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 a short film) that range from documentaries about modern artists’ work using the Yiddish language (Welcome to Yiddishland) and Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders (The Other) to a romantic comedy revolving around a 31-year-old man finally getting a bar mitzvah (31 Candles). Here are some more standout SJFF flicks we recently screened ahead of the fest.