The 12th Oklahoma Jewish Film Festival

Event Will Be Held March 22 - 29, 2025
@ Circle Cinema

The 12th edition of the Oklahoma Jewish Film Festival returns to the Circle Cinema, Sunday, March 22 – Sunday, March 29, 2026. The festival includes 6 films over 5 days, with works from around the world exploring common themes of Jewish identity and culture in a variety of genres, including comedy, drama, documentary, and narrative cinema. The Oklahoma Jewish Film Festival is a vehicle using the power of compelling stories to bring people of all religions and cultures together, showcasing the diversity of global Jewish life. The film festival welcomes audiences of all backgrounds to experience a rich, thought-provoking slate of films that blend humanity, humor, and joy, inviting viewers to open their hearts, challenge assumptions, and engage in stimulating conversations.

The festival is a partnership between the Jewish Federation of Tulsa and the Circle Cinema.

Programming highlights of this year’s festival include:

• A post-film talk with award-winning filmmaker Peter Hutchinson and former neo-Nazi leader, Tony McAleer, live in person, following the screening of The Cure for Hate, opening day, Sunday, March 22.
• Special introduction by Tulsa actor/comedian Josh Fadem, who appears in the film One Big Happy Family, on Wednesday, March 25 at 1 pm.
• Pre-film reception with live Beatles music before the film, Midas Man, the story of the 5th Beatle, manager Brian Epstein, on Thursday, March 26, starting at 6 pm in the lobby of the Circle Cinema. The film starts at 7 pm.

Tickets are $12 each and an all-festival pass is $60.

This year’s festival contains six feature films and pre-and post-film events. The lineup is:

Sunday, March 22, 3 pm


The Cure for Hate
Documentary (English – 80 minutes)


Post-film discussion with filmmaker Peter Hutchinson and former neo-Nazi Tony McAleer. The Cure for Hate is the powerful true story of Tony McAleer, a former neo-Nazi leader and skinhead turned anti-hate activist. Deeply ashamed of his past, McAleer travels to Auschwitz in the spirit of teshuvah—repentance and return—to bear witness to the inconceivable devastation of the Holocaust. The film chronicles his journey of atonement, examining the rise of fascism, the pathways into and out of extremism, and the urgent need to confront unchecked hate in our time. Through reflection, accountability, and moral reckoning, McAleer offers a rare and unflinching look at the possibility of change.

Tuesday, March 24, 7 pm

The Floaters Comedy (English—101 minutes) 


Out of a band breakup and onto the dirt of her childhood Jewish summer camp, Nomi (Jackie Tohn–GLOW (Netflix), Nobody Wants This (Netflix) reluctantly takes a last-ditch job from her friend Mara (Sarah Podemski—Jewish/Native actress known from Sterling Harjo’s Reservation Dogs), supervising the misfit teens nicknamed “The Floaters”. As the camp faces financial collapse and a rival camp throws down a high-stakes competition, Nomi must bridge the gap between unconventional campers and her own bruised ego. Woven with warmth and gentle humor, The Floaters is a nostalgic love letter to Jewish summer camp life—the friendships, the rituals, and the feeling that once defined a summer you never quite forget.

Wednesday, March 25, 1 pm


One Big Happy Family
Comedy (English—82 minutes)


Introduction by Tulsa actor and comedian Josh Fadem.
When a DNA test completely upends Rachel’s life, as she plans her daughter’s Bat Mitzvah, she embarks on a hilarious journey with her eccentric mother to discover who she really is. Rachel is suddenly on a wild ride, discovering new siblings of all backgrounds, and embarking on a foray with her mother to find her “real” father. Their adventure leads them to a shady private investigator, a bumbling gynecologist, and a tattooed ex-con half-brother. Through it all, Rachel uncovers a deeper understanding of who she truly is—a devoted mother, a passionate (if currently unemployed) actress, and, most importantly, her mother’s daughter. The film marks the final feature film performance of Emmy and Tony Award–winning actress Linda Lavin, and features Tulsa-based stand-up comedian and actor Josh Fadem.

Wednesday, March 25, 7 pm


Once Upon My Mother
Drama (French with subtitles—102 minutes)


In this inspiring, emotional, and often funny real-life drama set in the 1960s, the matriarch of a bustling Jewish immigrant family from Morocco living in Paris will do anything to give her son the best life despite physical setbacks. Born with a clubfoot, Roland is unable to walk, yet his mother, Esther (Algerian French actress Leila Bekhti, in a flamboyant, tour de force performance), is determined, and a bit obsessed to help him live a “normal” life. The film follows Roland into adulthood, as his maternal relationship grown increasingly complicated. A fiery and wondrous adaptation of an autobiographical novel by French writer and radio personality Roland Perez, featuring music by Sylvie Vartan, who plays herself in the film, the film beautifully demonstrates the complex phenomenon of a mother’s single-minded, against-all-odds devotion.

Thursday, March 26, 7 pm


Midas Man
Drama (English—112 minutes)


6 pm Live Beatles music in the Circle Lobby with Eric Himan and Ben Neikirk. Bar open!
Midas Man chronicles the life and career of Brian Epstein, the visionary manager who propelled the Fab Four from Liverpool clubs to global stardom. As a gay, Jewish man navigating the conservative landscape of mid-century Britain, Epstein’s journey was marked by groundbreaking success and personal struggle. The film delves into his unwavering belief in the Beatles’ star power, his innovative approach to artist management, and his personal search for belonging while battling inner demons. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen’s Gambit) delivers a compelling performance as Epstein, while a supporting cast—Emily Watson, Eddie Izzard, and Jay Leno—help bring the ’60s to life with style and wit. Midas Man offers a vibrant look at a music industry on the cusp of transformation—and the man who helped spark it.


The Ring
Drama (Hebrew and Hungarian with subtitles—122 minutes)


Closing dessert reception and Audience Choice Winner Announced!
Arnon Noble (Israeli Academy Award winner, Adir Miller) is a religious man with a deep bond to his mother, a Holocaust survivor. He regularly drives her to school lectures, where she tells students how she saved her own life and that of her baby boy with the help of a thin gold ring. When his mother’s health deteriorates, Arnon travels to her hometown of Budapest to search for the ring that once saved her life. He turns for help to his estranged daughter, a television researcher, and invites her to join him on this profound journey to find the ring. A heartwarming dramedy about three generations and their family history. The Ring is based on Adir Miller’s Holocaust survival story.

When and where is the Oklahoma Jewish Film Festival?


When: Sunday, March 22 — Sunday, March 29, 2026


Where: Circle Cinema, 10 S. Lewis Ave., Tulsa, OK 74104


Cost: $12 per film; $60 All-Festival Pass


Tickets: Online at: https://www.circlecinema.org/ or at the box office.


More info: https://www.jewishtulsa.org/okjff/ 
Box Office: 918-585-3504

What is theJewish Federation of Tulsa?

Founded in 1938, the mission of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa is to preserve and enhance Jewish life and well-being in Eastern Oklahoma, Israel, and the entire world. This mission is being addressed by pursuing charitable, humanitarian, cultural, educational, health, and social service needs of the Jewish community as well as engaging in community relations and outreach and providing a variety of services to the broader Tulsa community.

Originally opened in 1928, the Circle Cinema’s mission is to use film to foster understanding and appreciation of the diversity of the human experience and create community among the viewers in the restored historic Circle Cinema. Circle Cinema is the only independent, nonprofit, art cinema in the Tulsa area.