35TH ANNUAL JXJ: DC JEWISH FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FULL SLATE OF FILMS AND PROGRAMS FOR 2025

BAD SHABBOS Opens, MATCHMAKING 2 Closes One of the Largest and Most Respected Jewish Film Festivals in North America

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- JxJ: DC Jewish Film & Music (JxJ), a leader of Jewish cultural arts in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region, unveiled its full line up for the 2025 JxJ Festival. Presented by the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center (EDCJCC), the JxJ Festival is the capstone on a full year of film and music programs. 

Running from May 8-18, 2025, the festival will feature 25+ international screenings and concerts. Screenings will take place at the EDCJCC's two state-of-the-art theaters, Landmark's Bethesda Row Cinema in Maryland, and Cinema Arts Theatre in Fairfax, Virginia. The full Festival program and online ticket purchases are available now at www.jxjdc.org.

"Film and music have the power to nourish the soul and lift the spirit," says Edlavitch DCJCC CEO Jen Zwilling. "This year's festival, which celebrates Jewish joy and resilience within our community, feels more vital than ever and is core to the mission and values of the EDCJCC." 

"As one of the last remaining independent movie theaters in DC, we are thrilled to present our 35th edition of the JxJ: DC Jewish Film & Music Festival," says Artistic Director Yael Luttwak. "The films and shorts we'll screen this year, along with our incredible lineup of dynamic concerts, celebrate the universal themes of love and joy; the forces that bind us as humans and transcend all boundaries."

A new addition to the festival for 2025 is the premiere of two short films made possible by the Matthew Harris Ornstein JxJ Short Film Fund. The first of its kind in North America, this fund creates new opportunities for filmmakers to tell stories that provide unique angles into Jewish life, history, and culture.

The Festival's Opening Night on Thursday, May 8 at the EDCJCC's Goldman Theater will feature BAD SHABBOS, winner of the 2024 Audience Award for Narrative at the Tribeca Film Festival, by director Daniel Robbins. Hailed by Variety as a film with "a strong ensemble cast [that] nails the tasty dialogue and increasingly frantic action without falling into shtick," Bad Shabbos is a wild ride.

MATCHMAKING 2, a romantic comedy from Israeli director Erez Tadmor, will close the festival on Sunday, May 18 in the Goldman Theater. This emotional roller coaster of a film is "endlessly witty, visually rapturous, and sweetly romantic," - The Miami Jewish Film Festival.

The closing weekend will also highlight an exciting lineup of concerts, including Gili Yalo, one of the most captivating artists on the Israeli music scene, whose concert on Saturday, May 17 will celebrate 2025 World Pride. Additional artists include Grammy Award-nominated clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen; swing, jazz, and klezmer king Seth Kibel performing Gershwin; and multi-talented a cappella group The Maccabeats. Rounding out the closing festivities will be screenings from the third annual Richard Solloway JxJ Teen Film Contest winners – short films submitted by high-school aged students from all areas of the DMV, answering the question, "What does identity mean to me?"

OPENING NIGHT

BAD SHABBOS, Dir. Daniel Robbins
Thursday, May 8, 7:30 PM | EDCJCC | Goldman Theater
David and his fiancée Meg expect a quiet Shabbat dinner with his family on New York's Upper West Side—but when an accidental death (or murder?) derails the evening, chaos ensues. With Meg's Catholic parents about to meet David's Jewish family, the night quickly spirals into a comedy of biblical proportions.

The Opening Night reception will immediately follow the screening at 9 PM on May 8th.

CLOSING NIGHT

THE MACCABEATS
Sunday, May 18, 1:30 PM | EDCJCC | Goldman Theater
Often traveling with little more than shirts on their backs and the ties around their necks, the Maccabeats have wowed audiences across the globe from Alabama to New Zealand and everywhere in between. Blending sharp harmonies, a polished style, and a dose of Jewish humor, this dynamic a cappella group creates an unforgettable experience that resonates with fans of all ages and backgrounds.

ANAT COHEN JAZZ DUET
Sunday, May 18, 4:00 PM | EDCJCC | Goldman Theater
Charismatic, prolific, and endlessly inspired, Grammy Award-nominated clarinetist and saxophonist Anat Cohen has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide with her expressive virtuosity and captivating stage presence. The New York Times raves, "Ms. Cohen on the clarinet was a revelation. In her upper register, she evoked pure joy; in the lower, a soulful melancholy."

MATCHMAKING 2, Dir. Erez Tadmor
Sunday, May 18, 7:30 PM | EDCJCC | Goldman Theater
Saturday, May 17, 7:30 PM | Cinema Arts Theatre
Baruch, a Yeshiva man past his prime for marriage, is tasked with picking up Shira from the airport. When a flight delay traps them in the airport over Shabbat, Baruch falls for her despite knowing he has no chance. An emotional rollercoaster forces him to confront his past and open his heart to the love he never expected.

The festival's Closing Reception will precede the screening at 6:30 PM.

ADDITIONAL SELECTED PROGRAMMING AND EMBASSY PARTNERSHIPS

In the emotional drama COME CLOSER, directed by Tom Nesher and winner of the Tribeca Film Festival's 2024 Viewpoint Award, Eden's world is turned upside down after the tragic death of her beloved younger brother. Devastated by grief, she spirals into increasingly desperate actions to cope with her loss. A conversation with Tom Nesher – one of Variety's '10 directors to watch in 2025' – will follow all three screenings.

In partnership with the Embassy of Germany, THE ZWEIFLERS, a fantastic dramatic comedy set in a Jewish deli in Frankfurt Germany, will be shown in two parts. Directed by David Hadda, and Winner of Best Series and Best Music at the prestigious Canneseries festival, The Zweiflers follows family patriarch Symcha Zweifler (Mike Burstyn) who wants to sell his delicatessen empire when he is suddenly confronted with his past in Frankfurt's red-light district.

THE TRUE STORY OF TAMARA DE LEMPICKA & THE ART OF SURVIVAL by director Julie Rubio will screen at the festival in partnership with the Embassy of Poland. A visually stunning and sweeping feature documentary, the film traces the life and survival of the renowned painter through her powerful paintings. A conversation with Rubio will follow the screening on May 11th at the EDCJCC.

MAZEL TOV, a drama from acclaimed Argentinian actor and director Adrián Suar, showcases the heartfelt hand humorously touching tale of family, forgiveness, and the ties that bring us back home. Screened in partnership with the Embassy of Argentina, Mazel Tov captures the strength it takes to forgive, let go, and find joy amid the tears.

For the full 2025 JxJ: DC Jewish Film & Music Festival, please visit www.jxjdc.org

To view the 2025 JxJ festival trailer, please visit JxJDC Youtube

ABOUT JxJ DC

Presented by the Edlavitch DCJCC, JxJ: DC Jewish Film and Music is the leader of Jewish film and music cultural arts in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region, with a state-of-the-art venue at the Edlavitch DCJCC. Between the Festival and year-round programming, JxJ gives exposure to independent filmmakers and musical artists working in the Jewish and/or Israeli space. It annually attracts 30,000 patrons across 180+ events and has been an arts hub in the DC area for over 30 years.

JxJ encompasses the Washington Jewish Film Festival (WJFF) and the Washington Jewish Music Festival (WJMF). The lead sponsor of the WJMF is the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation.

ABOUT THE EDLAVITCH DCJCC

Guided by Jewish values and heritage, the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center engages individuals and families through its cultural, recreational, educational, and social justice programs by welcoming people of all backgrounds to connect, learn, serve, and be entertained together in ways that reflect the unique role of the Center in the nation's capital.

The Edlavitch DCJCC is located at 1529 Sixteenth Street, NW in Washington, DC, 4 blocks east of Dupont Circle.

SOURCE JxJ DC Jewish Film and Music