Film festival

Arava film festival celebrates movies shaped by the desert

The 15th Arava International Film Festival opens November 4 with an expanded two-screen setup, featuring Cannes festival hits and major Israeli film premieres.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
This year, for the first time, the Arava film festival will feature two outdoor screens.
‘Let’s Solve This’ offers a fresh perspective on regional politics. )

The AniNation animation festival marks its first decade of business at the Jerusalem Cinematheque

The six-day AniNation animation festival is a very varied affair. It offers a variety of items from across the geographic and cultural landscape.

|ByBARRY DAVIS
Guy Amir (left) and Hanan Savyon in season two of the Netflix series, Bros, which will premiere at the Cinema of the South Festival.

Cinema of the South Festival in Sderot to celebrate 25 years

The festival's closing ceremony will launch Negba, a new incubator for young southern filmmakers.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
IN ‘THE WRONG GIRLS,’ best friends become entangled with an experimental substance that gives them telepathic powers.

LGBT film festival celebrates 21st anniversary with award winners, dramas, and classics - preview

Special events this year will include a 35-mm. screening of "Bound" and a screening of the beloved cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

|ByHANNAH BROWN

Israeli film about October 7 selected for Toronto International Film Festival despite boycott

The inclusion of this film is a significant step in breaking through an unofficial but real international boycott of Israeli cinema.

AUGUST 4, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
AVI NESHER (left) directs Shalom Michaelshwilli and Magi Azarzar in ‘Our Loves.’

Assaf Machnes's 'Where to?' wins top prize at Jerusalem Film Festival

The festival awarded prizes totaling approximately NIS 1 million across its Israeli and international competitions, as well as its short-film, experimental-film, and industry programs.

JULY 16, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Co-stars Ido Tako (left) and Ihab Salami with a poster of their film, Where To?, directed by Assaf Machnes, at its premiere at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

Jerusalem Film Festival opens 43rd edition at Sultan's Pool with 6,000 guests

Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa, one of the most acclaimed filmmakers working today, was the festival’s guest of honor and received an award in recognition of his cinematic achievements.

JULY 9, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
From left: Jerusalem Film Festival artistic director Orr Sigoli, Jerusalem Film Festival director Roni Mahadav-Levin, Jerusalem Cinematheque executive board chairman Dani Mimran, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, and Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa.

Jerusalem Film Festival returns with Sundance hits, Cannes winners, and Israeli premieres

The 43rd edition of the festival, which was founded to bring the best international films to Israel and to promote Israeli filmmaking, will be at the Jerusalem Cinematheque and the Lev Smadar theater

JULY 4, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
CRISTIAN MUNGIU’S ‘Fjord’ won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year.

The Jewish Agency hosts New York screening of 'From October 6 to October 7'

The film chronicles the life of Chairman Doron Almog from the Yom Kippur War through to the events of October 7

JUNE 25, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
(L to R) Melanie Bronfman, Mark Wilf, Doron Almog, Matthew Bronfman.

Jerusalem Film Festival announces international lineup featuring award winners, cult classics

The international lineup, which includes feature films, documentaries, animated films, and experimental works, will be screened in the Jerusalem Cinematheque and at Lev Smadar.

JUNE 24, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
The Samurai and the Prisoner, the latest film by Japanese master Kiyoshi Kurosawa, will be shown in the festival.

Israeli film fund goes Hollywood with Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts projects

The Siena Film Foundation's first major Hollywood project is the upcoming crime thriller By Any Means, starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

JUNE 14, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Mark Wahlberg as Gregory Scarpa, seen in new film By Any Means.

Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid withdraws from French festival after boycott pressure

Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid said he withdrew from FID Marseille after boycott pressure over his planned participation in the festival.

JUNE 8, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Nadav Lapid

‘One Eye Open’ documentary wins award

The prize from the Weil-Bloch Foundation and NFCT for the IDF tale is set to be presented at Tel Aviv's international documentary film festival, Docaviv.

MAY 25, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
A SCENE from ‘One Eye Open,’ which tells the story of a group of soldiers in reserve duty during the Israel-Hamas War.

At Cannes, a juror claims anti-Israel activists face blacklisting

While there was no official boycott or blacklisting of Israelis this year, Israeli films were not part of the festival.

MAY 16, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Workers install the official 2026 festival poster, featuring an image of Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis in "Thelma & Louise", during the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 10, 2026 in Cannes, France.