SHORTS PROGRAM - "IT TAKES A SHTETL!"
"IT TAKES A SHTETL!" - Building community (kehillah) is not necessarily about blood relations; rather, it is often rooted in shared places and experiences. Six exceptional short films showcase how bonds with total strangers can resolve age-old Jewish questions. We need one another for safety and sanity! GUEST: Warren Etheredge, SJFF shorts curator.
- Multiple Films
- See Film Listing
- USA, France, Israel
- 82 minutes
- Rec: PG-13
Shorts Program - "IT TAKES A SHTETL!"
In Person: March 18 (Majestic Bay Theatres + *Gesa Power House Theatre in Walla Walla) | Virtual: March 23-29
Curated by Warren Etheredge: Building community (kehillah) is not necessarily about blood relations; rather, it is often rooted in shared places and experiences. Six exceptional short films showcase how bonds with total strangers can resolve age-old Jewish questions. We need one another for safety and sanity! (Rec: PG-13).
NIGHT SESSION | Ballard C. Boyd | Narrative Short (Comedy) | USA 2024 | English | 11m | Trailer | When a burglar unexpectedly runs into a homeowner (Richard Kind) during a theft in his New York City apartment, the robbery morphs into a makeshift therapy session.
BUTTERFLY (Papillon) | Florence Miailhe | Animated Short | France 2024 | French, Arabic and German w/subtitles | 15m | Trailer | As a man swims in the sea, his memories come to the surface. From his early childhood to his life as an adult, they are all linked to water. Nominated for a 2026 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
TEEN MARY | Ali Rosenthal | Narrative Short (Comedy) | USA 2025 | English | 20m | Trailer | Teen Mary gets pregnant by Nazareth’s biggest player, Gabriel. Facing death, she and her gay BFF Joseph hatch a plan: convince everyone God is the father.
M/OTHER (אי/מהות) | Iris Zaki | Documentary Short | Israel/USA 2024 | Hebrew w/subtitles | 19m | Trailer | Three childfree women in their 40s face explaining their choice to their mothers. In a unique twist, this long-overdue heart-to-heart finally happens—only not with their own moms, but with each other’s.
A KITE KILLED A PLANE (עפיפון הרג מטוס) | Daniel Sharoni | Animated Short | Israel 2025 | no dialogue | 6m | Ming, a day-laborer, is placed on a new job site that reminds him of the far away home he left.
WE SHOULD EAT | Shaina Feinberg | Narrative Short (Comedy) | USA 2024 | English | 10m | Trailer | Starring Alysia Reiner, Jackie Hoffman, Bob Ari and Tovah Feldshuh this sharp-witted, comedic short delivers a heaping serving of age-old irrationals: from Jewish mothers to existential dread, and of course, the perpetual family struggle to figure out what to order for dinner.
GUEST: Warren Etheredge, SJFF shorts curator.
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* Click Here to purchase tickets to the Walla Walla screening. You will be taken to the Gesa Power House Theatre website to purchase.
About Seattle Jewish Film Festival
Seattle Jewish Film Festival (SJFF) is one of the largest and longest-running film festivals in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest Jewish film festivals in the country. A cornerstone program of the Stroum Jewish Community Center (SJCC), SJFF brings people together from across Washington—and virtually around the globe—to celebrate and showcase the vibrancy and diversity of global Jewish life through cinema to build connections, illuminate perspectives, increase understanding, and offer experiences that amplify profound Jewish experiences for everyone. Follow the Seattle Jewish Film Festival on Facebook @SeattleJFF and Instagram @sjcc.arts.
Tickets and more information at SeattleJFF.org.
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