After the October 7 attacks, artists Nitzan Mintz and Dede Bandaid launched the “Kidnapped from Israel” grassroots poster campaign in NY to raise awareness about the hostages taken by Hamas. Torn explores the motivations of activists putting up and tearing down the posters, revealing the complexities of the war through intense debates and personal stories.  

Talk-back with director Nim Shapira and the artists following the screening, moderated by Prof. Yael Aronoff, Director of the Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel at Michigan State University.  

This program is proudly sponsored by the Israel Engagement Fund: A JCC Association of North America Program Accelerator and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. 

Gold Film Sponsor: Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit; Elaine and Michael Serling; SAJE

Silver Film Sponsor: Manat Foundation

Bronze Film Sponsor: The Michael and Elaine Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel 

Sponsor: Janice Charach Gallery; JFamily; JLearn

On January 15, 2022, an ordinary Shabbat morning at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, turned into a harrowing hostage crisis involving Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three others. Colleyville is a gripping real-life drama showcasing the resilience of the hostages and community while highlighting the complexities of antisemitism. 

Talk-back with Ophir award-winning filmmaker Dani Menkin and Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker following the screening, moderated by Rabbi Paul Yedwab, Temple Israel.   

Bronze Film Sponsor: ADL Michigan; Hadassah Greater Detroit Region; Temple Isarel

This beautifully restored 1923 silent masterpiece tells the poignant story of a rabbi’s son who leaves his Polish shtetl to pursue acting in Vienna. The film is accompanied by a live musical score composed and performed by klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals and silent film pianist Donald Sosin, adding a unique, immersive dimension to this CineConcert experience. 

The live performance is made possible by The Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts. 

Diamond Film Sponsor: Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring

Gold Film Sponsor: Burton A. Zipser & Sandra D. Zipser Foundation; SAJE; Cis Maisel

Bronze Film Sponsor: Jewish Historical Society of Michigan

Sponsor: The Berman; JLearn; JTraveler

Israel’s biggest box office hit of the year, Matchmaking 2, is the feel-good, long-awaited sequel to the beloved 2022 rom-com starring some of Israel’s brightest young talents. This tender, side-splitting celebration of clashing traditions and big-hearted characters follows a love-struck bachelor in a Jerusalem yeshiva, pressured to find his soulmate before it’s too late. 

Bronze Film Sponsor: Adat Shalom Synagogue Sisterhood; Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit; National Council of Jewish Women, Michigan; The Women of Temple Israel

Sponsor: The J's Opening the Doors

In 1945, 10-year-old Holocaust survivor Marcel Zielinski made a 60-mile journey by foot from Auschwitz-Birkenau to Krakow in search of his family. Decades later, 250 cyclists retrace his path in a mission called Ride for the Living. This powerful documentary draws parallels between his experience and the cyclists’ journey to spark a conversation about the struggle between dehumanization and empathy. 

Talk-back with co-director Tim Roper and producer Lisa Effress following the screening.  

Silver Film Sponsor: Team Alex

Bronze Film Sponsor: Jewish Federation of Detroit; Temple Israel Brotherhood; The Zekelman Holocaust Center

Sponsor: JRec

Tony Award-winner Jeffrey Seller

in conversation with Tony Award-nominee Douglas Sills

(Broadway's The Scarlet Pimpernel and HBO's The Gilded Age) 

A coming-of-age tale from one of the most successful American producers of our time, Jeffrey Seller, one of the masterminds behind the Tony Award-winning musicals Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights, and Hamilton. Theater Kid is a gripping memoir about chasing a dream against many odds and finding acceptance and community. Jeffrey is a Suburban Detroit native and a proud graduate of the University of Michigan. 

“I loved reading the wonderful, inspiring adventures of Jeffrey Seller’s life and career. If you feel like an outsider from the poorest part of town, take heart, your dreams can come true.”—Bernadette Peters 

Gold Film Sponsor: BELFOR USA Group 

Silver Film Sponsor: Tamarack Camps

Bronze Film Sponsor: Henry & Delia Meyers Library

Sponsor: The Berman

Sponsor: Ageless and Active; JKids and Family

Arnon Noble, a devout man with a strong bond to his mother, a Holocaust survivor, embarks on a journey to Hungary with his estranged daughter to seek a legendary ring that once saved her life. Written by and starring Ophir Award-winning actor and beloved stand-up comedian Adir Miller, The Ring is based on his own family’s story of Holocaust survival.

Bronze Film Sponsor: CHAIM-Children of Holocaust Survivors Association in Michigan; The Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Project

David and his fiancée Meg attend a Shabbat dinner at his mother’s house to introduce her Catholic parents to his Jewish family. When a turn of events leads to a frantic cover-up, the evening spirals into darkly comedic chaos. Uproariously funny with a cast featuring Emmy-winner Kyra Sedgwick, Method Man, and David Paymer, Bad Shabbos is filled with twists, turns, and laughs you won’t see coming! 

Talkback with Rabbi Blair Nosanwisch, Adat Shalom Synagogue, and Rabbi Yonatan Dahlen, Congregation Shaarey Zedek.  

Silver Film Sponsor: B'nai B'rith Great Lakes Region; Bronze Film Sponsor: ORT America Michigan Region; Sponsor: Women of The J; jlive

Special Opening Short: Sauna Dreams This mockumentary follows Dave Roffman, a schlub from New York, on his quest to win the 2023 World Sauna Championships in Detroit. Watch for a brief appearance by local actor David Shevrin, who shows up in a towel, though his lines were left on the cutting room floor.

Festival Co-Sponsor: The Schvitz

Gold Film Sponsor: Burton A. Zipser & Sandra D. Zipser Foundation; Hampton Inn Southfield/West Bloomfield; Home 2 Suites West Bloomfield

Sponsor: The Berman

The story of this institution's hundred years on Mount Carmel provides a fascinating prism through which to describe the history of the State of Israel. 

Panel discussion with special guest speaker Prof. Peretz Lavie, Past President, Technion, Haifa, Israel.  

Platinum Film Sponsor: American Technion Society

Gold Film Sponsor: SAJE

Silver Film Sponsor: The Cis Maisel Center for Judaic Studies and Community Engagement