> Skip to content

Trending films

My Planner

Your planner helps you schedule your entire Jewish Internation Film Festival experience. It shows sessions you've saved, in a helpful timeline.

or to save your planner

Your Planner is empty.
Browse Films & Events

Please check your email for password reset instructions.


Audience Award Vote

How many pickles are you giving
{film-title}?

Your details to confirm your vote.

The Plot Against Harry (1969)

The Plot Against Harry (1969)

Australian Premiere (New 4K restoration)

[A] neglected masterpiece…should have become an instant classic of American Jewish cinema, of gangster movies, of film comedy, and of bold creativity.” - The New Yorker

A high-water mark of American cinema.” - Screen Slate

Roemer’s dyspeptic comedy bares unhealed and unspoken wounds of NY Jewish life… A classic of Jewish humor.” - The New Yorker

A time capsule [that] feels like a jolt of fresh air.” - Roger Ebert

An acutely observed satiric comedy.” - The New York Times

Delicately observed and surreal.” - New York Magazine

An ode to urban Jewish life and the joy and pain in the ass that is family.” - Screen Slate

Don’t miss this rare screening of one of cinema’s least known, singular showstoppers. Revealing too much of The Plot Against Harry would spoil the fun, satire, and surprises. All you need to know is that after a nine-month stint in prison, New York Jewish racketeer Harry Plotnick tries to regain his lost turf in a neighbourhood much changed since he went inside. Harry’s life is complicated exponentially when he (literally) runs into his estranged ex-wife, grown children and ex-brother-in-law. What follows is a verité but slightly surreal world of Mafia barbecues, Kosher catering, Bar Mitzvahs, fashion shows, subway parties, and much more.

In 1969, writer-director Michael Roemer failed to find distribution for the film and it languished unseen. The film finally surfaced in 1989, and was immediately heralded as one of the greatest of all American independent films. Now re-released in an all new 4K restoration for a new generation, The Plot Against Harry is a true masterpiece.

Festivals and Awards
Nominee - Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic, Sundance Film Festival 1990
Official Selection - Special Screenings, Cannes Film Festival, 1990

Audience Pickles

  • Rating

    Unclassified 15+

  • Country

    United States

  • Runtime

    81 Mins

  • Director

    Michael Roemer

  • Cast

    Martin Priest, Ben Lang, Maxine Woods

  • Language

    English

JIFF returns to cinemas across Australia in October 2024. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear updates on new titles, special announcements and more!