The 23rd annual Long Beach Jewish Film and Arts Festival kicks off next Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Alpert Jewish Community Center, with a reception at 6 p.m. featuring live music, a candy and gourmet-popcorn bar, drinks and desserts, before its first film screening of “Once Upon My Mother” at 7 p.m.
The film is a 2025 French comedy-drama about a Moroccan-Jewish immigrant mother’s extreme devotion to help her son, who has a clubfoot, overcome physical and social barriers in 1963 Paris.
Nonprofit sponsor Jewish Long Beach is offering individual film tickets for $20 each — or $14 for Alpert JCC members and free for college students with valid ID — or a festival pass that includes all six films, unlimited drinks and refreshments at the receptions, special seating and VIP access for $136, or $95 for members.
The festival continues Saturday, Nov. 14, with a cocktail reception and light refreshments at 6 p.m. before a screening of the 2025 English-language short film “Beshert” at 7 p.m., about a grumpy old man, his caregiver and a boy, and 2025 film “Hola Chau” at 7:20 p.m., about a dysfunctional Argentinian-Jewish family reuniting in Israel after a decade apart.
Sunday, Nov. 15 brings a lineup of film, family fun and music. The 2024 Hebrew-language film “Soda”— about a seamstress who was once a resistance fighter — will screen at 1 p.m., followed by a reception.
Then at 2 p.m., the festival’s free Family Fun Day is open to all on the community center’s playground, featuring bounce houses, snacks and activities for kids.
Klezmer rock band Mostly Kosher will then perform at 4 p.m., with dancing and snacks. Tickets to see the concert are $36, or $25 for members and $10 for children.
The festival continues Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. with a screening of the 2026 film “Jerusalem ’67,” an English-language historical war drama following three lives affected by the June 1967 Six-Day War.
And festivities wrap up Thursday, Nov. 19, with a closing reception and pickle-making workshop at 6 p.m., followed by a 2026 documentary about the famed Catskills resort in New York at 7 p.m. called “We Met at Grossinger’s.”
Erik Ludwig, CEO of Jewish Long Beach, told the Long Beach Post that the film festival is a way to share Jewish life with the broader community.
“Arts and culture give us a wonderful way to share our stories, better understand one another and find connection,” Ludwig said.
Susan Paletz, chief programs officer for Jewish Long Beach, said that the festival celebrates Jewish culture while fostering meaningful connections.
“Film holds a mirror to society and provides a window into life,” Paletz said. “I believe arts and culture help us better understand one another by sharing the personal stories and experiences that make us human.”
While the six scheduled films explore Jewish culture, Paletz said that all audiences can find familiar themes of family, identity, love and resilience.
“One of the things I appreciate about arts and culture is how it brings people together, often helping us discover how much we have in common,” she said.
The Long Beach Jewish Film Festival runs Nov. 12 to 19 at the Alpert Jewish Community Center on the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Jewish Long Beach Campus, 3801 E. Willow St. For tickets and information, visit JewishLongBeach.org/LBJFF.