Festival blog wednesday

Festival blog Wednesday, 7 May 2025

After a great opening evening at Hans-Otto-theatre, the JFBB is heading into the first regular festival day full of energy. In the slideshow below, we show impressions of yesterday evening.

Today we continue with film reflections, personal stories and intensive discussions. One of the highlights of the day is the feature film THE FUTURE AWAITS by Nils Tavernier, which will be screened at 16:00 in Berlin's Filmkunst 66 (Hall 1). The drama movingly tells the story of a Jewish girl who lives with her parents in an attic in Paris, hidden from the Nazis for over two years. The young lead actress Violette Guillon will be present for a discussion afterwards.
COME CLOSER, the impressive feature film debut by Tom Nesher, will also be screened in the Competition Feature Film section on Wednesday. The director, who received the JFBB Young Talent Award presented by award patron Andrea Sawatzki the evening before, is expected to attend the screening at 17:00 in Thalia Potsdam (Room 4) for a Q&A. The film tells the story of Eden, who discovers an unknown side of her brother's life after his death.

Wednesday evening also offers two short film programmes. At 18:00 in Berlin's Filmkunst 66 (Room 2), NOSH NOSH will be showing seven works of diverse form and content that explore Jewish life with humour, poignancy and subtlety. ASSEMBLING THE PIECES, a programme dealing with the aftermath of 7 October, will follow immediately afterwards at 20:00 at the same venue.

The new documentary BLUM: MASTERS OF THEIR OWN DESTINY by Jasmila Žbanić will be screened at Moviemento Berlin at 8:15 pm. The film portrays Shoa survivor and entrepreneur Emerik Blum and paints a portrait of a man who built up a globally successful company in Yugoslavia. The director, Oscar-nominated for Quo Vadis, Aida?, will be on site for a Q&A.
In addition, a talk today invites you to engage with the story. At 18:15 in the Krokodil cinema, Anetta Kahane will talk to JFBB programme director Bernd Buder about anti-Semitism in East Germany during the reunification years. Admission is free, the event will be held in German.

Tickets for all screenings cost EUR 10, concessions EUR 8, and are available online at jfbb.info and directly at the cinemas. You can find an overview of kosher restaurants in Berlin at berlin-judentum.de/koscher.