The 27th Annual Rutgers Jewish Film Festival - BEHIND HER EYES, MY FRIEND SAM, DUST BOWLS AND JEWISH

BEHIND HER EYES

Country: USA
Year: 2026
Director: George and Teddy Kunhardt
Run Time: 38 minutes
Language(s): English

Presented as a Double Feature with My Friend Sam

Born in Poland in 1938, Tova Friedman was one of few children who survived the horrors of Auschwitz. Now, one of the youngest living Holocaust survivors, Friedman (a Rutgers alumna) tells her story in this exceptional short film, highlighting her social work career, her unexpected rise on TikTok, and her journey in embracing the power of empathy and understanding.

Thursday, November 12, 12:30 p.m.

Film Subject Tova Friedman Expected to Attend

MY FRIEND SAM

Country: USA
Year: 2026
Director: Daniel Ryan
Run Time: 40 minutes
Language(s): English and German with English subtitles

Presented as a Double Feature with Behind Her Eyes

Before she was a Grammy nominee, singer-songwriter Regina Spektor was mentored as a child by husband-and-wife musicians Sonia Vargas and Samuel Marder. Since widowed, Marder is opening up about his life as a Holocaust survivor, determined to share his story with children around the world. Produced by Spektor and comedian Judd Apatow, My Friend Sam explores Marder and Spektor's unique relationship and how music helped them both during dark times.

DUST BOWLS AND JEWISH SOULS: ANOTHER SIDE OF WOODY GUTHRIE

Country: USA
Year: 2026
Director: Steven Pressman
Run Time: 89 minutes
Language(s): English

OPENING NIGHT FILM
NEW JERSEY PREMIERE

When Woody Guthrie, the legendary folk songwriter behind "This Land Is Your Land," married Jewish second wife Marjorie Greenblatt, he was introduced to an entirely new culture of traditions, struggles, and stories. Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls explores this hidden history with illuminating insight and a focus on Guthrie's connection to his mother-in-law, renowned Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt.

BOOKENDS

Country: USA
Year: 2026
Director: Mike Doyle
Run Time: 99 minutes
Language(s): English, German, and Yiddish with English subtitles

NEW JERSEY PREMIERE

After a messy breakup with his boyfriend, aspiring novelist and hopeless romantic Nate (Noam Ash) must move upstate to live with his grandparents in their Jewish retirement community. Featuring wonderful performances from F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus, The White Lotus), Caroline Aaron (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), and Charlie Barnett (Star Wars: The Acolyte), Bookends is a heartfelt queer comedy about the power of intergenerational relationships and how it's never too late to start over.

Presented by: The Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life with support from The Karma Foundation