A decade in the making (2015-2025), The New Jews is a bold and provocative documentary following a group of non-Zionist Israeli Jews who flee the rise of right-wing nationalism and relentless violence. Seeking refuge in Berlin, they become entangled in the city’s layered history, only to find that their search for belonging leads them into a web of sexual, social, and political contradictions, complicated by the fetishization of Jews.
Visually witty and partially animated, the film centers around filmmakers Amir and Inés on a hunt for intimacy and sexual adventure in their new home. In a darkly humorous twist, their encounters—through dating apps and sex calls—expose the lingering shadow of Nazism, Holocaust guilt, and a disturbing objectification of their Jewish bodies.
Other participants are interrogated in a dimly lit room, confessing their conflicted relationships with Israel and the bittersweet experience of making Berlin their new home. Their testimonies reveal that the violence that once shaped their rebellious Jewish identity in Israel continues to haunt them, now appearing in a different guise in multicultural Berlin.
In a country eager to love its Jews—but only the ‘right’ kind—the film unfolds as both an ironic reminder of the world the participants sought to escape and a wake-up call to the one they now face.
- World Premiere: International Film Festival Rotterdam — Harbor
- International Premiere: Lovers Film Festival – Torino LGBTQI Visions
About the Director
Amir Ovadia Steklov is a filmmaker and animator who isn’t afraid to stir the pot. His works often explore themes of identity, queerness, migration, and belonging. Born in Jerusalem and now based in Berlin, he’s a Berlinale Talents 2024 alumnus and a member of the European Film Academy.
Since graduating from the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in 2013, Amir’s films have screened at festivals worldwide and garnered several awards along the way. The New Jews (2025)—his first full-length documentary—premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2025. Bi The Way (2022) won prizes at CINHOMO, OutReel Cincinnati, and QueerX. Don’t Be a DICK! (2020) took Best Animation at SPLICE, and Between Two Walls (2019) won Best Animation at the Berlin Independent Film Festival. His recent projects: Invisible Countdown (2024) and Kotti Express (TBA), continue to grapple with questions of identity, community, and how we shape the stories we live in.
Outside his own films, Amir runs The Glass Prince, a post-production studio where he crafts animation, VFX, and edits with the same attention to story, tone, and detail that define his directorial work. Whether collaborating with clients or pursuing personal projects, he brings a playful edge and a hands-on approach to everything he creates.
