Once Upon My Mother
Director: Ken Scott
France/Canada | 2025 | French with English subtitles | 102 min
MASSACHUSETTS PREMIERE
In this exuberant, colorful drama based on an incredible-but-true story, the matriarch of a bustling Moroccan-Jewish family living in Paris will do anything to give her youngest son the best possible life despite his physical setbacks. French-Algerian actress Leïla Bekhti (Paris, je t’aime) delivers a radiant, powerhouse turn as Esther Perez, a spirited immigrant whose world is upended when she’s told her newborn son has a severe clubfoot and will never walk. Refusing to accept such a fate, she launches a relentless—and often riotously funny—campaign: storming clinics, sparring with specialists, and invoking medical miracles and divine intervention to give her child the future he deserves.
A fiery adaptation of Ma mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan, the best-selling autobiographical novel by French writer and radio personality Roland Perez set in the 1960s-1970s. Featuring music by Sylvie Vartan (who plays herself in the film!), and cinematography by Oscar-nominated DP Guillaume Schiffman (The Artist), Once Upon My Mother is a joyous, universal celebration of resilience, immigrant grit, and the fierce, complicated power of a mother’s love.
Winner – Best of the Fest, Palm Springs International Film Festival
Winner – Audience Award Best Narrative Feature, San Diego Jewish Film Festival
Winner – Audience Award Best Narrative Feature, Miami Jewish Film Festival
Winner – Audience Choice Best Film, Toronto Jewish Film Festival
Winner – Best Feature, Australia Jewish Film Festival
Opening night film – New York, Atlanta, and Seattle JFF
“One of the most beautiful films of the new year, between laughter and tears!” –Sortir à Paris
“A true tribute to courageous and determined mothers.” –Ecostylia Magazine
“New French film reimagines the Jewish mother archetype through a Moroccan Mizrahi lens.” –The Jerusalem Post
