The 31st Annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival returns March 15–26, 2026, at B&B Theatres in Creve Coeur. Audiences will once again converge in St. Louis for a dozen international films that explore Jewish identity, resilience, memory, and the universal human experience.
“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,” said John Wilson, Director of Cultural Arts at the Jewish Community Center of St. Louis (aka “the J”).
Documentaries, dramas, and comedies are a large part of this shared cultural experience. But it’s more than a film series. The festival features live guest speakers, post-film discussions, curated thematic pairings, and new interactive elements to deepen audience engagement and spark meaningful dialogue.
As a special pre-festival event, the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival will present a screening of Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness. A story of moral courage, Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara made a choice that defied his government — and changed the course of thousands of lives. The evening will feature a live Q&A with award-winning filmmaker Diane Estelle Vicari.
The St. Louis Jewish Film Festival opens with two films centered on memory and moral reckoning. For The Living follows 250 cyclists, retracing a Holocaust survivor’s liberation route from Auschwitz to Krakow. The ride becomes more than an act of remembrance. It becomes a living response to hatred, one that transforms memory into empathy and action at a time of rising global antisemitism. Nuremberg examines justice and accountability through the perspective of a psychiatrist tasked with evaluating Nazi leaders prior to their historic trials. The line between observer and participant begins to blur, forcing him — and the audience — to confront unsettling questions about the nature of evil, accountability, and justice. An opening night reception for festival patrons will take place between screenings.
Eighty years after his liberation from Buchenwald, Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire seeks to understand the man behind “Night,” one of the most searing and widely read memoirs of the Holocaust. Told largely through Wiesel’s own words and unmistakable voice, the film penetrates the heart of both the known and lesser-known Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) — his passions, his doubts, his moral conflicts, and his lifelong insistence on bearing witness. The film illuminates Wiesel’s journey as a survivor, writer, teacher, and public conscience. More than a biography, Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire challenges each of us to consider what it truly means to bear witness — and whether we, too, would have the courage to endure, to speak, and to act in the face of injustice. Q & A to follow with Washington University Professor of German d and Jewish Studies, Dr. Erin McGlothlin.
In occupied France, The Pianist’s Choice is a haunting wartime romance where art becomes both refuge and reckoning. François Touraine is a gifted young pianist whose life is forever changed by his relationship with Rachel, his older Jewish piano teacher. When the Nazis take control of Paris, love and music collide with terror, forcing François into an impossible moral dilemma: whether to use his talent to perform for the occupiers in a desperate attempt to save the woman he loves.
Inspired by a shocking true story, The Tasters is a chilling portrait of survival inside Hitler’s inner circle. In the autumn of 1943, Rosa, a young woman fleeing bombed Berlin, is forced into a terrifying role: along with other women from a remote village near the Wolf’s Lair, she must taste the Führer’s meals each day — never knowing if the food is poisoned. Caught between starvation and the constant threat of death, the women form fragile bonds marked by fear, rivalry, and desperate loyalty.
Throughout the week, audiences will encounter more films that confront history from unexpected perspectives, explore love and legacy across generations, and celebrate humor, family, and the complexity of everyday life. Once Upon My Mother is a joyful, life-affirming true story about determination, resilience, and unconditional love. The festival closes with the acclaimed and anticipated audience favorite, Eleanor the Great.
New in 2026, a select screening will take place beyond the festival’s traditional home, expanding to The Alamo Drafthouse at The Foundry on March 18 at 7:00pm. This expansion reflects the festival’s commitment to reaching younger audiences and engaging Jewish communities across the region.
The festival also introduces the Jewish Film Festival Passport, a game-inspired keepsake that makes festival-going more interactive. All-Festival Pass holders will receive a passport to track films, favorite moments, and reflections throughout the week.
The St. Louis Jewish Film Festival brings audiences together through powerful storytelling, conversation, and community. Visit The St. Louis J for tickets and more information.
