Jewish Film Festival Berlin: Anti-Semitism in the focus of the powerful films!

Jewish Film Festival Berlin: Anti-Semitism in the focus of the powerful films!

Israeli cinema has established itself as a central component of the Berlin Brandenburg Jewish Film Festival. This year the focus is on the Jewish-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab experiences. These issues have become more urgent due to the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023 and the associated military operations. The aim of the panel discussions during the festival is to shed light on the film's examination of the complex situation and experiences of “the other”.

The festival will take place from May 6th to 11th, 2025 and offers a diverse program that also addresses the reception of Jewish-Arab perspectives. A special highlight are the panel discussions taking place on May 9th and 10th in Berlin's Filmkunst 66 cinema. Filmmakers and scholars will come together here to discuss current issues and exchange knowledge about developments in Israeli cinema.

Panel discussions in detail

The first panel discussion, entitled “Israeli-Palestinian Filmscapes – Between Identity and Restriction,” will take place on Friday, May 9th at 4:45 p.m. Moderated by Naomi Levari, the director Yousef Abo Madegem, the director Neta Shoshani and the film producer Baher Agbariya will discuss. Topics such as cooperation between Palestinian and Jewish filmmakers are the focus and the reactions of communities and politics to the challenges since October 7th are examined.

There are two more panels on the program on Saturday, May 10th. The first, “Genesis: The Jewish-Arab Relationship in Israeli Film – A Review,” begins at 10:30 a.m. and is directed by Nir Ferber. Guests such as film critic Ariel Schweitzer and documentary filmmaker Yael Reuveny will analyze the development of Israeli film in the context of Jewish-Arab relations.

Immediately afterwards, at 12:00 p.m., the panel “Reception: Jewish-Arab perspectives at international festivals” will take place again, moderated by Naomi Levari. Here, Dani Rosenberg, Nir Ferber and Baher Agbariya discuss the opportunities and challenges presented to filmmakers at international festivals, especially after the events of last year.

The international film festival “Seret”

At the same time, the international Israeli film festival “Seret” starts in Germany, which takes place in several cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and Frankfurt am Main. The festival begins on September 6, 2025. It includes a wide-ranging program of feature films, documentaries and comedy. Particular highlights are the documentaries about the Israeli writers Amos Oz and Abraham B. Yehoshua, which are shown in Hebrew with English subtitles.

The opening film tells of a couple who find new joy in life through a new neighbor, while another work presents perspectives from female film students at Sapir College in Sderot. The festival also offers an additional online offering that ensures the films are accessible to a wider audience.

Jewish Film Festival and Anti-Semitism

In addition, this year the Berlin Brandenburg Jewish Film Festival is devoting itself to the topic of anti-Semitism. The series “Anti-Semitism in Post-Socialism” highlights the Jewish experiences in post-socialist societies and includes 57 films from around 20 countries. For example, “The Community,” which deals with pressure on Jewish communities in Ukraine, and “Swimming Pool on the Golan,” a story about East Berlin and Israeli relatives, will be shown.

The event promises to be not only entertaining, but also thought-provoking and discussion-provoking. The films will be presented in a total of eleven venues, accompanied by discussions. Tickets are available at a price of 10 euros (reduced 8 euros) via the festival's website.