The Pittsburgh Jewish Israeli Film Festival will brighten and enlighten March with a mix of movies about bringing baseball to the Holy Land, an expectant father's attempt to save his beloved Beetle from the scrap heap and serious subjects such as heroic Hannah Senesh, executed by firing squad at age 23.

The 16th annual event will open March 12 with "The Little Traitor," close 17 days later with "The Case for Israel" and bring movies starring Alfred Molina, Susan Sarandon, William H. Macy and comedian Yisrael Campbell to town.

Campbell, the son of a former nun and Catholic school teacher who converted to Judaism, will appear in "Circumcise Me" (the title an apparent takeoff on "Super Size Me") and perform afterward.

Three other visitors, filmmakers Roberta Grossman, Hilary Helstein and Yoram Sachs, will appear with their works and also give free talks at universities or at Pittsburgh Filmmakers.

As in recent years, the SouthSide Works Cinema will be the main home of the festival, but movies also will be shown at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, Carnegie Mellon University and Carmike theaters in Mt. Lebanon, Cranberry and Greensburg.

The 2008 festival attracted 5,538 people, "making it the most well-attended Jewish cultural event in the city," Squirrel Hill's Estelle Comay, chairwoman of the festival, said this week.

It allows people, both Jewish and not, to see movies that might otherwise not be available, she added, and to explore historical, cultural, religious and social aspects of life here and abroad, with humor and heart.

The festival is a year-round operation for Kathryn Spitz Cohan, the festival's executive director who reviewed 100-plus films to find this year's batch. A committee of 37 screened about five dozen selections and provided reviews and insight to Spitz, who then narrowed the pool to two dozen.

The 2009 installment will present 19 Pittsburgh premieres along with some North American or international debuts, and bring back the immensely popular movie "Noodle" for an encore.

It will bring a couple of innovations, namely a program of short films called "Quick Flicks" with a vote for audience favorite, and "For Crying Out Loud," screenings for parents with babies. They'll be at the nap- or feeding-friendly time of 11 a.m. on March 13 and 27.

The festival is a program of the United Jewish Federation, and some events are being supported by other organizations. The lineup:

"The Little Traitor" -- In 1947 Jerusalem, an officer (Alfred Molina) nabs an 11-year-old boy for violating curfew. The lad actually had been plotting a fanciful attack against the British in this adaptation of the Amos Oz novel "Panther in the Basement." 7 p.m. March 12 at SouthSide Works Cinema. Reception follows with light hors d'oeuvres and dessert (dietary laws observed), music. Also 11 a.m. March 13 as an option for parents with babies at SouthSide Works (SSW).

"The Debt" -- Three young Mossad agents capture a wanted Nazi war criminal, but their operation goes awry in this movie that cuts between the 1960s and present day. 8:20 p.m. March 14 at SSW and 7 p.m. March 22 at Galleria, Mt. Lebanon.

"About Yossi" -- Documentary about a 30-year-old man, left severely disabled by a defective vaccine, who yearns for romance. Screens with a short, "Reaching Hedva," 10:30 a.m. March 15, JCC, Katz Auditorium.

"A Touch Away" -- Israeli television drama about a secular Russian family that unknowingly moves into an Orthodox neighborhood in Tel Aviv.

Episodes 1-3: 12:30 p.m. March 15, JCC, 11 a.m. March 29, SSW.

Episodes 4-6: 1:30 p.m. March 22, SSW, and 1 p.m. March 29, SSW.

Episodes 7-8: 3 p.m. March 29, SSW.

"Villa Jasmin" -- On the verge of parenthood, a man takes his wife to Tunisia, where he was born, to learn more about his family's history. 3 p.m. March 15, JCC.

"Circumcise Me" -- Yisrael Campbell was circumcised only once but converted three times, to Reform, then to Conservative and Orthodox Judaism. 7 p.m. March 15, JCC, with Campbell appearance.

"The Deal" -- A down-and-out Hollywood producer (William H. Macy) gets financing for his nephew's first script by casting an action star (LL Cool J) as British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. Meg Ryan and Elliott Gould co-star. 8 p.m. March 15, SSW.

"The Wave" -- Based on true events in California but set in Germany where a popular teacher devises an unorthodox experiment to remind students that dictatorships could rise again. 7 p.m. March 16, Galleria.

"Holy Land Hardball" -- When Boston baker Larry Baras wanted to create a professional baseball league in Israel, his idea was met with incredulity, dismissal and hostility. He tried it anyway, and this documentary tracks his efforts. 7:30 p.m. March 16, SSW.

"The Secrets" -- Avi Nesher directs this story about two women at a yeshiva in the mystical northern Israeli town of Safed. They bond and try to help a mysterious neighbor through her terminal illness with a series of secret rituals. 7 p.m. March 17, SSW.

"A Secret" -- Not to be confused with "The Secrets," this is a French film about a boy who uncovers the truth about his parents' passionate yet guilt-ridden union. 7:30 p.m. March 17, Cranberry 8.

"Two Ladies" -- Differences and an unlikely bond come into sharp relief in this tale about a Muslim mother and daughter working for a Moroccan-born Jewish woman. 7 p.m. March 18, SSW.

Quick Flicks -- Ninety minutes of shorts ranging from 5 to 25 minutes and featuring the Oscar-nominated "Toyland." 8:30 p.m. March 18, SSW.

"Nymphs in the Mist" -- Who needs speed dating when you have moviemaking? When a man is dumped by his girlfriend, that's what a pal recommends in order to meet women in Tel Aviv. Director Sachs to speak after the movie screens at 7:30 p.m. March 19, SSW.

"Lost Islands" -- Coming-of-age story about twin brothers growing up in Israel in the early 1980s who love American culture. 8:45 p.m. March 21, SSW.

"The Gift to Stalin" -- The hardships of life under Stalin's rule are exposed in this tale of a Jewish boy saved and raised by an old, gruff rail worker in 1940s Kazakhstan. 4 p.m. March 22, SSW.

"Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh" -- Joan Allen narration, re-enactments, interviews and archival materials, including Senesh's poems, are used to draw a portrait of the young woman who safely left her native Hungary but returned as a resistance fighter and was tortured and shot by firing squad. Director Grossman to speak after two screenings, 7 p.m. March 22 at SSW and 7:30 p.m. March 23 at Carmike 15, Westmoreland Mall, Greensburg.

"Letters for Jenny" -- Jenny lost her mother at age 10 but not the letters left behind to guide her through key moments in this sentimental movie about journeys, of self-discovery and from South America to Israel. 7:30 p.m. March 23, SSW.

"As Seen Through These Eyes" -- Maya Angelou narrates this look at the Holocaust through the artwork created by prisoners who fought Hitler with charcoal, pencil stubs and shreds of paper. Filmmaker Helstein to speak after the film shows at 7:30 p.m March 24, SSW.

"The Beetle" -- Moviemaker Yishai Orian tries to save his beloved junker from the scrap yard before his wife gives birth to their first child. 7 p.m. March 25, CMU's McConomy Auditorium.

"Emotional Arithmetic" -- Susan Sarandon has been nominated for a Canadian Genie Award as lead actress for this adaptation of Matt Cohen's novel about Holocaust survivors who reunite at a lakeside home in 1985 Quebec. 7:30 p.m. March 25, SSW.

"Two Lives Plus One" -- French comedic drama about a woman, once devoted to work and family, who starts to privately pursue her writing, causing everyone to wonder what's up. At 8:45 p.m. March 28, SSW. Also screens 11 a.m. March 27 at SSW as part of "For Crying Out Loud" program.

"Noodle" -- If you've spent the past year regretting that you missed the 2008 opening-night selection, a comic drama about an Israeli flight attendant and an abandoned Chinese boy, it's back for one showing. 4:45 p.m. March 29, SSW.

"The Case for Israel: Democracy's Outpost" -- Point-by-point defense of the Jewish state, with Alan Dershowitz at the helm. 7 p.m. March 29, SSW, followed by interactive Israel advocacy training session.

Tickets are $8 for general admission; $7 for patrons 65 and older; $6 for groups of a dozen or more (must be purchased in advance); and $5 for students with valid IDs. Opening-night film and reception, $25 or $15 for students if purchased by March 6, otherwise $35 in cash at the door.

For tickets, visit www.UJFpittsburgh.org/filmfestival or call 412-992-5203 weekdays from 2 to 4 p.m. They also are available, cash only, at each venue 30 minutes before show time if seats remain.