40 Nickels

"An immigrant boy of the Depression era soars above his family's tragedies."

Based her grandfather’s boyhood in St. Louis, Yasmin Gorenberg tells a story of the pain passed from refugee parents to their children and the hope that can overcome it. “40 Nickels” captures the image of a generation of immigrants to the United States in the 1920’s and 1930’s and through that spotlights the effects of the 1919 pogroms in Eastern Europe. This is a film about parents and children: how trauma never leaves a family, and how hope and resilience is also passed down. It asks the question: Can a new generation look at the world with wonder rather than fear?

Loading countdown...
The Song of Names

The Song of Names

2019

An American Pickle

An American Pickle

2020

The Man Without a World

The Man Without a World

1991

Nifradnu Kach

Nifradnu Kach

1991

The Paper Brigade

The Paper Brigade

2018

The Great Yiddish Love

The Great Yiddish Love

2002

The Night Trotsky Came to Dinner

The Night Trotsky Came to Dinner

2006

Motel the Operator

Motel the Operator

1940

East Side

East Side

2020

Gold for Fools

Gold for Fools

Welcome to Yiddishland

Welcome to Yiddishland

2024

A Yiddish World Remembered

A Yiddish World Remembered

2004

A Little Family Conversation

A Little Family Conversation

2000

Too Early to Be Quiet, Too Late to Sing

Too Early to Be Quiet, Too Late to Sing

1995

A bissele Glik

A bissele Glik

2009

Song Searcher

2020

Where My Home Is

Where My Home Is

Grand Hotel

Grand Hotel

1932