JxJ is a multidisciplinary arts project encompassing the Washington Jewish Film and Music Festivals alongside original hybrid arts programming.
The Washington Jewish Film Festival presents a robust lineup of international film premieres and sneak previews.
The Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation is the Lead Sponsor of the Washington Jewish Music Festival.
The Festival features Q&As, workshops, panel discussions and more. Keep an eye on this page as more programs are added in leadup to the Festival.
All events are listed alphabetically. For a chronological schedule, click here.
DC/DOX is a new documentary film festival showcasing powerful, timely stories in our nation’s capital. DC/DOX brings together innovative visions, bold voices, and truth seekers in celebration of documentary cinema.
Dir. Micah Smith 91 min | Israel | Narrative
This extraordinary docu-narrative film follows North African Israeli diplomat Asher Naim, taking viewers behind the scenes – and behind the spin – of Operation Solomon, the diplomatic and military mission to bring 15,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel during Ethiopia’s brutal civil war.
Dir. Krzysztof Lang 115 min | Poland | Narrative
An under-told powerful love story set in 1960s Poland. Two young students – Hania and Janek – meet and fall in love amid social turmoil and Jewish discrimination in 1960s Warsaw.
Dir. Aviva Kempner 106 min | United States | Documentary
Aviva Kempner chronicles her mother Hanka and uncle Dudek Ciesla’s lives before and during WWII. Q&A with director Aviva Kempner and CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer.
Dir. Valerie Kontakos 78 min | CanadaGreece | Documentary
Chelly Wilson was a Christmas-celebrating Jewish grandma, a lesbian who married men, and a proud owner of porn theaters in 1970s NYC. Fascinating archival footage illustrates the story of a family matriarch, a truly unique character with chutzpah in spades.
15 min | United States | Short
Watch the 2023 JxJ Festival Teen Film Contest films. Winners and runners-up will all be screened before our Closing Night screenings.
This year’s 21% features a screening of Israeli documentary Shadya, followed by a conversation with producer and founder of Budo for Peace Danny Hakim; film subject Shadya Zoabi; and fellow Budo for Peace alum Nour Anaeem.
