Film festival

Two Israeli films selected for Tribeca Festival

Ruthy Pribar’s new feature, "What Is to Come," has been selected for the international competition, while also heading to Tribeca is Gidi Dar and Shuli Rand's film, "Moishe Badhan."

APRIL 16, 2026|ByHANNAH BROWN

Matti Leshem on the set of the Mary episode, which he directed.

Jerusalem-born producer teams with Scorsese on TV series 'The Saints'

It was Leshem, who has lived in the US for years, who came up with the idea for a television show that presents the lives of Christian saints by humanizing them.

APRIL 10, 2026|ByHANNAH BROWN

A woman sits alone in a Frankfurt, Germany, cinema in November 2021.

Frankfurt cinema declines to participate in Jewish film festival, spurring backlash

Frankfurt's Astor Film Lounge declined to host movies during Jewish Film Days this year, citing economic reasons for its withdrawal from the film festival.

APRIL 7, 2026|ByTOBY AXELROD/JTA

Noam Ash (left) and Charlie Barnett (right) in the 2026 film "Bookends," written by Ash.

A Jewish writers initiative's first film: a comedy about a Holocaust survivor and his gay grandson

“The film is really a love letter to my grandparents, and the greatest generation,” Ash said. “I do consider my relationship with my grandparents to be one of the greatest blessings of my life.”

MARCH 5, 2026|ByJACKIE HAJDENBERG/JTA

French comedy festival Oh Là Là! showcases premieres, classics, and more

The eighth festival will run from November 27 to December 5 around the country, and will feature the best recent French comedies.

NOVEMBER 26, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN

‘The human side of what’s going on’: Shai Carmeli-Pollak on his film on Palestinians, ‘The Sea’

Entertainment industry figures' boycott of films receiving support from Israeli film institutions puts 'The Sea' into the boycott category, just as the Oscar-nominations begin.

NOVEMBER 16, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN

'THE SEA’ director Shai Carmeli-Pollak at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

Woes, challenges, and triumph: A look at the 2025 Anthropological Film Festival

The lineup includes films from countries around the world, such as the US, China, France, India, the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Qatar, and Austria.

NOVEMBER 15, 2025ByBARRY DAVIS

‘ I Died’ is a sensitive portrayal of hard-working, resolute Mexican women and their fight for self-determination.

Spirit Festival to help reflect on troubled times

This year, it will present an unusually rich lineup of international and Israeli films that explore the intersection of consciousness, healing, nature, and compassion.

NOVEMBER 10, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN

‘BEES FOR PEACE,’ by Yossi Or, documents an initiative in which women from different faiths and communities learn beekeeping together, building trust.

Movie premieres under the stars at Arava film festival

The 14th Arava International Film Festival will run November 12-22, offering Israeli premieres of several distinctive films.

NOVEMBER 10, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN

Stellan Skarsgård bounces back from stroke for heartfelt performance in ‘Sentimental Value’

The Swedish actor was then in the middle of the most visible run of his half-century in film and TV when the medical crisis occured.

NOVEMBER 9, 2025ByJOSH ROTTENBERG/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

STELLAN SKARSGÅRD, star of ‘Sentimental Value,’ poses during the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Can boycotts break Israel? Inside 20 years of BDS - from the editor

Two decades after the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement emerged, its calls to isolate Israel have surged back into global headlines and into everyday life.

NOVEMBER 6, 2025ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH

Champion Israeli judoka Peter Paltchik pushes back against efforts to ban Israeli athletes (illustrative).

The Cinema South Festival returns to its Sderot home

After a year of displacement, the festival will return to Sderot and the western Negev from November 6 to 13 for its 24th edition – its first in full format since October 7.

NOVEMBER 6, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN