2026 Summer Jewish Film Festival
Eye-opening, entertaining films, guided discussion, & free refreshments
Friends,
FJC’s Summer Jewish Film Festival is back, with fabulous feature films and documentaries that have entertained audiences at festivals and theaters around the country and the world. Right here in Falmouth, you can watch, discuss and gather around films that expand your horizons while entertaining and enlightening us.
See you at the movies!
Film Schedule
Screenings at Falmouth Jewish Congregation,
Blanche & Joel D. Seifer Community Center, 7 Hatchville Rd. East Falmouth, MA
Tuesdays at 7:00 P.M.
(doors open at 6:30 P.M.)
| July 7 | Once Upon My Mother | Drama |
| July 14 | The Ring | Drama |
FILM DESCRIPTIONS
Once Upon My Mother
Written and directed by Ken Scott
France & Canada, 2025, 102 mins, French with English subtitles
A triumphant celebration of unconditional love, Once Upon My Mother is a joyful, heartwarming family saga that radiates faith, devotion, and the transformative power of maternal love.
Inspired by Roland Perez’s beloved bestselling autobiography, this irresistible cinematic gem transports us to France, 1963. When Esther Perez (radiantly portrayed by Leïla Bekhti, Paris, je t’aime)—a spirited Moroccan-Jewish immigrant raising six children in the Parisian suburbs—learns her newborn son Roland has been born with a clubfoot, she refuses to accept the doctors’ grim prognosis. With fierce determination, boundless love, and an unshakeable belief in miracles, she embarks on a decades-long crusade to ensure her son doesn’t just walk—he soars.
Leïla Bekhti delivers a luminous, powerhouse performance, bringing to life a larger-than-life mother whose love knows absolutely no limits. Vibrantly shot by Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Guillaume Schiffman (The Artist), the film bursts with color, energy, and the nostalgic sounds of French pop classics—including iconic songs by Jewish music legend Sylvie Vartan, who makes a delightful cameo appearance.
This big-hearted, exuberant crowd-pleaser swept the French box office with millions of admissions, and it’s easy to see why. Blending laugh-out-loud humor with deeply moving moments, Once Upon My Mother is a universal celebration to the extraordinary lengths parents will go for their children.
Awards
WINNER – Audience Award for Best Feature | JFilm Festival Pittsburgh 2026
WINNER – Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature | Atlanta Jewish Film Festival 2026
WINNER – Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature | Atlanta Jewish Film Festival 2026
WINNER – Audience Choice Award for Best Feature | Houston Jewish Film Festival 2026
WINNER – Audience Choice Award | Oklahoma Jewish Film Festival 2026
WINNER – Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature | San Diego International Jewish Film Festival 2026
WINNER – Audience Award for Best Narrative | Miami Jewish Film Festival 2026
WINNER – Audience Choice Award | Toronto Jewish Film Festival 2025
WINNER – Audience Award for Best Feature | Jewish International Film Festival Australia 2025
The Ring
Written by Adir Miller, directed by: Adir Miller, Doron & Yoav Paz
Israel 2024, 122 mins, Hebrew and Hungarian with English subtitles
Beloved Israeli comedian and acclaimed actor Adir Miller (The Matchmaker, MJFF ’22) makes a powerful return to the screen with The Ring, a deeply personal and emotionally resonant drama inspired by his own family’s Holocaust survival. Known for his deft balance of humor and heart, Miller takes on multiple roles as co-writer, co-director, and star, alongside the acclaimed directing duo Doron and Yoav Paz (Plan A, MJFF ’22).
Spanning generations and continents, The Ring begins in 1944 Budapest, where a young mother bribes a fascist soldier with a gold ring to save herself and her infant son. Decades later, her son, now a devoutly religious man, embarks on a journey back to Hungary as his mother’s health declines—determined to find the ring that once saved her life. Joining him, reluctantly, is his estranged daughter, whose closeness to her grandmother compels her to help, even as her father’s inability to accept her identity threatens to tear them apart.
What unfolds is a poignant intergenerational quest—part mystery, part road movie, and part emotional reckoning—as father and daughter confront their past, their differences, and the lingering shadows of history. Adir Miller’s signature wit and warmth infuse the film with moments of levity and humanity, transforming a story of loss and reconciliation into one of forgiveness, healing, and enduring love.
Told with sensitivity, grace, and a distinctly Israeli blend of humor and heart, The Ring is a moving testament to memory, redemption, and the ties that bind families across time.
