Jerusalem Film Festival unveils its Israeli lineup for 2026

The Jerusalem International Film Festival has revealed its Israeli program for its 43rd edition, which will take place in July 2026. The festival opens on July 9 with an outdoor gala screening of "Independence" at the Sultan's Pool, and closes on July 19. The opening film, directed by Moshe Rosenthal, was announced last week.

In the Israeli feature competition, the lineup includes Hadar Ben Aroya's "How to Feel," about a relationship between an Israeli dancer and a German poet in Berlin; David Ofek and Nehad Bshara's "Amal," about a mother trying to save her son during a clan war; and "The Joker," written by and starring Shuli Rand, who appears for the first time on screen alongside his wife Tzofit Grant. Other entries are Asaf Machnes' debut "Le'an," about a Palestinian Uber driver in Berlin who meets an Israeli passenger; Efrat Koram's "Lev Zahav," starring Chen Amsalem as a bus ticket inspector who finds an abandoned baby; and Ruthie Pri Bar's "She'Atid Lavo," about a woman fleeing to Eilat to start over.

The documentary competition will feature "269," about a love story born from an animal-rights protest in Tel Aviv; "Ani New," following Lior Miller and his wife Galit as they help their son recover from a serious car accident, directed by Miller's ex-wife Yael Abecassis; "Boker Tov Gaza," about an improvised podcast for soldiers created by a reserve tank driver; "Chayei Sarah," about a formerly ultra-Orthodox woman facing an unplanned pregnancy; and "Find Me, Okay?", which follows two years in the lives of the mother and sisters of Eden Yerushalmi, who was killed in Hamas captivity.

The festival will also host the premiere of David Fisher's documentary "The Survivor in a Tuxedo, A Journey After Elie Wiesel," about the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Restored versions of "Behind Bars" by Uri Barbash, "Ravens" by Ayelet Menachemi, and "Big Girl" by Nirit Yaron will also screen. The short-film competition will include works featuring Noa Koller, Talia Bertfeld, Ido Katzir, Yael Abecassis, Yuval Segal, Shay-Lee Atary, Lena Freifeld, Omer Koli, Raymond Amsalem, Susanna Papian, and Dar Zuzovsky.