We are delighted to host our 11th AJFF from November 21 – 24:

Opening Night: Thursday, November 21, 7 p.m. | Cineplex Cinemas, Park Lane, Halifax, NS.

No Name Restaurant | Germany | Comedy | 2022 | 120 mins | English, Arabic, Hebrew.

To save the synagogue of the once largest Jewish community in the world from being shut down, Ben, an ultra-Orthodox Brooklyn Jew visiting Jerusalem, is sent to Egypt to be the desperately needed tenth man for the ceremonies of Pesach. Having missed his plane and been kicked off the bus in the Sinai Desert, his last hope is Adel, a grumpy Bedouin looking for his camel. In this spirited and absurdist culture-clash comedy, two men of different strict religious faiths must work together to survive in the Sinai Desert. Director / Writer:  Peter Keller, Stefan Sarazin.

Film & Reception: Saturday, November 23, 8 p.m. | Bronfman Theatre, Pier 21, Halifax, NS.

The Monkey House | Israel | 2023 | 128 minutes | Hebrew, Italian | Inspired by a true story.

Nominated for 11 Israeli Academy Awards by legendary Israeli director Avi Nesher. Inspired by a true story, The Monkey House is a witty cinematic gem combining a literary mystery with a rambunctious comedy. An Israeli author who’d enjoyed great success devises a clever scheme to revive his career and love life with the help of an enigmatic young actress, in this twisty dramedy.

Closing Film: Sunday, November 24, 3 p.m. | Cineplex Cinemas, Park Lane, Halifax, NS.

The Man in the Basement | France | 2023 | 114 minutes | Based on a true story.

Directed by Philippe Le Guay. After a Jewish couple sells their basement to a former history teacher, they discover his secret life as an antisemitic conspiracy theorist. As the couple struggles to rescind the sale, the buyer befriends their naive teenage daughter and turns the family’s world upside down. Provocative and superbly acted, the film—based on a true story— from prominent French director Philippe Le Guay The Man in the Basement is a tense psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Virtual Bundle in Atlantic Canada (4 films):

Home | Israel | Drama, Crime | Based on a true story | 2023 | 111 mins | Hebrew, Yiddish with English subtitles.

In this true-story-inspired crime drama, a young Orthodox man's dream of opening a computer store in an ultra-religious Jerusalem neighborhood becomes a clash of tradition and modernity, testing his marriage and personal autonomy as the community sees him as a threat. Nominated for 9 Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Film.

Converts: The Journey of Becoming Jewish | USA | 2023 | 70 minutes | English, Hebrew, Spanish | Documentary.

Directed by Rebecca Shore & Oren Rosenfeld. Follow in the footsteps of faith seekers who are on a mission to find their connection to Judaism. All are searching for identity and connection. By following their conversion process, we meet their teachers, families, and are vicariously exposed to Judaism's rich customs and traditions.

Ma Nishma Manitoba | Canada | 2023 | English | 41 minutes.

Directors/Filmmakers: Sara Bulloch, Johanna Reimer-Henteleff. From challah to immigration to the wandering Jew trope, Ma Nishma Manitoba is a mid-length documentary that explores Manitoban Jewish stories of identity and history. . Archival materials, illustrations, and stop animations connect history with present-day opinions and stories.

My Daughter, My Love | Israel/France | 2023 | French and Hebrew with English subtitles | 94 minutes.

A film by Eitan Green. An understated and delicately drawn drama, My Daughter, My Love penetrates the foibles and difficulties we face in talking about parenting, relationships, love, and family. During a trip to Paris Israeli widower Shimon, wonderfully played by Sasson Gabai, visits his daughter and her husband whose marriage seems fraught with tension. This begins a complex web of interactions that reveal the desires and frustrations of each person in the family.