There’s a bounty of visual treats at the 28th annual Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, running at the Fifth Avenue Cinemas and the Norman Rothstein Theatre from Thursday to next Sunday (November 3 to 13).

Here are some of our top picks:

In Search of Israeli Cuisine (USA/Israel)  Fans of Anthony Bourdain, or of awesome cooking in general, should take this two-hour tour of, as one veteran chef puts it, “over 180 different nationalities” coming together to make something deliciously new. Israeli-American chef Michael Solomonov travels the length and breadth of that compact country, and doesn’t shy away from its impoverished, frequently traumatic history, or from today’s unfortunate tendency to build walls when bridges—especially when made of food—tend to work better. Very tasty indeed. Fifth Avenue Cinemas (2110 Burrard Street) on November 3 (7 p.m.) 

The Last Laugh (USA)  Talk about chutzpah! Comedy itself and its outer limits are the real subjects of Ferne Pearlstein’s expertly made doc, which assembles key comic clips from the last half-century and visits with past (and present) masters like Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, the latter’s son Rob, and Sarah Silverman about what makes a joke too soon, too late, or—the biggest sin—just not funny enough. Equally fulfilling chats reveal Holocaust survivors who have their own sage thoughts on gallows humour at its most extreme—and how we can’t use history to blind us to the genocides of today. In the end, though, as the elder Reiner explains simply, “It’s more fun to laugh than not to laugh.” Fifth Avenue Cinemas (2110 Burrard Street) on November 5 (6:45 p.m.) 

Moos (Netherlands)  Writer-director Job Gosschalk has a long history as a casting director for Dutch TV and movies, and it shows in the perfect collection of actors and nonprofessionals in this sweet-hearted tale of Jewish subcultures in modern Amsterdam. The key is redheaded Jip Smit, a plain-Jane would-be singer—nicknamed Moos, a play on Moses—who must detach herself from her dependent single dad to begin the life she wants beyond the bulrushes. The story gets a little goofy, but the characters are all so lovable (no villains allowed!) that you end up rooting for everyone. Fifth Avenue Cinemas (2110 Burrard Street) on November 10 (7 p.m.) 

Mr. Gaga (Israel/Sweden/Germany/Netherlands)  “Movement, in its purest form, is above gender.” So says Ohad Naharin, a veteran dancer and choreographer whose profoundly witty work compares favourably to Pina Bausch’s. This beautifully shot and assembled doc neglects to explain why the demanding, assertively hetero company director is called Mr. Gaga, but dance fans will be enthralled anyway by this charismatic figure and his rule-bending art. Norman Rothstein Theatre (950 West 41st Avenue) on November 13 (7:30 p.m.)

Presenting Princess Shaw (USA/Israel)  Samantha Montgomery, a YouTube singer-songwriter with a harrowing history, must have known something was afoot when an Israeli film crew followed her around her native New Orleans and on to Atlanta and, finally, Tel Aviv. That’s where a pastiche artist called Kutiman has been secretly backing her tracks with his eclectic musical finds on the web. Formal documentary questions don’t interfere with the enjoyment of seeing true talents find each other across space, time, and the Internet. Fifth Avenue, November 5 (9 p.m.)

The Tenth Man (Argentina)  A nebbishy George Costanza type returns from New York City to a rustic Jewish quarter of Buenos Aires to visit his father, an almost mystically remote fixer who bullies him into helping poor people in the neighbourhood. Good thing the amusingly flummoxed son has some guidance from a sexy mute, played by Julieta Zylberberg. Director Daniel Burman throws us into the deep end, along with his main character, who’s really a continuation of the abandoned seeker in his Lost Embrace, from 2004. Fifth Avenue, November 9 (9 p.m.)

The Fantastic Five: An Amazing Short Film Collection  Of this package we’ve seen four, all ranging from 15 minutes to a half-hour long. And they really do live up to the title. Fifth Avenue, November 4 (1 p.m.)

“Ave Maria” (Palestine/France/Germany) An Orthodox family has an automotive run-in with a Christian convent in Palestinian territory. All the participants, overburdened by rules and rituals, must find a way out of this amusing predicament.

“Jewish Blind Date” (Switzerland) Two klutzy French-speaking Swiss people pretend to be much more Jewish than they actually are, the better to take comic advantage of an unorthodox speed-dating service.

“The Little Dictator” (Israel) A mild-mannered, multilingual history professor only comes alive when studying films of the totalitarians he despises. Could a change in hairstyles make a difference in his family life?

“Women in Sink” (England/Israel) This heart-lifting doc, shot in an Arab-Israeli salon, is built on long takes, from above, of women chatting about their lives and beliefs while getting shampooed. Come for the cut and conversation. Stay for the snacks!