The 24th Annual Kansas City Jewish Film Series (KCJFS) will bring the second of three “mini-festivals” to The Lewis & Shirley White Theatre at The J.
After a successful run last summer, “Shorts in Shorts” will return on Sunday, June 9, at 1 p.m., featuring 12 short films broken into two sessions. A summer-themed intermission with live music and dessert will take place between the sessions.
Tickets can be purchased at kcjfs.org.
“We are so excited to return this summer with our second iteration of ‘Shorts in Shorts,’ a mini-fest celebrating short films,” said Stacey Belzer, executive director of the Kansas City Jewish Film Festival. “The committee has worked hard to bring a variety of films from different genres; some will have you laughing out loud and others may make you cry.”
The first session, running from 1 to 3 p.m., will feature seven short films, including the 2024 Academy Award-winning animated short “Letter to a Pig.”
- “Letter to a Pig” (Drama/Holocaust) — A traumatic memory from a Holocaust survivor transports a young schoolgirl on an inner journey.
- “Jewish Singles in the Snow” (Documentary/Reality) — A group of Aussie Jewish singles attend a ski retreat, hoping to find Jewish love.
- “How to Make Challah” (Documentary/Humor) — A short documentary about what we pass on to the next generation and what we leave behind.
- “Boys” (Fiction/Drama) — Fourteen-year-old BenZur has the wrong sort of friends. So, in order to seem more than he is, he invents a story about a girlfriend in the neighboring town.
- “The Peacock That Passed Over” (Documentary/Humor) — Four years ago, a peacock suddenly landed and has settled ever since in the grounds of a Leeds Synagogue.
- “Siba” (Fiction/Drama) — Young Palestinian Siba is forced to make a big decision after being caught with her secret boyfriend, Peter.
- “Paddling for Life” (Documentary/Breast Cancer) — The Pink Lionesses in Israel are a unique women's sports group whose common goal is to recover and recuperate from breast cancer.
The summer-themed intermission will run from 3 to 3:45 p.m., and all ticket purchasers from either session are encouraged to attend and hear live music and eat strawberry shortcake. Margaritas, chips and guacamole, and other bar and concessions items will be available for purchase.
The second session runs from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m. and includes five additional short films:
- “Woman of Valour” (Fiction/Drama) — Following the loss of his son in childbirth, a religious student longs to restart his family, but to reconnect with his distraught wife, he will first have to acknowledge his own hidden pain.
- “Shabbos Goy” (Documentary/Humor) — Despite not being Jewish, Terry Neville protects, maintains and lives above a synagogue.
- “Before Bedtime” (Documentary/ALS) — With time running out, Michal strives to make lasting memories for her son Naveh, who tries on his own to understand what no one dares to explain.
- “The Caretaker” (Drama/Holocaust) — A Hamburg museum caretaker risks it all to save “degenerate” works of art from Nazi seizure in this suspenseful account of inconspicuous courage, based on a true story.
- “The Father, The Son, and The Rav Kalmenson” (Fiction/Comedy) — Yoel is honoring Shabbat in the neighborhood synagogue when his rabbi announces to him that his son is “lighting up.”
These films come from all over the world and feature Jewish filmmakers, directors, actors and stories. The KCJFS will wrap up its 2023-2024 season on Aug. 11. More information is available at kcjfs.org.
