Opening Night

Bad Shabbos

Monday, June 30

7 p.m. 

84 minutes, English 

Southview Highschool Auditorium, 7225 Sylvania Ave. 

***Coffee bar, popcorn, candy, and take-home shabbat sets

Hot on the heels of its Tribeca Audience Award win, this darkly uproarious, star-studded comedy transforms a tense Upper West Side Shabbat dinner into an unhinged circus of chaos and calamity. David (Jon Bass) and his fiancée Meg (Meghan Leathers), who is converting to Judaism, invite her devout Midwestern Catholic parents to meet his outspoken, sharp-tongued Jewish family for the first time. Already fraught, the evening takes a disastrous turn when a guest suffers a suspicious mishap in the bathroom—a seemingly unlucky accident that spirals into a frantic cover-up, pushing the dysfunctional household to its breaking point.

At the center of the chaos is David’s neurotic mother, Ellen (Kyra Sedgwick), whose peevish antagonism and relentless kvetching keep everyone on edge. His good-natured father, Richard (David Paymer), struggles to maintain order, but long-simmering sibling rivalries only add more fuel to the tribal fire. When the unsuspecting future in-laws finally arrive, the valiant doorman (Cliff "Method Man" Smith) steps in with ludicrously off-the-wall fixes, escalating the madness to new heights.

Steeped in Shabbat rituals (some wildly improvised on the spot) and infused with a quintessential Big Apple vibe, this screwball romp blends sidesplitting slapstick and biting satire to celebrate the messy, unpredictable spectacle of domestic mishigas and interfaith clashes.

Writer-director Daniel Robbins and co-writer Zack Weiner’s canny crowd-pleaser, brought to life by a stellar ensemble cast, will leave audiences in stitches, thinking, “Only in New York, only on Shabbat!”

Welcome to Yiddishland

Monday, July 7 

7 p.m. 

96 minutes, English and Yiddish

Southview Highschool Auditorium, 7225 Sylvania Ave. 

**Coffee bar, popcorn, and candy

WELCOME TO YIDDISHLAND offers an upbeat, witty, and timely exploration of a global community of artists rediscovering and revitalizing the endangered Yiddish language through progressive and provocative creative works. As we journey through Yiddishland—not a homeland, but a heartland without borders—we travel across continents, from Melbourne to Berlin, New York to Haifa, meeting a diverse array of individuals who find solace, identity, and inspiration in Yiddish language and culture. 

Midas Man

Monday, July 14 

7 p.m. 

112 minutes, English 

Southview Highschool Auditorium, 7225 Sylvania Ave. 

***Coffee bar, popcorn, and candy

Set against the kaleidoscopic backdrop of Swinging Sixties London, this stylish musical biopic explores the genius and demons of the trailblazing Jewish manager hailed as the "fifth Beatle." Brian Epstein’s visionary efforts propelled The Beatles' meteoric rise to global stardom, from smoky Liverpool clubs to dazzling performances that defined a generation. Amid the heady swirl of fame and ongoing cultural revolution, he navigated societal pressures, solitude, and the hidden struggles of life as a closeted gay man. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Epstein delivers a raw, authentic depiction in this bittersweet portrait, blending mod-inspired visuals, an evocative soundtrack, and a sensitive exploration of the seismic shifts Epstein ignited—and the toll they exacted on him. 

Everything's Kosher

Monday, July 21 

7 p.m. 

78 minutes, English 

Southview Highschool Auditorium, 7225 Sylvania Ave. 

***Coffee Bar, popcorn, and Bavarian pretzel & mustard bar

Post-film discussion with special guest, Director and star Adam Fried 

In Everything’s Kosher, Adam, a divorced Jewish father from Chicago, embarks on a heartfelt journey to fulfill a promise to his only daughter: never to abandon her. Settling in a small German town steeped in the shadows of antisemitism and Nazi history, he dreams of opening a Jewish deli to reconnect with his roots and forge new bonds within his community.

As he navigates the challenges of his new life, a painful rift with his estranged father, who abandoned the family decades before, weighs heavily on his soul. Determined to break the cycle of abandonment and heal old wounds, Adam travels from Germany to Chicago and finally to Cape Cod, where he confronts the man he hasn't spoken to in forty years.

Throughout this transformative journey, Adam grapples with the ghosts of his past, seeking the strength to forgive and move forward, ultimately striving to become the father his daughter deserves. Against all odds, the deli begins to take shape, symbolizing his resilience and the profound power of the human spirit.

Post-film discussion with special guest, Director and star Adam Fried

ADAM FRIED is a filmmaker known for his work on The Walk and Everything's Kosher. His films often explore themes of identity and culture, blending humor and introspective storytelling. With a keen eye for detail and a unique perspective, Fried’s work has resonated with audiences and critics alike. 

Closing Night

Susan Feniger. FORKED

Monday, July 28 

7 p.m. 

93 Minutes, English 

SPECIAL LOCATION, Lourdes Franciscan Center 6832 Convent Blvd, Sylvania

**Coffee Bar, popcorn, and candy

Post-film discussion with special guests, Susan Feniger and Liz Lachman

A verité style documentary following award-winning celebrity chef Susan Feniger on her first solo restaurant and her passionate struggle to bring global street food under one roof in the form of a new LA restaurant: STREET. Shot by her longtime filmmaker partner in Vietnam, Shanghai, and Los Angeles, featuring appearances by Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, and Mary Sue Milliken, it’s a personal story of starting over and about not IF one fails… but HOW.

Post-film discussion with special guests, Susan Feniger and Liz Lachman

SUSAN FENIGER (pictured left)  is an American chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, radio and TV personality. She is known for starring in the cooking show Too Hot Tamales and Tamales World Tour on the Food Network, Iron Chef, Top Chef Masters, Cooking with the Master Chefs, and more. She is the topic of the feature documentary film: “Susan Feniger. FORKED”… a Culinary Disaster Film.

She has received a James Beard Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Restaurant Association, the LA Times Jonathan Gold Award and in 2018, Feniger and partner Mary Sue Milliken were named the recipients of the Julia Child Award from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, recognizing individuals who have made a profound difference in the way America cooks, eats and drinks and was inducted into the permanent collection of the Food Exhibition at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

Susan is a co-chair on the board of the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center and also on the board of the Scleroderma Research Foundation.

LIZ LACHMAN (pictured right) is an EMMY Award winning musician, and a GOLDEN REEL Award winning music editor.

As a filmmaker, Liz’s documentary debut feature film, “Susan Feniger. FORKED” (a Culinary Disaster Film), has played a number of festivals, winning two Awards for Best Documentary Feature, and was chosen as #2 on “Our 5 Favorite Things About Austin Film Festival” by Austin.com.  It is being distributed internationally by Kaleidoscope Entertainment and is showing on Amazon Prime in the UK.

Liz is currently in development on the feature narrative psychological thriller, “Pin-Up,” which she wrote and will direct.  The short proof-of-concept of Pin-Up, starring Angela Sarafyan (Westworld) and Christina Chang (The Good Doctor), won 30 festival awards, most recently nominated for a Liverpool Indie Award in the UK.

Liz’s short gay romantic comedy, “Getting To Know You,” starring Dana Delany and Ian Gomez won 9 festival awards.

As a writer, Liz has twice been a Quarter Finalist and a Top 15% in the ACADEMY NICHOLL Screenplay Competition, a Semifinalist and Quarter finalist in the PAGE Screenplay Awards and a Semi Finalist in the FINAL DRAFT Screenplay Competition.

Liz has a list of scripts she has written that she is planning to make into narrative films and loves meeting financiers and first-time producers! But her favorite things are classic Alfa Romeos and comic books.  So yes, she’s actually a 12-year-old boy.