PROGRAMMERS' PICKS

HELEN ZUKERMAN

holofiction

In all my years of watching Holocaust films, I have never seen anything like this one. Come to see it and have a conversation with the director and find out why he made such an unusual film.

It has been chosen to screen in 80 countries around the world, and will be used as a teaching tool for students with a study guide.

Stuart Hands

The Dreamer

The Dreamer tells the story of one of the most dynamic actors of Israeli cinema, Yosef Shiloah. This is a wonderful portrait of an artist born to a Mizrahi family who faced limitations in both life and art and his struggles to transcend them. He created a beloved body of work on film, from his role as a sensitive poet in Assi Dayan’s first film, Saint Cohen to his popularity in the broad ethnic comedies of the 70s and 80s, such as Alex is Lovesick. The Dreamer is not just for film lovers, but rather is a portrait of the Israeli society of Shiloah’s era and the struggles of Mizrahi Jews. This documentary brings Shiloah’s life and times to life through great artistic choices by the filmmakers and plenty of revelatory archival materials.

JEREMIE ABESSIRA

The Sea

What struck me most about The Sea is how deeply it resonates through its simplicity. There’s barely any dialogue, yet it feels fully immersive, carried by the quiet intensity of the boy’s perspective. Through his eyes, the story unfolds in a way that feels intimate and universal at the same time. The film sustains a tension throughout, relying on small gestures, silence, and observation. Beyond its political undercurrent, its strength lies in this restraint—in how it builds meaning through what’s left unsaid.

VANESA BERENSTEIN

The Safe House

I like that The Safe House uses comedy to tell the story of a Jewish family navigating the May 1968 events in Paris, seen through the eyes of a child. At once playful and moving, the film beautifully captures personal and collective memory, with a visual elegance reminiscent of Wes Anderson.

GILLIAN HELFIELD

YOU HAD TO BE THERE

Even if you weren’t there for the 1972 Toronto production of Godspell at the Royal Alex, this affectionate, nostalgic documentary lets you relive its magic. Drawing on rare archival footage, animation, and candid interviews, director Nick Davis captures a pivotal, transformative moment for Canadian theatre and its creative community—several of whom, including Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, and Andrea Martin, went on to successful careers that helped redefine North American comedy.

RANI Sanderson

MAINTENANCE ARTIST

This is my kind of film. A beautifully made documentary about that space where woman, artist, and activist meet. A story about art as an act of revolution; how one woman’s art can make visible the invisible, and be not only a champion for maintenance workers around the world, but turn that essential work into a thing of beauty, and something to be revered.

SUSAN STARKMAN

OXYGEN

In both her documentary and feature films, director Netalie Braun examines how the military shapes Israeli society and how individuals operate within or resist its dominance. Shooting is a revelatory exploration of the ethics of filmmaking and the insidious connection between militarism and cinema. In Oxygen, a mother challenges society’s military ethos by refusing to allow her son to become another potential sacrifice for a national cause.

Maxim Volovik

NANDAURI

Sunny Georgia becomes bleak and hostile in this gripping drama, as the main character parades through its gloomy rural streets in a striking red coat. She doesn’t fit in from the get-go, and the film masterfully explores all the complicated reasons why. A stunning debut feature from writer-director Eti Tsicko.