutes / Italian with English subtitles

Luciano, a wounded WWI veteran, runs a classy restaurant in central Italy. When a young woman with a secret appears in search of a job, he hires her and sets in motion a series of events including substantial danger, love and more. The story is unforgettable and compelling, the photography is beautiful and the acting superb.

Sponsored by: Cookie Little + Dennis Baxter and Donna + Ray Dennison 

Sat, Jan 20 at 7pm at the Tucson J 

NO NAME RESTAURANT

COMEDY

2023 / Germany / 123 minutes / English

When Ben, an ultra-Orthodox Brooklyn Jew, volunteers to save the Jewish community in Alexandria, Egypt, by being the Pesach minyan’s tenth man, he sets in motion a wild experience. Encounters with a non-communicative Bedouin, a talented camel and a monastery highlight the power of friendship across many boundaries. Funny and

poignant.

Sponsored by: Mari Carlos

Sun, Jan 21 at the Tucson J at 1pm, followed by a closing day ice cream social

DEDICATION

NARRATIVE

2022 / United States / 67 minutes / English

Roger Peltzman transforms his one-man play, Dedication, into a deeply poetic, musical and cinematic journey. Peltzman’s family fled Berlin for Brussels in 1933, and this story centers on his uncle Norbert—the finest pianist in Belgium, until he was murdered in Auschwitz when only 21 years old. A singular tale from the Shoah that is at once extraordinary and relatable, Dedication is also a coming to terms with generational trauma and the role of music in helping to manage wounds that will never fully heal. This one is from the heart.

Sponsored by: Donna + Ray Dennison and Cookie Little + Dennis Baxter

Supported by: The Tucson Jewish Museum Holocaust History Center and Jewish Family + Children’s Services

Sun, Jan 21 at 4pm at the Tucson J, preceded by an ice cream social from 2:15-3:30pm

MY NEIGHBOR ADOLF

DRAMEDY

2022 / Germany, Israel, Poland / 92 minutes / English, German, Hebrew, Spanish + Yiddish with English subtitles 

Polsky, a grumpy Holocaust survivor living in South America in 1960, is convinced that his new neighbor is none other than Adolf Hitler. When officials fail to take his claim seriously, he begins his own investigation. What follows is a fascinating study of stereotyping gone humorously awry.

Sponsored by: Anne + David Lowe and Tamar + JR Bergantino

Supported by: Hadassah Southern Arizona and The Weintraub Israel Center

SINGLE FILM: $12

FESTIVAL PASS: $120 / $135

FESTIVAL 6 PACK: $60

BUY TICKETS

Pre-order for virtual screenings

Festival Date: January 11-31, 2024

Location: Various locations around Southern Arizona.

Tucson Jewish Community Center - 3800 East River Rd. Tucson, AZ 85701

The Loft Cinema - 3233 East Speedway Boulevard Tucson, AZ 85716

Zoom

Click here for more information