Haifa Film Festival Unveils Israeli Program Featuring Top Stars

The 42nd Haifa International Film Festival has announced its Israeli competition lineup, featuring 12 films, including seven narrative features and five documentaries. The festival is scheduled to run from September 26 to October 3 during Sukkot.

Among the notable entries is Tomer Heymann's documentary "I Want to Tell My Story," focusing on 100-year-old Holocaust survivor Shimon Rothschild as he revisits his life story through reenactments. In the narrative competition, "Blue Signs" by Dina Zvi Riklis, starring Noa Eyal, Yael Abecassis, and Lior Ashkenazi, tells the story of a young woman from Netanya who travels to Paris to study fashion design and seeks revenge after an assault. Another competing film, "Ve'ahavta" by the late Nitzan Giladi, explores the challenges faced by a Haredi woman whose marriage is tested by a shocking discovery about her husband.

Other films in competition include "Ha'Agra - Eretz," which revisits Ethiopia in 1973 and the story of Ethiopian Jewish immigration; "Double Panther," based on the true story of an informant within the Black Panthers movement; and "Shalom 30 20," which follows Maoz Yinon, who lost both parents on October 7 and advocates for peace.

A new section, "Cultural Icons," will showcase three documentaries. "Naomi Shemer, Between Grass and Stone" delves into the personal life of the renowned songwriter. "Topol: On Top of the World" examines the career and surprising choices of actor Chaim Topol, including his Mossad activities. "Alice. Last Conversations" documents the final year of Professor Alice Shalvi, a pioneer of Israeli feminism.

Outside the competition, a special screening will feature "Yehoram and Gila," starring Yehoram Gaon and Gila Almagor as a legendary acting couple grappling with Gaon's early-stage Alzheimer's diagnosis and its impact on their careers and relationship.