Explore media coverage, press highlights, and storytelling about the Spokane Jewish Film Festival. Stay informed with stories that showcase our films, filmmakers, community events, and the impact of SJFF throughout the region and beyond.
Spokane Jewish Film Festival returns with 12 films exploring culture, conflict and comedy
Neal Schindler, director of Jewish Family Services, was excited for the Academy Award shortlisted documentary “Coexistence, My Ass!” to be included in their lineup. He described it as a superb documentary and how its unconventional approach to Israel and Palestine will likely make it more accessible for general audiences than some other films about the…
Highlights from the films screening at 2026’s Spokane Jewish Film Festival
For years, the Spokane Jewish Film Festival has served as the first local film fest of the year, presenting movies relating to the Jewish experience that otherwise wouldn’t be seen on the big screen. The 2026 edition of SJFF is no different. Running from Jan. 22-Feb. 1, the event features six feature films (all paired with…
Jewish Film Festival brings education, community to hundreds at Magic Lantern
What started as a small event by and for Spokane’s Jewish community is readying to kick off its 22nd year on Jan. 22, arms open to everyone. One of the largest, non-holiday-based Jewish cultural events in the region, the 2026 Spokane Jewish Film Festival is set to feature a series of six films and accompanying…
‘Hate is so useless’: Filmgoers rave about documentary featuring Spokane holocaust survivor, Carla Peperzak
Carla Peperzak didn’t speak of her horrific experiences during World War II for 55 years. “It was too painful, and I wanted to forget and live my life fully,” Peperzak said Saturday in downtown Spokane. “Of course, this was impossible. … Now I realize how important it is to talk about it, though it’s still…
Jewish Film Festival in Spokane to premiere local Holocaust documentary
The 21st Annual Jewish Film Festival is set to begin this weekend in Spokane, featuring the West Coast premiere of a documentary about local Holocaust survivor Carla Peperzak, titled “Carla the Rescuer.” The festival will open with this significant film, marking a milestone for the Spokane Jewish Film Festival. The event will be held at…
The 21st annual Spokane Jewish Film Festival showcases diverse representations of Jewish life throughout history
For more than two decades now the Spokane Jewish Film Festival has brought collections of films, documentaries and shorts presenting Jewish life and culture to the Inland Northwest. Each year, the festival supports the nonprofit Spokane Area Jewish Family Services (JFS). “It’s important that we grow the film festival every year, to support JFS and the…
Spokane filmmaker honors Holocaust survivor’s heroic tale with new documentary ‘Carla the Rescuer’
The story of 101-year-old Holocaust survivor Carla Peperzak can now be viewed as a documentary thanks to a local filmmaker. “It’s called Carla the Rescuer. And it’s because of what she did during World War II that helped so many people. So many people are alive because of her today, which that deserves a lot…
Annual Jewish film festival begins in Spokane
The annual Jewish Film Festival kicked off in Spokane on Sunday, Jan. 28, with a record 17 films on the big screen. “It’s a way for people to understand and experience an aspect of Jewish culture and life,” Neal Schindler, the festival director said. “For the 20th anniversary, we also brought back some of the biggest hits…
Spokane Jewish Film Festival turns 20 and celebrates with new and vintage films
A film festival staple in Eastern Washington is turning 20 this year. The Spokane Jewish Film Festival, which is slated for Saturday through Feb. 5 at various venues and online, is improving as it ages with arguably its finest lineup. “Remembering Gene Wilder” is a terrific documentary on one of the most underrated comic actors…
Dan Webster: ‘Remembering Gene Wilder’ looks back on comedy, grief of great actor
Whatever you might think about Johnny Depp and/or Timothée Chalamet, both of whom have portrayed Roald Dahl’s character Willy Wonka, neither compares with the late Gene Wilder. Wilder originated the character in Mel Stuart’s 1971 film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” an adaptation of Dahl’s 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” And that…
The Spokane Jewish Film Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary
Despite the attempts by many to paint with the broadest of brushes, Jewish culture is not a monolith. And one of the purest expressions of that locally is the annual Spokane Jewish Film Festival. This year’s fest, which runs Jan. 27-Feb. 5, features 17 films including four in-person screenings. It’s also a big milestone for SJFF,…