Six films. Ten days. Unforgettable stories.

Sinai Desert, Yom Kippur War, 1973. In a remote outpost, a company of Israeli soldiers are overwhelmed by a sudden Egyptian onslaught. After a week of ceaseless assaults, the survivors face imminent doom. With lives hanging by a thread, a young lieutenant and an army doctor confront a soul-shattering choice: a desperate last stand or a perilous gamble that could betray everything they stand for.

This film contains violence and themes that may be distressing to some viewers.

Arnon Noble was saved as a baby when his mother bribed a Hungarian soldier with a precious ring to spare his life during the Holocaust. Now a devout man living in Israel, his world is shaken when his beloved mother is hospitalized. Determined to uncover the truth behind his family’s past, he embarks on an emotional journey to Budapest with his estranged daughter, searching for the ring in the hope that it might once again bring salvation.

In this searing political sports thriller, a female Iranian judo champion and her coach face a harrowing ultimatum in a championship match against an Israeli opponent. Set during the Judo World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, rising star Leila is on the brink of victory when the Iranian regime intervenes, ordering her to forfeit to avoid a potentially humiliating loss. Her coach, Maryam, joins her in an agonizing decision: withdraw under false pretenses to protect family in Iran or risk everything and defy the regime. 

 The first film ever co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian filmmaker, Tatami pairs stark black-and-white visuals with kinetic camerawork to amplify the adrenaline of competition and expose authoritarian rule.

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Awards

WINNER, Freedom of Expression Award | Venice International Film Festival, 2023

WINNER, Best Actress (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi) | Tokyo International Film Festival, 2023

This film contains scenes with brief nudity and themes that may be distressing to some viewers.

In a harrowing real-life story, The Road Between Us follows retired Israeli General Noam Tibon, who on October 7, 2023, received a desperate text from his son: terrorists had stormed his home, and he, his wife, and their two young daughters feared for their lives. With no time to spare, Tibon and his wife, Gali, embarked on a 10-hour mission across a country under siege to save their family. Relying only on his instincts and military training, Tibon navigated ambushes, roadblocks, and a collapsing security system in a relentless race against time.

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Awards

WINNER, People’s Choice Award, Documentary | Toronto International Film Festival, 2025

This film contains scenes with brief nudity and themes that may be distressing to some viewers.

Having emigrated to France with his family years earlier, Antoine reconnects with his roots in a neighborhood of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Nostalgic memories flood back—school, friends, his Sephardic upbringing, and his early fascination with cinema—as he presents his new film, an account of his childhood shaped by the unrest that ultimately forced them to flee. As father and son bond over shared history, this sentimental sojourn, adapted from director Alexandre Arcady’s memoir, is brought to life on the vibrant streets of Algiers, evoking a bygone time.

Set across two eras, this evocative drama masterfully intertwines a love story with a gripping historical mystery, as a woman’s journey through 1970s Israel unearths the long-buried passions and secrets of another’s life in the same land in the 1930s.

This film contains violence and themes that may be distressing to some viewers.

An intimate portrait of internationally acclaimed photographer Joan Roth, this film focuses on five decades of Roth’s pioneering photography, in which she used her camera to advocate for homeless women in New York City, documented leaders in the U.S. Women’s Movement from the 1970s through today, and illuminated the diverse lives of Jewish women around the world. Free. RSVP at JewishVA.org/Roth

This eye-opening documentary offers an intimate look at the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of Maus, exploring how personal trauma, cultural catastrophe, and political unrest have shaped Spiegelman’s life and work. Tickets are included in the full festival pass. Standalone tickets are $8 for Chrysler Museum of Art members, $16 for non-members. Register at JewishVA.org/Muse.

Presented in partnership with the Chrysler Museum of Art and the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater