31st Annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival
Sunday, March 15 – Thursday, March 26, 2026
The 31st Annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival returns March 15–26, 2026, bringing international cinema, conversation, and community to St. Louis. Presented primarily at B&B Theatres, the festival features 12 films from around the world, including documentaries, dramas, and comedies that explore Jewish identity, resilience, memory, and the universal human experience.
More than a film series, the festival is designed as a shared cultural experience, with live guest speakers, post-film discussions, curated thematic pairings, and new interactive elements that deepen engagement and spark meaningful dialogue.
Opening Night: Memory and Moral Reckoning
The festival opens with two powerful films:
- For the Living follows cyclists retracing a Holocaust survivor’s liberation route from Auschwitz to Krakow.
-
Nuremberg examines justice and accountability through the perspective of a psychiatrist tasked with evaluating Nazi leaders before their historic trials.
An opening night reception for festival patrons will take place between screenings.
“At its heart, the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival is about bringing people together across generations, neighborhoods, and perspectives to experience powerful stories that remind us of who we are and what we share.”
— John Wilson, Director of Cultural Arts at the J
Throughout the Festival
Audiences will encounter films that confront history from unexpected perspectives, explore love and legacy across generations, and celebrate humor, family, and the complexity of everyday life. The festival closes with the acclaimed audience favorite, Eleanor the Great.
New in 2026
Expanded Venue
A select screening will take place at Alamo Drafthouse on March 18 at 7:00 pm, expanding the festival’s reach to younger audiences and Jewish communities across the region.
Jewish Film Festival Passport
All-Festival Pass holders will receive a game-inspired passport to track films, favorite moments, and reflections throughout the week, making festival-going interactive and personal.
Pre-Festival Film Event
Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness
February 24 at 7:00 pm
The J, Creve Coeur
This special screening includes a live Q&A with award-winning filmmaker diane estelle Vicari, sponsored by Nancy and Ken Kranzberg and Shelly and Rick Mayhew.
The event coincides with the Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum exhibition RESILIENCE: A Sansei Sense of Legacy (January 17–April 4, 2026), creating a meaningful connection between Japanese narratives of courage during the Holocaust and reflections on Japanese American internment in the United States.
About the Festival
Now in its 31st year, the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival celebrates Jewish stories from around the world that illuminate Jewish life and the shared human experience.
Celebrate this year with an All-Festival Pass that gives you access to every single movie in our line-up for $85 less than buying every individual ticket!
This February/March: Introducing the Jewish Film Festival Passport
This year, we invite you to do more than watch the films — travel with them!
Our brand-new Jewish Film Festival Passport transforms the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival into an interactive journey. Designed to look like a real passport, it’s your personal companion for all six days of stories, ideas, laughter, and reflection.
Contacts
| J Box Office t: 314.442.3283 |
Director of Cultural Arts John WIlson 314.442.3190 |
| BOX OFFICE HOURS: MON-THU 10am-noon in person | MON-FRI 10-4pm by phone | |