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    ONCE UPON MY MOTHER

    Directed by Ken Scott
    France/Canada | 102 minutes | World Cinema Now

Film Festival 2026

From the director of Starbuck (PSIFF 2012) comes the French box office mega-hit about a Sephardic Jewish mother fiercely determined that her youngest son will lead the fullest of lives despite his clubfoot.

film synopsis

From Quebecois writer/director Ken Scott, the talent behind Starbuck (PSIFF 2012), one of PSIFF’s all-time favorites, comes the French box office mega-hit about an unrelenting Sephardic Jewish mother (Leïla Bekhti) who is fiercely determined to move mountains to ensure that her youngest son will lead the fullest of lives despite his clubfoot. Spanning decades of hardships and miracles, this dramedy tells the story of an incredible destiny and the greatest love of all: a mother’s love for her child. Adapted from Roland Perez’s autobiographical novel Ma mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan.

film details

Director: Ken Scott
Producers: Sidonie Dumas, Sophie Tepper
Screenwriter: Ken Scott
Cinematographers: Guillaume Schiffman
Editor: Dorian Rigal-Ansous, Yvann Thibaudeau
Music: Nicolas Errèra
Cast: Leïla Bekhti, Jonathan Cohen, Joséphine Japy
Original Language Title: Ma mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan
Country: France/Canada
Language: In French with English subtitles
Year: 2025
Running Time: 102 minutes
Director Filmography: Unfinished Business (2015), Delivery Man (2013), Starbuck (2011)
Primary Company: Menemsha

Film Festival 2026