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In "Designer Donuts: 5 AM," filmmaker Sharon Hall captures the dangers of nostalgia when two 30-something veterans of the same Southern California Jewish camp accidentally meet in a doughnut shop in Los Angeles.

"My Grandfather's Funeral" is a comedy of manners that joins the Keiser family as it prepares for the funeral of their grandfather. The cast includes Joyce Van Patten.

In "Second Watch," an Israeli and a Jordanian soldier discover they share a common taste in magazines as they both guard the same remote border.

"GOD@HEAVEN" asks viewers to think about the nature of God and the possible uses of the Internet. It is the winner of the "Most Outstanding Film of 1998," in the Writers Guild of America UCLA Festival.

"Hot Fliks on Short Subjects" will screen at 10 a.m. next Friday at Contra Costa Jewish Community Center, 2071 Tice Valley Blvd., Walnut Creek.

"Chasing Pavarotti" and "Designer Donuts" will repeat at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 at Congregation Beth Emek, 1886 College Ave., Livermore.

Opening the festival will be "The Harmonists" at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Brenden Concord Theatres 14, 1985 Willow Pass Road, Concord.

Karen Hershenson, film critic of the Contra Costa Times, will speak at the 7:30 p.m. screening.

Directed in Germany in 1998 by Joseph Vilsmaier, the film tells of a six-man ensemble, the Comedian Harmonists, and how it went from being the toast of Berlin to censorship by the Nazi Party.

"The Harmonists" will repeat at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27 at Naz 8 Cinemas, 39400 Argonaut Way, Fremont.

"Hannah," which screens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 at CCJCC , will be preceded at 6:30 by dessert and coffee.

The 1996 political thriller reveals the dangers of Neo-Nazism in present-day Europe. Austrian film star Elfi Eschke plays a spirited young woman who discovers that a prestigious doll company for which she works is engaged in a fascist plot.

Professor Michael Gruettner of the Institute of History, Technical University of Berlin, will speak at the screening.

"Yana's Friends" is slated for 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 13 at Park Theatre, 3529 Golden Gate Way, Lafayette. On the same day at CCJCC , "Mendel" will be shown at 2:30 p.m. and "Florentene II" at 6:30.

"Yana's Friends," a 1999 Israeli film, is in Hebrew with English subtitles. As Iraqi Scud missiles fly overhead and an entire country locks itself into airtight rooms, Yana and her fellow Russians wrestle with the challenges facing them in their new life in Israel. Set during the 1991 Gulf War, the film examines how they deal with a new language, new culture, job-hunting and love.

"Yana's Friends" is the winner of 10 Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. It also picked up the Grand Prix from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the Wolgin Award in the Jerusalem Film Festival. It will repeat at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 at Congregation Beth Emek.

In the 1997 film "Mendel," director Alexander Rosler captures his childhood in Norway of the 1950s. He follows 9-year-old Mendel as he comes to terms with the secrets of his family's past.

"Florentene II" is the second installment of the Israeli TV drama that follows the friendship and set of a group of 20-somethings living in the Florentene neighborhood of south Tel Aviv.

On Monday, Feb. 14, the Bay Area premiere of "Buzz" will take place at 7:30 p.m. at CCJCC .

Israeli director Eli Cohen ("Summer of Aviya," "Under the Domin Tree") explores youth violence in Israel through the actions of two 13-year-old boys from good families. Most of their crimes go unpunished as one of the fathers uses his personal connections to manipulate the police investigation. Nitzan Aviv of the Jewish Federation of the Great East Bay Israel Center will speak at the screening. The film will repeat at 7 p.m. at Congregation Beth Emek.

"Making a Killing" and "Visas and Virtues" will screen at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 14, also at CCJCC .

"Making a Killing" was filmed in 1998 in Great Britain. Among their many crimes, the Nazis organized the biggest art robbery in history, seizing one-fifth of Europe's art treasures.

The documentary thriller is a detective story set against a background of murder, greed and corruption. The film focuses on the international art world, museums, auction houses and the Goodman family, who entered into a legal battle to retrieve their parents' stolen Degas from one of the richest men in America.

Riva Gambert of the East Bay federation's Israel Center will speak at the screening.

The film will be followed by "Visas and Virtues," a 1997 U.S. film that won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.

Haunted by the sight of hundreds of Jewish refugees outside the consulate gates, Japanese Consul General Chiune Sugihara must decide whether to defy his own government's orders and issue life-saving transit visas, or to obey orders and turn his back on humanity.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15 "Me & My Matchmaker" will screen with "Jewish Soul, American Beat" at CCJCC .

What happens when a single, half-Jewish filmmaker sets out to make a documentary about a Jewish Orthodox matchmaker in Chicago? In "Me & My Matchmaker" she sets him up with some of her clients only to find out that none is good enough for him. Guest speaker will be Rebecca Weiner of Jewish Family and Children's Services of the East Bay

"Jewish Soul, American Beat" is a 1997 U.S. film that features interviews with Arthur Hertzberg, Tony Kushner, Cynthia Ozick and Leonard Fein, as well as scenes of a Yiddish cabaret, jazz club, feminist seder and a synagogue service with standing room only.

At 7:30 p.m. "Mina Tannenbaum" also will screen at CCJCC. In the 1993 French film, struggling artist Mina and aspiring journalist Ethel first meet as children in a Paris ballet class. Their 25-year friendship is portrayed in this Cannes Film Festival Grand Prize winner.

On Wednesday, Feb. 16, "Ever Shot Anyone?" will screen at CCJCC. The 1996 Israeli film presents a view of how military experience informs male identity and national culture. Filmmaker Michael Aviad tries to infiltrate the world of army reservists during their annual tour of duty.

It will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by "Out for Love, Be Back Shortly" and "Ido."

"Out for Love" is a 1997 Israeli film set against the background of the Arab-Israeli conflict. A young filmmaker-paratrooper examines his life and documents his quest for love. It won Best Documentary in the Jerusalem International Film Festival.

"Ido," also shot in 1997 in Israel, tells of a 21-year-old man who leaves his rock band to become observant.

Film Festival sponsors include the CCJCC and the Israel Center, as well as other agencies of the Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay, area synagogues and Jewish organizations.

Tickets are $5 to $10. For information, call the Israel Center at (510) 839-2900, ext. 253, or the CCJCC at (925) 938-7800.