Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival

Enjoy five days of world-class international and independent comedies, dramas, documentaries, and shorts from Israel, Europe, Canada, and the U.S. premiering for the first time in Santa Barbara.

Schedule of Events:

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM: Coffee and Bagel Breakfast

10:30 AM: Telling Nonie

Directors Paz Schwartz & Uriel Sinai

Israel/USA | 52 Minutes | 2023

Tormented by his role in a 1950s Gaza assassination, an introspective elderly Israeli agent seeks redemption by disclosing guilt and seeking reconciliation. At 88, Geizi Tsafrir reflects on his time with Israel’s security agency Shin Bet and the July ‘56 killing, executed with an explosive device, of an Egyptian lieutenant colonel responsible for cross-border attacks. Reuniting with former operatives, unsettling revelations drive him to action. He travels to Los Angeles to meet Nonie Darwish, the daughter of his target, with the hope of easing his troubled conscience. This winner of the Haifa International Film Festival’s Best Israeli Documentary explores intricate emotions, history’s complexities, and the bumpy path toward mutual understanding and forgiveness.

1:30 PM: Echoes of Loss: Eight Days in Israel

Director Rob Mar
USA | 73 Minutes | 2024

Join award-winning filmmaker, Rob Mor, an Israeli-American widower, affectionately known as “DadBob,” as he travels to Israel in the aftermath of the October 7th Terrorist attacks.

Journey alongside Mor as he travels from his home-base in Los Angeles to his homeland of Israel. Set against a backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war and rising global antisemitism, Mor explores his own healing journey after losing his wife, Noel, to ovarian cancer in 2019. Throughout the film, Mor interviews widows, parents, and family members who lost loved ones on October 7th and explores the grief felt by Israelis and Jews worldwide over this past year of turmoil. Bear witness to the enduring power of the human spirit, as the community cries, laughs, and rebuilds together alongside Mor.

3:30 PM: Air War

Director Roy Hornshtein
Israel | 106 Minutes | 2024

A rivalry between two charismatic Israeli air force fighter pilots reaches breaking point on the eve of the six-day war. After single handedly shooting down six Egyptian migs in aerial combat, the young, brash Lt. Ran Nesher is awarded a new assignment: to take over the command of a fighter squadron.

The squadron’s second-in-command, the more methodical and disciplined Lt. Eitan Rom is profoundly threatened by his new reckless Commander who is clearly inexperienced and domineering.

The ongoing power struggle begins to affect the performance of the squadron. however, As their country’s existence hangs in the balance, the two men must learn to work together. It is only then that they are ready to lead their squadron to victory.

5:30 - 6:00 PM: Shabbat Oneg Reception on Stage

Rabbi Blessings

Ticket Prices:

All Access Passes: $180
Single Tickets: $18

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