It’s film festival season in New York, and dozens of Jewish and Israeli movies will be showing across the city in June — many premiering in New York or the United States for the first time.
With the Israeli Film Center Festival at the Marlene Meyerson JCC, the annual Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, and the granddaddy New York film festival of them all, the Tribeca Festival, all taking place this month, there’s a buffet of Jewish films at the ready.
The Tribeca Festival (as it’s been known since 2020), founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff to reinvigorate Lower Manhattan after 9/11, runs June 4-15. This wide-ranging festival will screen hundreds of films — from both independent and big studios — including documentary, narrative and shorts, with many films of Jewish interest among them.
Based at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, The Israel Film Center Festival, which runs June 5-11, spotlights the best of modern Israeli films, including award-winners and box office hits, as well as Q&As with the directors, writers and actors behind them.
Finally, the 27th annual Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, organized by the American Sephardi Federation, runs from June 8-15 and is also a part of the first-ever Festival Sefarad NYC. During this fest, guests can see movies featuring stories and characters from the Sephardic and Mizrahi world, listen to talkbacks with filmmakers and actors, and watch as recipients win Pomegranate Awards for their contributions to Sephardi literature, music and culture.
From quirky comedies to documentaries about larger-than-life Jewish icons, here are nine must-see Jewish films playing at all three festivals this month.
“Andy Kaufman Is Me”
Andy Kaufman appearing on the “Late Show With David Letterman” in 1980. (YouTube)
This documentary about the late, legendary Jewish performance artist and anti-comedian Andy Kaufman uses puppetry, Kaufman’s never-before-heard audio diaries, and his unfinished semi-autobiographical novel to provide insight into Kaufman’s mind. Directed by Clay Tweel, the film is described as “a trippy, funny, and deeply personal ride through the mind of a man who never played by the rules — and never wanted to.” Featuring interviews with his siblings Michael and Carol Kaufman, as well as David Letterman, Carol Kane, and others, “Andy Kaufman Is Me” will have its world premiere as part of the Tribeca Film Festival at the SVA Theatre (333 West 23rd St.) on June 6 at 8 p.m. There will be additional screenings on June 7 and June 12. Get tickets here.
“Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything”
“Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything” premieres at Tribeca Festival June 12, and will be available to stream on Hulu on June 23. (Courtesy ABC)
“Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything” is a retrospective of the life and career of the groundbreaking Jewish news host, who died in late 2022 at age 92. The film charts Walters’ journey from her early days on “The Today Show” to becoming the first woman to host an American network evening news program to co-creating “The View.” Directed by Jackie Jesko, “Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything” will have its world premiere as part of the Tribeca Festival at SVA Theatre (333 West 23rd St.) on June 12 at 5 p.m; further screenings on June 13 and June 15. Get tickets here.
“Bliss”
Still from “Bliss,” showing at the 2025 Israel Film Festival. (Courtesy Israel Film Festival)
In this feature film, older couple Sassi and Efi, who live in northern Israel, struggle to make ends meet after Sassi’s son moved to Brussels and left them with debt. When Sassi’s grandson and Efi’s former orchestral student appear in their lives, the couple’s love for each other is put to the test. Directed by Shemi Zarhin, the film stars Israeli icon Sasson Gabai as Sassi and Asi Levi as Efi in their first film together since “Aviva My Love,” a 2006 film also directed by Zarhin. “Bliss” will be screened as part of the Israel Film Center Festival at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue (131 Remsen St.) on June 11 at 5:30 p.m. The official New York premiere will take place June 12 at 7 p.m. at Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Ave.) and will include a reception and post-screening conversation with Zarhin and Gabai. Get tickets here.
“Holding Liat”
The Beinin family embraces in a still from the documentary ‘Holding Liat’. (Meridian Hill Pictures)
Directed by Brandon Kramer, documentary “Holding Liat” follows Yehuda and Chana Beinin, the parents of Liat Beinin Atzili, an Israeli-American woman who was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, as they advocate to the United States government for her release. Atzili, whose husband Aviv was killed on Oct. 7, was released in the first hostage deal in November 2023. The film won the top documentary prize at the Berlinale festival in February, despite negative reactions from the public to Israeli presence at the festival. Acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky is among the lineup of producers. “Holding Liat” will have its North American premiere as part of the Tribeca Film Festival on June 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Village East by Angelika (181-189 Second Ave.); tickets are also available for screenings on June 10-12. Get tickets here.
“Matchmaking 2”
“Matchmaking 2” will have its New York premiere at the 2025 Sephardic Jewish Film Festival. (Courtesy Sephardic Jewish Film Festival)
A sequel to the 2022 Israeli hit “Matchmaking,” this film tells the story of Baruch Auerbach, an older, still-unmarried yeshiva student who is assigned by the local matchmaker to pick up her daughter, Shira, from the airport. When her flight is delayed, the two are forced to spend Shabbat together at the airport. Against a backdrop of cultural tensions between the Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities, Baruch finds himself falling in love with Shira, even if he doesn’t stand a chance with her. Directed by Erez Tadmor, “Matchmaking 2” stars Irit Kaplan from “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” and Amit Rahav from “Unorthodox” and “We Were the Lucky Ones.” The film will have its New York premiere as part of the New York Sephardic Film Festival at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St.) on June 11 at 8:30 p.m. Get your tickets here.
“Pink Lady”
Still from “Pink Lady,” showing at the 2025 Israel Film Festival. (Courtesy Israel Film Festival)
The lives of Jerusalem-based haredi Orthodox couple Bati and Lazer are disrupted when Lazer is blackmailed by a neighborhood gang that learns he is having an affair with his male study partner. In an effort to protect her family and her husband, Bati supports Lazer while he attempts to “cure” himself of his homosexuality; at the same time, she discovers her own sexuality. Directed by Nir Bergmann, “Pink Lady” will have its New York premiere as part of the Israel Film Center Festival at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Ave.) on June 5 at 7 p.m. and it will screen again on June 6 at 11 a.m. at the JCC Mid-Westchester (999 Wilmot Rd., Scarsdale). Get tickets here.
“The Last Righteous Man”
“The Last Righteous Man” will have its United States premiere at the 2025 Sephardic Jewish Film Festival. (Courtesy Sephardic Jewish Film Festival)
This documentary tells the story of the aristocratic rabbinical Abuhazira family and their early days in Morocco and their rise to prominence in Israel. Focusing on the mystical Sephardic figure Baba Sali and his younger brother, Baba Khaki, the film, directed by Rafael Balulu, travels between Morocco and Israel, and demonstrates how the storied family have led Jewish communities for two centuries. “The Last Righteous Man” will have its United States premiere as part of the New York Sephardic Film Festival at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th St.) on June 12 at 8:30 p.m., followed by a Q&A with the director. Get your tickets here.
“The Property”
Still from “The Property,” showing at the 2025 Israel Film Festival. (Courtesy Israel Film Festival)
Based on Rutu Modan’s graphic novel of the same name, “The Property” follows Regina and her granddaughter Mika as they head to Warsaw to reclaim family property looted by the Nazis during World War II. As Mika falls in love with a local tour guide, Regina takes the opportunity to reconnect with her long-lost love from 70 years ago. Directed by Dana Modan, “The Property” will screen as part of the Israel Film Center Festival on June 11 at 5 p.m. at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Ave.), and June 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the JCC Mid-Westchester (999 Wilmot Rd., Scarsdale). Get tickets here.
“Yaël Naim: A New Soul”
French-Israeli singer Yaël Naim gets the documentary treatment in “Yaël Naim: A New Soul”. (Courtesy Sephardic Jewish Film Festival)
This documentary about the French-Israeli singer and musician — whose hit 2008 song “New Soul” became popular in the U.S. after being used in an Apple commercial — is having its world premiere at the New York Sephardic Film Festival. Directed by Jill Coulon, the film — which incorporates personal home videos, photos, animation and paintings — explores Naim’s rise to fame as “New Soul” hit number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, her heritage as a Maghrebi (North African) Jew, and her life as an artist, mother, and musician. The 55-minute film, recorded in French with English subtitles, will be shown at the Florence Gould Theater on the Upper East Side (55 E 59th St.) on June 9 at 8:45 p.m., followed by a Q&A with Coulon and Naim. Get tickets here.
The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.
