Festival Schedule

Join us for the Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival from November 1-5, 2023 at The New Vic Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara. All Access Passholders are granted early admission to all shows. Times subject to change.

Mar

16 2018

Bloom of Yesterday (feature)

12:00PM - 2:00PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

Wrings (almost absurdist) comedy from unfathomable atrocity. The grandson of a Nazi war criminal and a woman whose gr…

Mar

16 2018

Wendy's Shabbat (short)

3:00PM - 3:15PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

A group of Jewish Senior citizens celebrate the weekly Sabbath at the local Wendy’s fast food restaurant with Hebre…

Mar

16 2018

Rabbi Wolff: A Gentleman Before God (feature)

3:15PM - 5:00PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

The life and work of William Wolff, who is nearly 90, and perhaps the most unconventional rabbi in the world. A lesso…

Mar

16 2018

Shabbat Oneg Reception

5:00PM - 6:00PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

We welcome all SBJFF Sponsors and All-Access Passholders to join us on stage at the New Vic Theatre for a special Sha…

Mar

17 2018

Maktub (feature)

8:00PM - 9:45PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

The destiny of two small-time enforcers for a Jerusalem mob protection racket changes when they survive a suicide bom…

Mar

18 2018

Coffee & Bagels

9:30AM - 10:00AM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

All-Access Pass and Ticket holders are invited to enjoy coffee and bagels before the first film on Sunday. Sponsore…

Mar

18 2018

Muhi (FREE PROGRAM) (documentary)

10:00AM - 11:30AM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

A Palestinian boy who has a life-threatening immune disorder is caught in immigration limbo, which makes it impossibl…

Mar

18 2018

Shorts Program

12:00PM - 2:00PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

An interesting mix of European and Israeli short films ranging from somber and heartfelt to irreverent and funny. Vis…

Mar

18 2018

And Then She Arrived (feature)

3:00PM - 4:45PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

He has everything he could ever hope for, and then some: the perfect job at his father’s law firm, the perfect lovi…

Mar

18 2018

Shalom Bollywood (feature)

5:15PM - 6:30PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

The unlikely story of the (strong female) role that the Indian Jewish community played in the formative years of the …

Mar

18 2018

My Cousin (short)

7:30PM - 7:50PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

Jacob and Esau redux. Two sets of Israelis and Arabs have an ironic encounter as they set out on parallel missions of…

Mar

18 2018

The Invisibles (feature)

7:50PM - 9:50PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

Part documentary/part reenactment, this movie tells the incredible story of four young Jews who survive the Third Rei…

Mar

19 2018

Rabbi's Most Unlikely Granddaughter (short)

12:00PM - 12:30PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

The story of Bialystok Rabbi's granddaughter.

Mar

19 2018

Zuzana: Music is Life (feature)

12:30PM - 2:00PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

The triumphant story of Zuzana Ruzickova, who survived Nazi concentration camps and the terrors of the Communist regi…

Mar

19 2018

An Israeli Love Story (feature)

2:15PM - 3:50PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

The true story of the love between Eli Ben-Zion, son of the second president of Israel and Margalit, an aspiring actr…

Mar

19 2018

Last Band in Lebanon (feature)

4:15PM - 6:00PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

A huge box office hit in Israel. An army buddy movie that combines comedy, romance, and music to create a film as hot…

Mar

19 2018

Now or Later (short)

7:00PM - 7:15PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

A young Hasidic woman and a young black man start an unlikely relationship.

Mar

19 2018

The Wonderful Kingdom of Papa Alaev

7:15PM - 8:30PM  

The New Vic Theatre
33 West Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 

Jewish immigrants to Israel from Tajikistan, the Alaev Family are a multigenerational music act with offstage drama t…

Mar

19 2018

 
Join us for a special program after the film as we end the Festival with the joyful sounds of FLOR De KANELA Sephardi…