5 films to watch at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival

The 24th Toronto Jewish Film Festival starts on May 5 and runs until May 15 - that gives you plenty of time to check out a screening (or two). The TJFF offers a varied lineup, especially if you want to learn something new about Toronto in a city-focused documentary. Or perhaps you'd rather take a trip to the suburbs in the opening night screening of Natasha by locally based author David Bezmozgis.

Here are my picks based on TJFF's Programmer Stuart Hands's recommendations.

Numbers Guy (May 11, Innis Town Hall)
Director Vanessa Jung creates a beautiful portrait of Torontonian David Teitel, Big Carrot's most famous cashier. In this intimate documentary short, Jung takes you on a brief journey inside Teitel's life as he moves through the city.

Demon (May 7, Famous Players Canada Square)
If you missed Demon's world premiere at TIFF, you can catch it now. This Israeli-Polish co-production, directed by the late Marcin Wrona, is a modern retelling of the Jewish Dyybuk fable and follows a young man who's possessed by an evil spirit on his wedding day.

Honest Ed Mirvish: The World's Most Unusual Shopkeeper (May 15, Bloor Hot Docs Cinema)
As hard as it is to believe, Honest Ed's will close at the end of this year. That's why the TJFF is featuring this documentary on Ed Mirvish, even though it premiered back in 1998. And after you watch it, be sure to cross the street and wander through the cramped and crowded aisles at our city's most famous discount store.

Freak Out (May 14, Innis Town Hall)
Director Boaz Armoni's Freak Out is one of the many new horror movies streaming out of Israel. Armoni's dark horror-comedy explores societal fears through a group of soldiers stationed at a secluded army base.

Princess (May 9, Innis Town Hall)
Toronto Jewish Film Festival programmers describe Princess as "one of the most original and enigmatic films to come out of Israel in the last few years." And indeed it is as this haunting psychological drama broaches the subject, as Variety says, of underage sexuality.

Photo from Demon.

by Amy Grief via blogTO