5 Films for International Women's Day Celebrating Diverse Jewish Experiences
To mark International Women's Month this March — with International Women's Day on March 8th — our curators created a new collection highlighting the complex, courageous, and multifaceted lives and legacies of Jewish women.
Spanning the gap between documentaries, biographies, and fiction narrative films from female creatives, this selection reflects diverse Jewish experiences about, by and from inspiring Jewish women.
From Hannah Arendt's moral philosophy to Lea Tsemel's legal activism, from Hedy Lamarr's hidden genius to the intimate solidarity between women in wartime, these stories remind us that Jewish women have always been at the center of history's most pressing questions.
Continue reading below, or jump right into our new International Women's Month playlist now available on ChaiFlicks.
1. Hannah Arendt
Director Margarethe von Trotta's biographical drama brings one of the 20th century's most influential philosophers to vivid life. In 1961, writer and philosopher Hannah Arendt traveled to Jerusalem to cover Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann's trial for The New Yorker. What unfolds is far more than courtroom proceedings — it's a meditation on morality, responsibility, and the personal cost of speaking uncomfortable truths.
Arendt's analysis of Eichmann becomes a lightning rod for controversy, testing her relationships, her reputation, and her own convictions. Barbara Sukowa's portrayal captures both Arendt's intellectual rigor and her vulnerability as she grapples with one of history's defining moral questions — in a trial that marked Jewish history and her own journey to becoming one of the most influential voices in contemporary philosophy.
Stream feature film Hannah Arendt on ChaiFlicks in the United States and Canada
2. All I Can Do
This star-studded courtroom drama centers on two women whose lives collide in the pursuit of justice. An official selection of the prestigious Jerusalem Film Festival, Israeli director Shiri Nevo Fridental built All I Can Do into a passionate and nuanced drama, informed by her real-life experience as a lawyer.
Reut, a young prosecutor, reluctantly takes over a sexual assault case hinged entirely on the testimony of Efrat, a fragile yet rebellious victim. As the trial progresses and Efrat's vulnerabilities become exposed, Reut discovers unexpected depths of strength, love, and sisterhood.
The role of Reut is powerfully portrayed by Ania Bukstein, best known for her roles in Game of Thrones and A Quiet Heart. With veteran Israeli comedian Moni Moshonov and Roi Assaf turning in surprisingly dramatic performances alongside Bukstein and rising star Megi Azarzar, the result is a gripping yet delicate drama.
Stream All I Can Do on ChaiFlicks in the United States and Canada
3. Less Than Kosher
Sometimes celebrating women means celebrating their irreverence — and this raunchy musical comedy is as irreverent as it gets. This young, fresh synagogue-focused comedy was the star of the film festival circuit across North America before landing on ChaiFlicks for the High Holidays this year.
Less Than Kosher follows Viv, a 30-something woman whose failed music career has sent her back to her mother's basement. When she stumbles into an unlikely job as a cantor at her family's synagogue, her life transforms into a chaotic, hilarious, and deeply human journey of self-discovery.
What begins as a woman trying to fake it till she makes it becomes a genuine reckoning with identity, family expectations, and what it means to belong—or rebel against belonging. The film is unapologetically fun while exploring real tensions within Jewish family and religious life. It's a celebration of women who refuse to be confined by expectations, whether they're labeled "good Jews" or not. Punctuated by a talented ensemble cast led by Shaina Silver-Baird as Viv and featuring the likes of comedy pro Sugith Varughese (Kim’s Convenience) and David Reale (Suits, The Boys), Less Than Kosher is the refreshing Jewish comedy you didn’t know you needed.
Less Than Kosher is streaming on ChaiFlicks in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK
4. Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
Director Alexandra Dean's documentary uncovers the astonishing duality of a woman the world thought it knew: Hollywood's most glamorous actress and one of history's most innovative inventors. Hedy Lamarr was the inspiration for both Snow White and Catwoman; she was also the technological mind behind a secure radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes during World War II.
Using never-before-heard audio of Lamarr speaking candidly about her life, the film traces her journey from Austrian Jewish émigré to scandal-plagued starlet to invisible genius. Lamarr's story is one of radical invisibility—too beautiful to be taken seriously as a mind, too brilliant to be acknowledged for her contributions. Yet her inventions laid the groundwork for cell phone and Bluetooth technology. This documentary is a long-overdue tribute to a woman whose legacy finally deserves its spotlight.
Stream Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story streams on ChaiFlicks in the United States and Canada
5. Lost Transport
This Dutch-German drama reveals an unlikely story of connection amid the horrors of war. In spring 1945, a train carrying hundreds of Jewish prisoners is stranded near a small German village occupied by the Red Army. Trapped together in circumstances of desperation, mistrust, and rage, three women form an unexpected bond: Russian sniper Vera, village girl Winnie, and Jewish-Dutch woman Simone.
Against the brutality of war and occupation, the film explores how friendship can emerge between people who should be enemies. The three female characters navigate impossible choices and deeper understandings of strength, survival, and humanity. It's a nuanced wartime narrative that centers female perspectives and the complicated solidarity between women across divides.
