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IMPORTANT: Our 2023 festival will be hybrid. This means we will offer both in-person (live) screenings and virtual screenings.
Please note: In-person screenings will not be offered virtually and virtual screenings will not be offered in-person.
Virtual TIFF 2023 will be available on demand with a pre-recorded talkback.
COVID RESTRICTIONS (for screenings at Puffin Cultural Forum only): Properly fitting KN95 or N95 masks are required indoors.
Alam
Drama (subtitles: hebrew, arabic) - 109 MINUTES
Description: In this sentimental political drama, a Palestinian-Israeli teen comes of age and to grips with his fraught heritage. Tamer and his friends lead a typical student's life until the beautiful Maysaa arrives on the scene. Alam is a triple award winner, including best film and audience award at the Cairo Film Festival.
Sponsored by Palestinian American Community Center; Global Emergency Response and Assistance
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Documentary - 122 MINUTES
Directed by Laura Poitras
Description: Internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin’s personal fight to hold the Sackler pharmaceutical family accountable for the opioid crisis. The story is told through her slideshows, intimate interviews, ground-breaking photography, and rare footage.
Sponsored by Jackie and Michael Kates
Talkback with Brian Kates, editor; Howard Gertler, producer
Bella!
Documentary - 102 MINUTES
Directed by Jeff L. Lieberman
Description: In 1970, when the United States was ruled by men, Bella Abzug challenged the status quo, running a successful campaign from the streets of Manhattan that elevated her all the way to the halls of Congress. With her trademark hat and Bronx swagger, Bella entered Congress swinging, battling for credit cards for women, equality for the LGBTQ community and trailblazing a path for leadership that reflected the broad diversity of the country.
Sponsored by Women of Wisdom (WOW); National Council of Jewish Women Bergen County Section (NCJW); Former NJ State Senator Loretta Weinberg; League of Women Voters of Teaneck; Teaneck Women Together; YWCA Northern New Jersey
Talkback with Jeff L. Lieberman; Former NJ State Senator Loretta Weinberg
Cinema Sabaya
DRAMA - (subtitles: hebrew, arabic) - 91 MINUTES
Directed by Orit Fouks Rotem
Description: A group of Arab and Jewish women attend a video workshop at a community center run by Rona, a young filmmaker from Tel Aviv, who teaches them to document their lives. As each student shares footage from her home life with the others, their beliefs and preconceptions are challenged, and barriers are broken down. The group comes together as mothers, daughters, wives, and women living in a world designed to keep them apart, forming an empowering and lasting bond as they learn more about each other and themselves.
Sponsored by Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County
Talkback with Nadia Hosein, educator; Elaine Cohen, educator
Commitment to Life
Documentary - 115 MINUTES
Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz
Description: In the early 1980s, a young doctor at UCLA reports a strange immune disorder among gay men -- the world's first warning sign of the epidemic to come. A committed group of activists helps care for the sick and dying while at the same time lobbying those in Hollywood to contribute to the fight.
Sponsored by LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Center at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center; National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Bergen / Passaic Chapter; Vivian Scott Chew, in memory of her brother Lawrence Eric Murphy; YWCA Northern New Jersey
Talkback with Dr. Chris Awwad and Finn Schubert of LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Center at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center; Kayden Sarria, YWCA Northern New Jersey healingspace
The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes
Documentary - 115 MINUTES
Directed by Yariv Mozer
Description: Only weeks before the trial of Adolf Eichmann began, transcripts of recorded conversations between Eichmann and a Dutch journalist, Willem Sassen, were mysteriously handed over to the prosecutor, Gideon Hausner. During the trial, Eichmann tried to convince the judges that he was only a bureaucrat who carried out orders but, in the transcripts, Eichmann was found boasting and proud of his significant role in planning and executing the Final Solution.
Sponsored by The Jewish Link
Talkback with Dennis Klein, Professor of History and Director, MA in Holocaust and Genocide Studies; Jewish Studies Program at Kean University
The Empty Saddle: Remembering Samuel Johnson
Documentary - 12 MINUTES
Directed by Andrew Sherwood
Description: This film chronicles the work of the New Jersey Social Justice Remembrance Coalition in conjunction with the Equal Justice Institute to bring a historical marker to the Eatontown site of the 1886 lynching of Samuel “Mingo Jack” Johnson. Johnson’s killing is the only documented lynching in New Jersey history.
Sponsored by Martin Luther King Birthday Committee; Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey
Talkback with Rabbi Steven Sirbu of Temple Emeth; Andrew Sherwood; Rev Kerwin Webb, New Jersey Social Justice
Faith Ringgold: Tell It Like It Is
Biography / History - 67 MINUTES
Description: Harlem-born artist, author and activist Faith Ringgold painted some of the most truthful and empowering representations of African Americans during the civil rights and women’s movements of the 1960s and 1970s. At the time, the art establishment dismissed her seminal American People series as political art by a woman, and a black woman at that. Now in her 90s and a resident of Englewood, New Jersey, Ringgold is considered one of the most important African American artists, whose work is increasingly relevant today.
Sponsored by Woman’s Club of Englewood; Teaneck - Englewood & Vicinity Club (NANBPWC, Inc.); Northern NJ Community Foundation; YWCA Northern New Jersey
Talkback with Dorian Bergen, ACA Galleries; Dr. Michele Faith Wallace and Barbara Wallace, Ms. Ringgold’s daughters; Faith Ringgold will be in attendance
Four Winters
Documentary - 90 MINUTES
Directed by Julia Mintz
Description: Over 25,000 Jewish partisans fought back against the Nazis and their collaborators from deep within the forests of WWII's Eastern Europe, Ukraine, and Belarus. Against extraordinary odds, they escaped Nazi slaughter, transforming from young innocents to courageous resistance fighters. Shattering the myth of Jewish passivity, these last surviving partisans tell their stories of resistance.
Sponsored by Judith Distler; Phil Yucht; ; Jewish Community Council of Greater Teaneck
Talkback with Julia Mintz
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
Documentary - 102 MINUTES
Directed by Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson
Description: Through intimate archival footage and visually innovative treatments of Nikki Giovanni’s poetry, the film pushes the boundaries of biographical documentary film by traveling through time and space to reveal the enduring influence of one of America’s greatest living artists and social commentators.
Sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Bergen County Alumnae Chapter
Talkback with Jeannette Curtis Rideau, author and performance poet; Scott Pleasants, Teaneck Poet Laureate
Hollywood’s Orthodox Jew Problem
Documentary - 15 MINUTES
Directed by Alec Gondobintoro
Description: This documentary short is the first of a three-part film laying out Hollywood’s mistreatment of Jews. The first part focuses on the Orthodox Jewish community. The film illustrates the uptick in antisemitism that has been on the rise recently and how dangerous it is now to be Jewish.
Sponsored by Teaneck Women Together
Talkback with Allison Josephs, Jew in the City; Mendy Pellin, Hasidic comedian
Hungry to Learn
Documentary - 85 MINUTES
Directed by Geeta Gandbhir
Description: The cost of college is forcing students to make choices between eating regular meals and paying for their education. Co-produced by Soledad O’Brien, this poignant film follows four college students as they navigate food insecurity in their attempt to change their lives for the better.
Sponsored by Center for Food Action; Fairleigh Dickinson University
Talkback with Rashard Mills, FDU Campus Engagement & CFA Board Member; Lisa Pitz, CFA Hunger Free NJ; Sara Goldrick-Rab, featured in film & author of Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream
Invisible Beauty
Documentary - 115 MINUTES
Directed by Bethann Hardison and Frederic Tcheng
Description: Fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison looks back on her journey as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent, and activist, shining a light on an untold chapter in the fight for racial diversity. The film features Tracee Ellis Ross, Naomi Campbell, Tyson Beckford, Zendaya, Iman, Whoopi Goldberg, Fran Lebowitz, and Kadeem Hardison.
Sponsored by National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Bergen / Passaic Chapter
Talkback with Kyle Hagler, No Smoking LLC, Fashion Consultancy Mgt.; Ruth D. Hunt, former fashion model who broke the color barrier as the first Black in-house swimsuit model on Seventh Avenue
Kid Flicks One
Animated Shorts - 63 MINUTEs (Ages 5 – 10)
Description: Let your imagination take the wheel with Kid Flicks One. Whether dreaming up the fantastical, like a spider’s goal to capture the moon, or the practical, like a young animator’s future stardom, these shorts are sure to enchant and delight all audiences (but especially our youngest!)
Sponsored by Puffin Foundation, Ltd.; Teaneck Public Library; Friends of the Teaneck Public Library; Barbara Ostroth, Coldwell Banker Realty
The Old Oak
drama - 113 MINUTES
Directed by Ken Loach
Introduction from Director Ken Loach (prerecorded)
Description: The Old Oak is the last pub standing in a once thriving mining village in northern England, a gathering space for a community that has fallen on hard times. There is growing anger, resentment, and a lack of hope among the residents, but the pub and its proprietor TJ are a fond presence to their customers. When a group of Syrian refugees move into the floundering village, a decisive rift fueled by prejudices develops between the community and its newest inhabitants. The formation of an unexpected friendship between TJ and a young Syrian woman named Yara opens up new possibilities for the divided village in this deeply moving drama about loss, fear, and the difficulty of finding hope. Last film by legendary director Ken Loach.
Sponsored by Cultural Society of Bergen County; Eid Committee of New Jersey
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
Documentary - 96 MINUTES
Directed by Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen
Description: Delves deep into civil rights icon Rosa Parks' historic work and her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Through interviews with those who knew her, powerful archival footage, and her own words, the film tells the story of Parks' extensive organizing, radical politics, and lifelong dedication to activism.
Sponsored by Bergen County, NJ Chapter of The Links, Inc.
Talkback with civil rights activist Theodora Lacey
Shared Legacies
Documentary - 95 MINUTES
Directed by Shari Rogers
Description: The historical ties between Black and Jewish Americans began long before the Civil Rights era. Shared Legacies explores this significant alliance, sharing eyewitness accounts, interviews with civil rights leaders, including the late U.S. Representative John Lewis, and a treasure trove of archival footage. The film is a tribute to the pursuit of what Dr. King called a “coalition of conscience” and a celebration of partnership, as well as an urgent call to action for today.
Sponsored by Martin Luther King Birthday Committee; Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey; Teaneck Community Chorus
Talkback with Rabbi Steven Sirbu of Temple Emeth; Andrew Sherwood; Rev. Kerwin Webb, New Jersey Social Justice Remembrance Coalition
La Syndicaliste (The Sitting Duck)
Drama / Thriller - (Subtitles: French) - 121 minutes
Directed by Jean-Paul Salome
Description: In 2012, the head union representative of a French multinational nuclear powerhouse becomes a whistle-blower, denouncing top-secret deals that shake the French nuclear sector. Alone against the world, Maureen Kearney fights government ministers and industry leaders to bring the scandal to light and defend more than 50,000 jobs. Based on a true story.
Sponsored by Adeline Wijnen; Teaneck Creek Conservancy
Under G-d
Documentary - 24 MINUTES
Directed by Paula Eiselt
Description: Inspired by the lived experiences of Jewish women, lawsuits are currently being launched by rabbis, Jewish organizations, and interfaith leaders to challenge the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Sponsored by Teaneck Women Together
Talkback with Paula Eiselt; Dr. Michal Raucher, Director of Jewish Studies, Rutgers
Unexpected
Documentary - 18 MINUTES
Directed by Zeberiah Newman
Description: Follows Masonia Traylor and Cici Covin as they produce self-care packages for pregnant women recently diagnosed with HIV and offer them to be part of a safe network of support and services.
Sponsored by LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Center at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center; National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Bergen / Passaic Chapter; Vivian Scott Chew, in memory of her brother Lawrence Eric Murphy; YWCA Northern New Jersey
Talkback with Zeberiah Newman
Viral Vignettes
Comedy - 114 MINUTES
Directed by David Levin
Description: Twelve one-act comedies that introduce us to 21 unique characters - stuck at home during the pandemic, trying to make sense of an unprecedented situation, filled with strangeness and unexpected humor.
Sponsored by Steven Finkelstein of Russo Realty
Talkback with David Levin
Vishniac
Documentary - 90MINUTES
Directed by Laura Bialis
Description: Roman Vishniac is best known for having traversed Eastern Europe from 1935 through 1938, on assignment for the American Joint Distribution Committee, to photograph Jewish life in Eastern Europe. The purpose of the photographs was to raise funds for impoverished Jewish communities. Few predicted that less than a decade later, these communities would be wiped out, and Vishniac's photographs would provide the last visual records of an entire world. But those photographs comprise only one chapter of his remarkable life. Vishniac was an avid scientist, and made considerable contributions in the field of microscopic photography. His “Living Biology” series, funded by the National Science Foundation, were some of the first films depicting life through a microscope. He is credited as one of the founders of this field. Now, for the first time, Vishniac’s life and work is explored in a feature-length documentary.
Sponsored by Jewish Standard
Talkback with Abby Lester, JDC Archives Global Director
Jews of the Wild West (VIRTUAL)
Documentary - 80 MINUTES
Directed by Amanda Kinsey
Description: Jewish pioneers of the Wild West are a largely forgotten chapter in US History. Yet, they played a definitive role shaping the expansion of the United States. By 1912, it is estimated that more than 100,000 Jews had migrated to the Wild West. This documentary tells a positive immigration story and highlights the contributions Jewish Americans made to shaping the Western United States.
Talkback with Amanda Kinsey; Eric Goldman, Jewish film critic, educator, and historian
Joyland (VIRTUAL)
drama - (Subtitles: Punjabi, Urdu) - 126 MINUTES
Directed by Saim Sadiq
Description: Following a long spell of unemployment, Haider finally lands a job at a Bollywood-style burlesque, telling his family he is a theater manager, when in actuality, he is a backup dancer. The unusual position shakes up the steadfast traditional dynamics of his household and enables Haider to break out of his shell. As he acclimates to the new job, Haider becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman Biba who runs the show—an unforeseen partnership that opens his eyes and ultimately his worldview, in ways both unexpected and intimate.
Talkback with Barbara Khan
Las Abogadas: Attorneys on the Front Lines of the Migrant Crisis (VIRTUAL)
Documentary - 94 MINUTES
Directed by Victoria Bruce
Description: Film follows four immigration attorneys over a multi-year odyssey as the U.S. Government under President Trump upends every law meant to protect those fleeing from persecution, violence, and war.
Sponsored by Nachman, Phulwani, Zimovcak (NPZ) Law Group, P.C.
Talkback with Victoria Bruce; Rebecca Eichler, subject of film; Cynthia Rosario, NPZ Law
