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Welcome to the Grand Rapids Living Room Series.

This series is for Grand Rapids residents only, brought to you through our partnership with the Grand Rapids Jewish Film Festival. You can purchase a subscription to all five films at the bottom of this page or click on a particular film title to purchase a ticket to that individual film.

Asia

Becoming a mother at an early age has shaped Asia's relationship with her teenage daughter Vika. Asia concentrates on her job as a nurse while Vika hangs out at the skate-park with her friends. Their routine is shaken when Vika's health deteriorates rapidly. Asia must step in and become the caretaker that Vika needs. Vika's illness turns out to be an opportunity to reveal the great love between them.

God of the Piano

For Anat, music is everything. Having never been able to reach her father's musical standards, she rests her hopes on the child she's about to have. When the baby is born deaf, she takes extreme measures to keep that dream alive. But, as the child grows into a young pianist, his lack of respect for his grandfather becomes an obstacle to his career. This elegant and distrubing family drama received 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Here We Are

Aharon has devoted his life to raising his autistic son Uri. They live together in a gentle routine, away from the real world. As Uri becomes a young adult, his mother thinks it might be time for him to live in a group home. Knowing that Uri is not ready for this separation, Aharon decides to run away with his son and hits the road. Or is it his father who is not ready?

Those Who Remained

A lyrical story of the healing power of love in the midst of a national conflict, loss and trauma, Those Who Remained reveals the healing process of Holocause survivors through the eyes of a young girl in post-World War II Hungary.

Thou Shalt Note Hate

The son of a Holocaust survivor who lives in Trieste as a surgeon begins to doubt his actions of refusing to help a victim of a traffic accident that he encountered on his way home from work.

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A Crime on the Bayou

89 mins| Documentary, Family | Nancy Buirski | USA | English| 2020

A Black teenager, with the help of a Jewish attorney, bravely challenges the most powerful white supremacist in 1960s Louisiana. Systemic racism and pervasive anti-Semitism meets its match in decisive courtroom battles, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

A Crime On The Bayou Sneak Peak from Augusta Films on Vimeo.

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A Starry Sky Above Roman Ghetto

100 mins | Drama, Family | Giulio Base | Italy | Italian with English subtitles | 2020

The past interlaces with the present when an Italian teenager discovers a mysterious yellowed photograph depicting a little girl. Christian and Jewish students join forces to search for the truth behind the image and it takes them on a journey through a painful past that is hard to forget, including the raid on the Jewish ghetto of Rome.

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ALLEGRO DANCE'S 2021 RECITAL

Watch the full recital including all block performances on your smart device or browser. Once you start watching you will have 24 hours to complete your viewing experience. Each purchase entitles the the viewer to one stream of the recital.

This Virtual Recital premieres on JWatch, May 9th starting at 4pm, and will be available for 3 weeks.

Tickets for the stream are $25.00

WATCH ON YOUR SMART TV OR SMART TV DEVICE:

INSTALL | Search 'J Watch Detroit' in your smart tv device appstore and install on your device.

ACCESS | Open JWatch on your device, enter your unique voucher code into the box under 'Ticket Holders', and click 'Submit'.

VIEW | When you are ready to view your content press PLAY. ** Please Note: Your content will only be accessible for 24 hours.

ENJOY THE SHOW!

Access is also available through browser viewing at by simply clicking the Watch Video Here! link on your e-reciept.

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An Irrepressible Woman

103 minutes | Drama, Holocaust | Laurent Heynemann | France | French with English subtitles | 2019

Jeanne Reichenbach fell in love with Socialist prime minister Leon Blum when she was a teenager and he led a French Popular Front government in the 1930s. Now, after the German invasion, he is in the Buchenwald camp and she risks her life to find him.

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Army of Lovers in the Holy Land

65 min | Documentary, Israel | Asaf Galay | Israel | Hebrew, English, Swedish with English subtitles | 2018

Swedish pop-dance band "Army of Lovers" enjoyed a string of European hits in the 1990s with their kitsch lyrics, high camp videos, and libertine philosophy. This documentary takes a fun and revealing look at one of Europe's most outrageous acts, the band's enduring popularity in Israel, the vocalist's surprising decision to move to Israel, and their first-ever concert in the Holy Land.

Army of Lovers | Trailer from DocuShuk on Vimeo.

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Asia

85 mins | Drama, Israel | Ruthy Pribar | Israel | Hebrew, Russian with English subtitles | 2020

Becoming a mother at an early age has shaped Asia's relationship with her teenage daughter Vika. Asia concentrates on her job as a nurse while Vika hangs out at the skate-park with her friends. Their routine is shaken when Vika's health deteriorates rapidly. Asia must step in and become the caretaker that Vika needs. Vika's illness turns out to be an opportunity to reveal the great love between them.

Event Details

Asia

85 mins | Drama, Israel | Ruthy Pribar | Israel | Hebrew, Russian with English subtitles | 2020

Becoming a mother at an early age has shaped Asia's relationship with her teenage daughter Vika. Asia concentrates on her job as a nurse while Vika hangs out at the skate-park with her friends. Their routine is shaken when Vika's health deteriorates rapidly. Asia must step in and become the caretaker that Vika needs. Vika's illness turns out to be an opportunity to reveal the great love between them.

JFMD ID Video.mp4 from Detroit Federation on Vimeo.

Event Details

Forgiveness

104 mins | Comedy, Israel | Guy Amir and Hanan Savyon | Israel | Hebrew with English subtitles | 2019

Set in the south of Israel, this comedy tells the story of longtime friends Shaul and Nissan. After the two bungle a postal bank robbery, Shaul gets caught and is sent to prison and Nissan flees the country. After becoming ultra-Orthodox, Nissan

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From Cairo to the Cloud: The World of the Cairo Geniza

94 mins | Documentary | Michelle Paymar| Canada, United States, Egypt, France, Israel, United Kingdom | English | 2018

The gripping story of the discovery and significance of the Cairo Geniza, a treasure trove that illuminates over a thousand years of Jewish, Christian and Muslim life in the heart of the Islamic world. This vast collection of manuscripts that were hidden for centuries in the geniza (sacred storeroom) of an ancient synagogue in Old Cairo is the largest cache of Jewish historical documents ever found.

JFMD ID Video.mp4 from Detroit Federation on Vimeo.

Event Details

God of the Piano

80 mins | Drama, Israel | Ity Tal | Israel | Hebrew with English subtitles | 2019

For Anat, music is everything. Having never been able to reach her father's musical standards, she rests her hopes on the child she's about to have. When the baby is born deaf, she takes extreme measures to keep that dream alive. But, as the child grows into a young pianist, his lack of respect for his grandfather becomes an obstacle to his career. This elegant and distrubing family drama received 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Event Details

God of the Piano

80 mins | Drama, Israel | Ity Tal | Israel | Hebrew with English subtitles | 2019

For Anat, music is everything. Having never been able to reach her father's musical standards, she rests her hopes on the child she's about to have. When the baby is born deaf, she takes extreme measures to keep that dream alive. But, as the child grows into a young pianist, his lack of respect for his grandfather becomes an obstacle to his career. This elegant and distrubing family drama received 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Event Details

Here We Are

94 mins | Drama, Israel, Family | Nir Bergman | Israel | Hebrew with English subtitles | 2020

Aharon has devoted his life to raising his autistic son Uri. They live together in a gentle routine, away from the real world. As Uri becomes a young adult, his mother thinks it might be time for him to live in a group home. Knowing that Uri is not ready for this separation, Aharon decides to run away with his son and hits the road. Or is it his father who is not ready?

Event Details

Here We Are

94 mins | Drama, Israel, Family | Nir Bergman | Israel | Hebrew with English subtitles | 2020

Aharon has devoted his life to raising his autistic son Uri. They live together in a gentle routine, away from the real world. As Uri becomes a young adult, his mother thinks it might be time for him to live in a group home. Knowing that Uri is not ready for this separation, Aharon decides to run away with his son and hits the road. Or is it his father who is not ready?

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Hollywood's Second World War

90 mins | Documentary | Jascha Hannover | Germany | English | 2019

During WWII, the US government launched a huge propaganda campaign using cinema as their most powerful weapon. This is the story of four European-born Hollywood directors, three who were Jewish, who returned to the "Old World" to make propaganda documentaries for the US Army. They risked their lives for their new homeland and returned to the USA with unique documentaries. Long-forgotten, their films dealt with the front line in Italy, bombardment of Germany and the liberation of Dachau.

HOLLYWOOD'S II. WORLD WAR [Trailer, 2019, English] from WJFF on Vimeo.

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If You See My Mother

90 mins | Comedy, Drama | Nathanael Guedj | France | French with English subtitles | 2019

Max is single, an ophthalmologist, and a mama's boy. Until mama suddenly dies. Max should be devastated, yet he seems to be coping well. Too well. He actually still sees her and talks to her. Max knows she is dead, yet he holds on to this impossible reality until he starts sharing his office with Ohiana, a psychiatrist who he slowly falls in love with. Mom is not going to like it.

Trailer - Si tu vois ma mère - Nathanael Guedj from eric blanckaert on Vimeo.

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Kiss Me Kosher

101 mins | Comedy, Drama, Israel | Shirel Peleg | Israel | English, German, Hebrew, Arabic with English subtitles | 2020

A subversive love story between clashing cultures and families, this is a romantic misadventure crossing all borders. When an Israeli woman falls in love with a German woman and her grandmother falls for a Palestinian man, chaos follows. What happens to lovers who don't fit but who do belong together?

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Labyrinth of Peace 1

6 one-hour episodes | Drama, Holocaust | Mike Schaerer |Switzerland | German with English subtitles | 2020

1945 - the war is over and Switzerland was all but spared. In this 6-part mini series, Klara, her fiance Johann, and his brother Egon all look to the future. Klara tries to mend the wounds of the war by caring for young, displaced holocaust survivors. Johann, who works for Klara's industrialist father, hopes to save and modernize his father-in-law's textile company. Just home from military service, Egon takes his first steps in the Attorney General's office, working to hunt down escaped Nazis.

All three of them soon realize that the facade of peace is bought with the blood of the victims of war. Johann's professional ambitions bring him closer to those who committed unspeakable war crimes. Klara risks her marriage while growing ever closer to Herschel, one of the survivors. And Egon finds himself caught in a system that willingly turns a blind eye towards Nazi criminals for the sake of profit.

Click below to purchase the entire series.

To purchase individual episodes click the following links:

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Event Details

Labyrinth of Peace 1

First of 6 one-hour episodes | Drama, Holocaust | Mike Schaerer |Switzerland | German with English subtitles | 2020

1945 - the war is over and Switzerland was all but spared. In this 6-part mini series, Klara, her fiance Johann, and his brother Egon all look to the future. Klara tries to mend the wounds of the war by caring for young, displaced holocaust survivors. Johann, who works for Klara's industrialist father, hopes to save and modernize his father-in-law's textile company. Just home from military service, Egon takes his first steps in the Attorney General's office, working to hunt down escaped Nazis.

All three of them soon realize that the facade of peace is bought with the blood of the victims of war. Johann's professional ambitions bring him closer to those who committed unspeakable war crimes. Klara risks her marriage while growing ever closer to Herschel, one of the survivors. And Egon finds himself caught in a system that willingly turns a blind eye towards Nazi criminals for the sake of profit.

Event Details

Labyrinth of Peace 2

Second of 6 one-hour episodes | Drama, Holocaust | Mike Schaerer |Switzerland | German with English subtitles | 2020

1945 - the war is over and Switzerland was all but spared. In this 6-part mini series, Klara, her fiance Johann, and his brother Egon all look to the future. Klara tries to mend the wounds of the war by caring for young, displaced holocaust survivors. Johann, who works for Klara's industrialist father, hopes to save and modernize his father-in-law's textile company. Just home from military service, Egon takes his first steps in the Attorney General's office, working to hunt down escaped Nazis.

All three of them soon realize that the facade of peace is bought with the blood of the victims of war. Johann's professional ambitions bring him closer to those who committed unspeakable war crimes. Klara risks her marriage while growing ever closer to Herschel, one of the survivors. And Egon finds himself caught in a system that willingly turns a blind eye towards Nazi criminals for the sake of profit.

Event Details

Labyrinth of Peace 3

Third of 6 one-hour episodes | Drama, Holocaust | Mike Schaerer |Switzerland | German with English subtitles | 2020

1945 - the war is over and Switzerland was all but spared. In this 6-part mini series, Klara, her fiance Johann, and his brother Egon all look to the future. Klara tries to mend the wounds of the war by caring for young, displaced holocaust survivors. Johann, who works for Klara's industrialist father, hopes to save and modernize his father-in-law's textile company. Just home from military service, Egon takes his first steps in the Attorney General's office, working to hunt down escaped Nazis.

All three of them soon realize that the facade of peace is bought with the blood of the victims of war. Johann's professional ambitions bring him closer to those who committed unspeakable war crimes. Klara risks her marriage while growing ever closer to Herschel, one of the survivors. And Egon finds himself caught in a system that willingly turns a blind eye towards Nazi criminals for the sake of profit.

Event Details

Labyrinth of Peace 4

Fourth of 6 one-hour episodes | Drama, Holocaust | Mike Schaerer |Switzerland | German with English subtitles | 2020

1945 - the war is over and Switzerland was all but spared. In this 6-part mini series, Klara, her fiance Johann, and his brother Egon all look to the future. Klara tries to mend the wounds of the war by caring for young, displaced holocaust survivors. Johann, who works for Klara's industrialist father, hopes to save and modernize his father-in-law's textile company. Just home from military service, Egon takes his first steps in the Attorney General's office, working to hunt down escaped Nazis.

All three of them soon realize that the facade of peace is bought with the blood of the victims of war. Johann's professional ambitions bring him closer to those who committed unspeakable war crimes. Klara risks her marriage while growing ever closer to Herschel, one of the survivors. And Egon finds himself caught in a system that willingly turns a blind eye towards Nazi criminals for the sake of profit.

Event Details

Labyrinth of Peace 5

Fifth of 6 one-hour episodes | Drama, Holocaust | Mike Schaerer |Switzerland | German with English subtitles | 2020

1945 - the war is over and Switzerland was all but spared. In this 6-part mini series, Klara, her fiance Johann, and his brother Egon all look to the future. Klara tries to mend the wounds of the war by caring for young, displaced holocaust survivors. Johann, who works for Klara's industrialist father, hopes to save and modernize his father-in-law's textile company. Just home from military service, Egon takes his first steps in the Attorney General's office, working to hunt down escaped Nazis.

All three of them soon realize that the facade of peace is bought with the blood of the victims of war. Johann's professional ambitions bring him closer to those who committed unspeakable war crimes. Klara risks her marriage while growing ever closer to Herschel, one of the survivors. And Egon finds himself caught in a system that willingly turns a blind eye towards Nazi criminals for the sake of profit.

Event Details

Labyrinth of Peace 6

Sixth of 6 one-hour episodes | Drama, Holocaust | Mike Schaerer |Switzerland | German with English subtitles | 2020

1945 - the war is over and Switzerland was all but spared. In this 6-part mini series, Klara, her fiance Johann, and his brother Egon all look to the future. Klara tries to mend the wounds of the war by caring for young, displaced holocaust survivors. Johann, who works for Klara's industrialist father, hopes to save and modernize his father-in-law's textile company. Just home from military service, Egon takes his first steps in the Attorney General's office, working to hunt down escaped Nazis.

All three of them soon realize that the facade of peace is bought with the blood of the victims of war. Johann's professional ambitions bring him closer to those who committed unspeakable war crimes. Klara risks her marriage while growing ever closer to Herschel, one of the survivors. And Egon finds himself caught in a system that willingly turns a blind eye towards Nazi criminals for the sake of profit.

Event Details

Maverick Modigliani

98 mins | Documentary | Valeria Parisi | Italy | English and Italian with English subtitles | 2020

Marking the 100th anniversary of Modigliani's death, this documentary explores the life and work of Italian-Jewish painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920), a modernist artist known for his modern style and elongated of faces and necks. Although his works were not well-received during his lifetime, he achieved great popularilty after his death.

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Mrs. G

54 mins | Documentary, Israel | Dalir Knor | Israel | Hebrew with English subtitles | 2019

The Gottex swimwear empire was founded by legendary designer, Holocaust survivor and larger-than-life character Lea Gottlieb. Starting the company in her tiny Tel Aviv apartment, she navigated her way to the top of the fashion world. This inspiring documentary examines her meteoric rise, her unyielding professional vision and her complicated relationship with her daughters.

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On Broadway

82 mins | Documentary, Family | Oren Jacoby | USA | English | 2019

An all-star cast tells the inside story of the Broadway theater, and how it came back from the brink thanks to innovative work, a new attention to inclusion and a sometimes uneasy balance between art and commerce. Legends of the stage and screen take us behind the scenes of Broadway's most groundbreaking and beloved shows, from "A Chorus Line" to "Hamilton."

Power to Heal Our World_30 sec from Hadassah WZOA on Vimeo.

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Picture of His Life

72 mins | Documentary | Dani Menkin and Yonatan Nir | Israel, United States, Canada | English, Hebrew, Inuktitut with English subtitles | 2019

World-renowned wildlife photographer Amos Nachoum has one final photographic dream - to photograph a polar bear underwater and up close. His attempt once before lead to near fatal consequences. The film follows Nachoum in the Canadian Arctic as he prepares for this ultimate challenge. As the journey unfolds, so does an intimate and painful story of dedication, sacrifice and personal redemption.

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Shalom Taiwan

85 mins | Comedy, Drama | Walter Tejblum | Argentina | Spanish, English and Taiwanese with English subtitles | 2019

A Jewish Community Center in a small neighborhood in Buenos Aires is having financial problems - a nightmare for its young Rabbi Aaron. Neither his industriousness nor optimism seem enough to repay the longstanding debt. So, Rabbi Aaron embarks on a humorous, heartwarming, and transformational quest to Taiwan to attract donations.

SHALOM TAIWAN - Trailer from Toronto Jewish Film Festival on Vimeo.

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The Crossing

96 mins | Drama, Holocaust, Family | Johanne Helgeland | Norway | Norwegian with English subtitles | 2020

Otto and Gerda's parents are part of the resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Norway. In December 1942, when their parents are arrested, the siblings discover two Jewish children, Sarah and Daniel, hiding in their cellar. Over Otto's objections, the two pairs set off for neutral Sweden to bring Sarah and Daniel to safety.

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The End of Love

90 mins | Drama, Israel | Keren Ben Rafael | France, Israel | English, French, Hebrew with English subtitles | 2019

An exploration of love in the digital era, the film unfolds through video call conversations between a married couple with a new baby. She's in Paris, he's in Tel Aviv. Time passes and over-communication kills their privacy. In the end, they fall in love for the first time.

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The Keeper

120 mins | Drama, Family | Marcus H. Rosenmüller | United Kingdom, Germany | English, German with English subtitles | 2018

Inspired by the true story of Bert Trautmann, a German POW who became a famous English soccer player, the film follows the love story between Trautmann and a young English woman. Together, they overcome prejudice, public hostility, and personal tragedy.

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The Vigil

89 mins | Drama, Horror | Keith Thomas | USA | English, Yiddish, Hebrew with English subtitles | 2019

A man providing overnight watch to a deceased member of his former Orthodox Jewish community finds himself opposite a malevolent entity, in writer-director Keith Thomas' electrifying feature debut.

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Those Who Remained

83 minutes | Holocaust, Historical Drama | Barnabás Tóth | Hungary | Hungarian with English subtitles | 2019

A lyrical story of the healing power of love in the midst of a national conflict, loss and trauma, Those Who Remained reveals the healing process of Holocause survivors through the eyes of a young girl in post-World War II Hungary.

Event Details

The son of a Holocaust survivor who lives in Trieste as a surgeon begins to doubt his actions of refusing to help a victim of a traffic accident that he encountered on his way home from work.

Event Details

Upside Down Tree

73 mins | Holocaust, Israel, Drama, Family | Ariel Cohen | Israel | Hebrew with English subtitles | 2019

Eva is a Jewish girl orphaned during World War II and raised by a Ukrainian family. Several years after the war, a mysterious woman appears claiming to be her mother and wants to take the girl to Israel. A series of strange events makes Eva wonder whether the woman really is who she says she is. A psychological thriller unfolds about the questions of identity and relationship in times of war. This film based on the bestselling autobiography "As Long As I Live," by Aaron Margalit.

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Winter Journey

87 mins | Drama, Holocaust | Anders Østergaard | USA | English, German with English subtitles | 2019

Radio host Martin Goldsmith never knew what happened to his parents before they escaped from Germany in 1941. Over a weekend, he confronts his father (Bruno Ganz in his last role) and we are brought back to the complex and confusing 1930s when the parents were young musicians.