Tomorrow night marks the conclusion of the 2024 New York Jewish Film Festival, which began earlier this month on January 10. This year, the 33rd annual fest presented a dynamic lineup of 28 works, including feature length narratives, documentaries, and several shorts, all screened at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater. A partnership between Film at Lincoln Center and The Jewish Museum, NYJFF aims to showcase films from around the world that explore the Jewish experience in all its many facets.

Thanks to the generosity of the festival’s organizers, we were able to screen six films from the lineup. While detailed and full-length reviews are still embargoed, here’s a roundup of our quick thoughts on each of the movies. Two of our favorites – the touching doc Remembering Gene Wilder and the complex dramedy Stay With Us – are playing as part of the festival’s closing hours this Wednesday. Grab your tickets HERE.

DELEGATION

Delegation, a Hebrew film directed by Asaf Saban, tells the story of an Israeli high school class’ trip to Poland and Germany to learn about the Holocaust. This type of journey is almost a rite of passage for 12th graders in Israel. The film centers on three students and the boy-girl dynamic and growing love triangle among them, while also telling the story of one of their grandfathers who accompanies the class. The portrayal begs the question of what happens when so much of Jewish identity formation is centered around past trauma. Despite the less than satisfying ending, the young actors all do a good job in their roles and some interesting issues are raised. This is definitely one to keep on your radar.

MY DAUGHTER, MY LOVE

My Daughter, My Love, starring and carried by Sasson Gabbai (of Shtisel and The Band’s Visit) follows Israeli widower Shimon who goes to visit his daughter, Alma, and her husband, Dori, in Paris. He observes that her marriage is tense, and she is struggling with her newborn son. Gabbai is such an excellent actor, and he plays the concerned parent in an authentic and loving manner. The drama reveals the foibles and difficulties we face in dealing with and talking about parenting, relationships, love, and family. The dual languages of Hebrew and French (with English subtitles of course) showcase the diversity of the Jewish people, a crucial detail when most stories shown to American audiences focus on Ashkenazim.

999: THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS

Best-selling author and historian Heather Dune Macadam has adapted her acclaimed book 999 into a powerful new documentary that sheds light on a wrenching true story. In March 1942, nearly 1,000 young Slovak Jewish women, mostly teenagers, told by their government that they were embarking on a volunteer work assignment, were instead illegally deported to Auschwitz on what was the first Jewish transport to the Nazi death camp. Viewers’ mileage may vary on this one — it’s a Holocaust documentary. The project is determined to bear witness to the horrors of the Shoah, and the film preserves the harrowing stories of what these women went through with first hand accounts. But it’s a tough documentary to sit through, despite the deep research and vivid detail.

THE KLEZMER PROJECT

This meta delight was the biggest surprise of the festival. The Klezmer Project cannot be labeled; it’s a road trip movie, a romance, a supernatural folk tale, and also a documentary about klezmer, the near-vanished genre of Ashkenazi instrumental music. Beginning as a fictionalized version of its directors’ own relationship, the film follows Buenos Aires wedding documentarian Leandro as he meets band clarinetist Paloma while on a job. The two decide to collaborate on a project about klezmer, and from there the film becomes a multilayered joy. It also touches on many interesting aspects of recent Jewish history, and how the modern State of Israel tried to “assassinate” Yiddish culture after its founding.

REMEMBERING GENE WILDER

The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and of course, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Looking at the late Gene Wilder’s filmography, it’s clear that few comedic actors have left such a mark on cinema and the public consciousness like he has. This heartfelt documentary does exactly what it sets out to do and states in the title: remember Gene Wilder. And in that sense it’s incredibly successful, using hilarious clips from his movies, including bloopers, and speaking to his legendary collaborators like Mel Brooks and Carol Kane. While Gilda Radner, his one-time wife, had the better documentary a few years back, this one is special for fans and those who grew up on Wilder’s work. Using narration from the actor’s audiobook memoir is a nice touch.

STAY WITH US

Moroccan-French comedian and filmmaker Gad Elmaleh mines his own life for the irreverent and perhaps controversial topics on display in Stay With Us. Elmaleh stars as a version of himself, returning home to Paris to see his parents (played Elmaleh’s real mother and father) after living for years in the United States. His journey back home comes with some shocking news: He has decided to convert to Catholicism and is asking for his parents’ blessing for his forthcoming baptism. What follows is a tale of spiritual self-discovery that while moving, undeniably feels a little out of place at a Jewish film festival. That being said, the film is very good, and quite funny. From Gad’s mother uncovering a statuette of Mary in his suitcase to an awkward Shabbat dinner that devolves quickly into bickering, there are a bunch of scenes that really stand out. A hidden gem for sure.