Two southwestern Butler County groups will be involved in the 19th annual JFilm Festival, in which Pittsburgh-area theaters screen 20 films relating to Jewish life around the world.

Jack Cohen, president of the year-old Cranberry Jewish Community Association, said his group hopes to set up a table at the 7 p.m., March 28 showing of “Kaddish for a Friend” at Cranberry Carmike theater in the Cranberry Mall.

Cohen envisions the table as a sort of meet-and-greet venue for those entering the theater to see the movie, which tells the story of a Palestinian teenager who learned to hate Jews in his refugee camp and later struggles with friendship, trust, and the art of forgiveness.

The 2011 film, which won multiple international awards, includes English subtitles. March 28 is the only date it will be shown in Cranberry.

Cohen said while he has viewed JFilm Festival movies a number of times during the six years the movies have been shown in Cranberry Township, this year is different because of the creation and cohesiveness of the Cranberry Jewish Community Association.

“This year, there will be an association presence,” he said.

Cranberry Jewish Community Association members will also use the venue to acquaint themselves with JFilm Festival representatives.

“We want to welcome the film festival people into our community so they know who we are and we know who they are,” Cohen said.

He said association members will likely meet after the movie to discuss it and may organize a dinner beforehand.

“We’re definitely going to do something,” Cohen said.

Also attending the JFilm Festival, although at the Southside Works movie theater in Pittsburgh, is a group of 52 Mars High School German Club students and two teachers.

The group viewed “Saviors in the Night” Thursday as part of Teen Screen, a program created in 2005 by JFilm’s executive director, Kathryn Spitz Cohan.

Teen Screen offers support materials and programs for Holocaust curricula at Pittsburgh-area high schools. More than 12,000 area students have attended the JFilm Festival since 2005.

“The students are really changed,” said Spitz Cohan. “They come out from watching these films wanting to help the world be a better place.”

Spitz Cohan’s impetus for the creation of Teen Screen was a concept in Judaism known as tikkun olam, which means to help repair the world.

“It is all of our responsibilities to do so,” she said.

Mars High German teacher Shawna Peters said students chose “Saviors in the Night.” The trip marks Mars’ first experience with Teen Screen.

“The Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh has worked hard to educate people about the Holocaust and, in creative ways, has reached students to tell them the story,” Peters said.

The entire JFilm Festival schedule as well as more information on the event, which runs from March 15 to April 1, can be found at www.jfedpgh.org.