The St. Louis Jewish Film Festival will be screening two films in August at the Jewish Community Center’s Arts & Education Building, 2 Millstone Campus Drive.

• Sunday, Aug. 19:  At 4 p.m. the festival will screen “An Act of Defiance.” This powerful and captivating film takes place in South Africa in 1963. Ten men — some black, some Jewish — are arrested for conspiring to commit sabotage against the apartheid state and its government. Led by fellow defendant Nelson Mandela and represented by courageous lawyer Bram Fischer, the group pleads not guilty, shifting attention to the corrupt and grossly unjust political system. This thriller is filled with courtroom intrigue and explores the little known involvement of South African Jews in condemning apartheid.

• Sunday, Aug. 26: At 7 p.m. the festival will screen “The Last Suit.” The film is about an aging Jewish tailor, a Holocaust survivor, who leaves his life in Argentina to embark on a journey back through time and halfway around the world, in this bittersweet road movie. This is a journey in search of closure that ends up opening the mind of a stubborn old man. A klezmer-infused score brings an atmospheric charm to the picture, which gives way to a more melancholy orchestral accompaniment, as the hard edges of this tough old man are gradually softened. “The Last Suit” exudes a poignant message of the enduring importance of family, friends and honor.

Tickets are $13 and can be purchased at the J Box Office or by calling the ticket hot-line 314-442-3179.