Welcome to the 22nd annual Portland Jewish Film Festival, produced by the Northwest Film Center and co-presented with the Institute for Judaic Studies. While the Festival specifically celebrates the diversity of Jewish history, culture, and identity, we hope that these films and the stories they tell resonate beyond their settings and speak to experiences and issues that confront our common humanity.

Special thanks to our sponsors: Cedar Sinai Park; the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, San Francisco; the Diane Solomon Family Fund; the Harold and Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation; Hasson Realty; Higgins Restaurant; Honest Tea; the Institute for Judaic Studies; the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland; Joan and Paul Sher; J Street Portland; the Leonard and Lois Schnitzer Supporting Foundation of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation; Mittleman Jewish Community Center; the Oregon Israel Business Alliance; the Oregon Israel Fund of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation; Oregon Jewish Life; Portland Jewish Academy; and Ruben J. and Elizabeth Menashe. We hope you’ll support PJFF by purchasing a Patron Pass.

Czech filmmakers have long been recognized for their innovative contributions to international cinema. The legacy of the Czech New Wave, the period of stylistic experimentation and social critique that accompanied political and social reforms in mid-1960s Czechoslovakia, still resonates in a new generation of voices offering skilled takes on diverse genres from comedy, gritty realist drama, and stylish period thrillers to animation and more. They share, however, a deft eye for lyric beauty and absurdist humor even in the most mundane or difficult circumstances, as they probe social and economic conditions and questions of Czech identity and culture. We are pleased to present this six-film selection of influential and emerging voices in Czech cinema in conjunction with the nationally touring program “Czech That Film,” organized by the Czech Center, New York; Embassy of the Czech Republic, Washington, D.C.; Consulate General of the Czech Republic, Los Angeles; Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic, Portland; and the Czech Society of Oregon. Our special thanks go to Michal Sedlacek, Consul General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles, for making these films’ Portland presentation possible.

Join us atop the Hotel deLuxe’s parking structure at SW 15th and Yamhill for our 10th annual program of cinema under the stars. Doors open at 7 PM with food and beverages available for purchase from Gracie’s Restaurant, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, and Honest Tea. The music begins at 8 PM, and the films begin around dusk.

Entry for advance ticket holders is guaranteed until 8:30 PM. Advance tickets ensure that you will not have to wait in the ticket purchase line but do not guarantee entry after 8:30 PM. A limited number of chairs are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, so feel free to bring a chair, pillow, or blanket, along with a light sweater or jacket. Advance ticket holders who arrive after 8:30 PM but are not admitted to the screening (in the case of a sell-out) may exchange their tickets for another Top Down screening. There are no refunds or exchanges for arrivals after the film begins (c. 9 PM) or for entirely missed screenings. We appreciate your understanding. Please, no pets or outside food or drink. Day-of weather updates at nwfilm.org.

Thanks to our sponsors: Hotel deLuxe, Peter Corvallis Productions, Honest Tea, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Car2Go, Portland Mercury, Yelp! Portland, KIND Healthy Snacks, PDX Pipeline, Artslandia and 94/7 FM KNRK.

Advance tickets are $9 general; $8 student/senior/Portland Art Museum member; $6 Silver Screen Club Friend.

Tickets at the door are $11 general; $10 student/senior/PAM member; $8 Silver Screen Club Friend. Tickets at the door are CASH ONLY.

Drive, bike, or take the streetcar to our drive-in under the stars—and the striking Ross Island Bridge—at Zidell Yards. The gates open at 7:30 PM and films start at dusk, with food and drink for sale by Olympic Provisions and Taqueria Las Piedritas on site. If you don’t have your car, bring a chair or a cushy blanket and find your riverside spot in front for some pop cinema classics. The Zidell Yards entrance is at 3030 SW Moody Avenue, a few blocks north of the streetcar to OHSU.

Admission: $8 per person per film; $12 double feature; tickets available exclusively at the gate. Payment options: cash or Square.

Please, no outside food or drink. Sound will be broadcast via local FM transmission and speaker system. Co-presented by Zidell and the Northwest Film Center. Sponsored by LAIKA.

While Wes Anderson has become one of the most internationally heralded directors over the last decade, his quirky, meticulous films have remained a few steps removed from the mainstream spotlight. The breakthrough success of his recent THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL provides an opportunity for a retrospective look of his earlier work and some of the key films that influenced his own. Anderson’s intricately detailed worlds demand rapt attention to pick up the myriad of cultural references, emotions hidden beneath layers of artifice, and trenchant explorations of familial ties. Marked by energetic soundtracks and collaboration with a cast of regulars in front of and behind the camera—among them cinematographer Robert Yeoman, composer Mark Mothersbaugh of the band Devo, and actors Owen and Luke Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Angelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, and Edward Norton—Anderson’s films have at once much to say about the bygone times they portray and about our modern condition and the bonds we must forge to stay sane in this crazy world.

Double feature pricing applies to all film pairings in this series—add the second film for only $5!

Our recent Studio Ghibli retrospective inspires this deeper dive into worlds brought to life by the magic of animators. Brilliant color, fantastic visions, incredible techniques, and equal measures of wit and wisdom reveal themselves in this selection of classics—features and shorts—that comprise a rich international legacy. Besides the history and dazzle, these films are just plain fun, so come enjoy this rare big-screen salute to the popular art of animation.

Northwest Tracking showcases the work of independent filmmakers living and working in the Northwest—Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington—whose work reflects the vibrant cinematic culture of the region. Whether presenting single-artist retrospectives, new features, documentaries, or inspired collections of short works, this ongoing showcase offers testimony to the creativity and talent in our flourishing media arts community.