Jewish Film Festival presents: In the Shadow

A simple jewelry store heist unravels a larger Cold War conspiracy against Czechoslovakian Jews in IN THE SHADOW, a stylish noir political thriller and the Czech Republic's official entry for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Honest police detective Jarda Hakl is directed to investigate a seemingly mundane robbery at a goldsmith's shop on a rainy night in 1950s Prague. When state secret police suddenly seize control of the case and pin the crime on Jewish immigrants accused of running aid to Israel, Hakl suspects anti-Semitic scapegoating. Waging an uphill battle against both Major Zenke, an East German agent specializing in so-called Zionist crime, and the Soviet-corrupted Czech security apparatus, Hakl is undaunted in his quest for the truth even as it threatens his colleagues, country and family.

Writer-director David Ondříček delivers a powerful denouncement of the notorious Jewish Show Trials that condemned many innocents to death during the Communist era. Winner of the Directors to Watch award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and nine Czech Academy Awards including Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Film.