The 31st Annual St. Louis Jewish Film Festival returns March 15 to 26, at B&B Theatres in Creve Coeur, bringing six days of international cinema to the community. The festival will present 12 films—documentaries, dramas and comedies—from around the world that explore Jewish identity, resilience, memory and shared human experience.

The festival is designed to be more than a series of screenings. Audiences are invited to take part in post-film discussions, live guest appearances, curated thematic pairings and new interactive elements intended to encourage conversation and connection.

“At its heart, the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival is about bringing people together across generations, neighborhoods and perspectives to experience powerful stories that remind us of who we are and what we share,” said John Wilson, director of cultural arts at the Jewish Community Center.

Opening night features two films focused on memory and moral accountability. “For the Living” follows cyclists retracing a Holocaust survivor’s liberation route from Auschwitz to Krakow, while “Nuremberg,” starring Russell Crowe and Rami Malek, examines justice through the lens of a psychiatrist tasked with evaluating Nazi leaders before their trials. An opening-night reception for festival patrons will take place between the screenings.

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Throughout the week, the lineup includes films that examine history, explore family and relationships, and balance serious themes with humor and everyday life. The festival closes with the anticipated audience favorite “Eleanor the Great,” starring Jewish actress June Squibb and directed by Scarlett Johanssen, who is also Jewish.

New this year, the festival expands beyond its traditional venue with a screening at the Alamo Drafthouse at the Foundry on March 18 at 7 p.m., reflecting an effort to reach younger audiences and engage Jewish communities across the region. The festival also introduces a Jewish Film Festival Passport, a keepsake for all-festival pass holders to track the films they attend and reflect on their experience.

A special pre-festival event will take place on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at the J in Creve Coeur with a screening of “Sugihara: Conspiracy of Kindness.” The evening will include a live Q&A with award-winning filmmaker diane estelle Vicari, sponsored by Nancy and Ken Kranzberg and Shelly and Rick Mayhew.

The pre-festival event coincides with the Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum exhibition “RESILIENCE: A Sansei Sense of Legacy” (through April 4), connecting the film to broader discussions about memory, resilience and survival, including Japanese narratives of courage during the Holocaust and the legacy of Japanese American internment during World War II.

For more information and tickets, go to: jccstl.com/arts-ideas/st-louis-jewish-film-festival/