East Bay Jewish Film Festival: Virtual passport to everywhere

Film festivals have grown with such ferocity that they are now like Hallmark holidays: There’s seemingly one for every occasion, and many more than you can hope to keep track of.

Here’s one fest that often flies under the radar but features some utterly rewarding gems. The East Bay International Jewish Film Festival, running through next weekend, has as its motto “See a film — see the world.” And that has never seemed so desirable as at a time when traveling is difficult for most of us.

The fest features works from Israel, Italy, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States, and covers everything from the bond between a father and his autistic son (“Here We Are,” streaming through Friday); the protracted battle to get homosexuality dropped from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental disorders (“Cured,” streaming April 18-20); a backstage look at Broadway featuring interviews with Helen Mirren, Viola Davis, Mandy Patinkin and many more (“On Broadway,” streaming Sunday-Tuesday), and a drama about a secular Jewish college student working as a nanny for a Hasidic family (“Left Luggage,” with Isabella Rossellini and Maximilian Schell, April 20-23).

Details: Through April 23; most films available for four days; screenings are $8 per household, full pass is $89; eastbayjewishfilm.eventive.org.

— Bay City News Foundation

EAST BAY INTERNATIONAL JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL Cured,” a documentary streaming via the East Bay International Jewish Film Festival, covers the movement to counter the designation of homosexuality as a psychological disorder.