Adapted from a story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, Barbra Streisand’s Yentl tells the story of a young woman born to an Ashkenazi shtetl in Poland whose love for studying the Talmud drives her to impersonating a man (and taking on her late brother’s name Anshel) in order to enter a yeshiva. In school she meets Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin), whose engagement to Hadass (Amy Irving), has been called off despite their mutual love. Over time, Yentl/Anshel develops feelings for Avigdor, meaning she might have to choose between maintaining her secret for the sake of her studies, or pursuing a traditional marriage that would forbid them. Though honored during its initial run, Yentl’s critical standing has only grown in the decades since, enduring as a beloved and formidably distinct American musical, a thoroughgoing portrait of turn-of-the-century European-Jewish (and eventual Jewish emigre) life, and Streisand’s greatest filmmaking achievement. Irving is luminous as Hadass, in a performance that earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Yentl
Yentl
Q&A with Actress Amy Irving moderated by JBFC Board Member Kenneth Bowser
Tickets: $15 (members), $20 (nonmembers)
"Streisand the director does justice to Streisand the actress. The star's blithe performance as a pixieish Yeshiva boy in front of the camera is matched by the neophyte director's graceful performance behind the camera."
"[Yentl] admits the viewer to a beguiling world where emotions can bubble out of low comedy, where familial friendship and carnal love intersect, where the dead exert their tenacious influence on the living, and a folk tale can transform itself into a bittersweet fairy tale."
SPECIAL EVENTS
Q&A with Actress Amy Irving moderated by JBFC Board Member Kenneth Bowser
Saturday, Nov. 7 2026, 4:30
- Amy Irving first came to prominence with breakthrough screen roles in Brian DePalma’s Carrie and The Fury, and stage performances of Romeo and Juliet with the Los Angeles Free Shakespeare Society and Broadway’s Amadeus. Nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Yentl, Irving has captivated audiences with beloved starring roles in films like Crossing Delancey, Honeysuckle Rose, The Competition, and Micki and Maude. Shifting from acting into music with her 2023 debut album, Born In A Trunk, her sophomore album Always Will Be was released in 2025.
- Kenneth Bowser is a director of documentaries, feature films and episodic television and specializes in crafting stories about American culture. In addition to Phil Ochs, There But For Fortune, he is the writer, producer and director of NBC's Emmy nominated two-hour network special, Live From New York, The First Five Years of Saturday Night Live, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of SNL. He also worked on the SNL network specials for the 80's, 90's and 2000s. Bowser wrote and produced the Emmy nominated John Ford/John Wayne, The Filmmaker and The Legend for PBS's American Masters, which was an official selection of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. His last feature documentary, EasyRiders/Raging Bulls (a Trio/BBC co-production), which he wrote, produced and directed was an official selection at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Bowser is the producer and director of the Emmy Award winning documentaries, Preston Sturges: The Rise And Fall Of An American Dreamer (American Masters;/PBS) and Frank Capra's American Dream (Columbia/TriStar Pictures). Bowser has produced, directed and written for ABC News Productions and is also the writer, director and producer of the feature film, In A Shallow Grave (American Playhouse Theatrical Films). In addition, Bowser was the director and writer of Hollywood, DC, A Tale of Two Cities (Bravo).
Tickets: $15 (members), $20 (nonmembers)
PAST EVENTS
Introduction by writer and film critic Jordan Hoffman
Monday, Dec. 15 2025, 8:00
This event is over. View all of our upcoming events.
- Jordan Hoffman is a culture writer and critic whose work is currently read in Foreign Policy Magazine, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The Hollywood Reporter, Fangoria and Decider dot com. He also publishes a newsletter on Substack called HOFFSTACK that you really ought to subscribe to. He is a member and former chair of the New York Film Critics Circle and has co-authored a book about Star Trek. His favorite apple is the Winesap.
This film is part of the Starring Amy Irving series.
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Take advantage of JBFC Member discounts at local restaurants, shops, and more.
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Oct. 9–15: Tickets on Sale Now