Rockland JCC International Film Festival

Once Upon My Mother is a joyful, heartwarming family saga celebrating faith, devotion, and the transformative power of maternal love.

In a harrowing real-life story that echoes Taken, the feature documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue follows retired Israeli general Noam Tibon, who on October 7, 2023, received a desperate text from his son: terrorists had stormed his home, and he, his wife, and their two young daughters feared for their lives. With no time to spare, Noam and his wife, Gali, embarked on a ten-hour mission across a country under siege to save their family.

Israel’s official entry to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film and nominated for a record 13 Israeli Academy Awards (Ophir), notably winning Best Film and Best Actor, The Sea is a quietly majestic ode to the best of the human spirit.

After losing his mother, thirteen-year-old Ethan finds solace in the Catholic church—a refuge that feels like home, even though he was born into a Jewish family. When his father insists on a bar mitzvah and Ethan’s secret unravels at his girlfriend’s confirmation party, the young seeker must confront the lies he’s told and the grief he’s been running from