Arava Film Festival to Feature Two Screens, Premieres, and Record Number of Films
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
The Arava International Film Festival will expand to two outdoor screens for its 15th edition from November 4-14, 2026. The festival will feature Israeli premieres of nine international films, including "Woman Unknown" and "Bunker," alongside acclaimed recent movies and classics. A special tribute to director Billy Wilder will be held. The program also includes films for children and youth, and an opening night dedicated to films shot in the Israeli desert.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- The Arava International Film Festival will expand to two outdoor screens for its 15th edition from November 4-14, 2026.
- Nine international films will have their Israeli premieres, including "Woman Unknown" and "Bunker."
- The festival will showcase acclaimed films from Cannes, Venice, and Berlin, including "Fjord" and "Minotaur."
- A special tribute will honor the late American director Billy Wilder.
- The program includes new films for children and youth, and a classic screening of "Mary Poppins."
- The opening night will feature films produced with support from the Negev Film Fund and shot in the Israeli desert.
The Arava International Film Festival, established in 2012, will expand its offerings for its 15th edition, scheduled to take place from November 4-14, 2026, near the Ashush Nature Reserve close to the community of Tzukim. For the first time in its history, the festival will utilize two outdoor cinema screens across two locations, allowing for a broader selection of films and a more diverse nightly program.
This year's festival will screen new films from prominent international directors, including winners from the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin film festivals. The program will also feature Israeli premieres, new Israeli cinema, children's and youth films, and cinematic classics. A special tribute will be dedicated to the late American director and screenwriter Billy Wilder, in memory of journalist and artistic advisor Edna Fineiro, who was a long-time member of the festival's team.
Nine international films will have their Israeli premieres at the festival. Among them are "Woman Unknown" by Danish director Mai Al-Touki, a post-WWII drama that won the Golden Lion at Venice; "Bunker," a thriller by Florian Zeller starring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz; "Atonement" by Reed Van Dyke, featuring Boyd Holbrook, Hiam Abbass, and Kenneth Branagh, which premiered at Cannes' Directors' Fortnight; "Safe Place" by Cédric Kahn, starring Malo Kazi, which won an award at Venice; "I Play Rocky" by Oscar-winner Peter Farrelly, about Sylvester Stallone's journey to creating "Rocky," which premiered at Toronto; and "Guria" by Levan Koguashvili, a black-and-white drama set in early 1990s Georgia that was selected to represent Georgia for the Oscars.
Additionally, the festival will showcase acclaimed films from the past year, such as Christian Mungiu's "Fjord," winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes; Andrey Zvyagintsev's "Minotaur," which won the Grand Prix at Cannes; Pawel Pawlikowski's "Fatherland," which earned him the Best Director award at Cannes; Ryusuke Hamaguchi's "All of a Sudden," which shared the Best Actress award at Cannes; and İlker Çatak's "The Teachers' Lounge," winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin.
For younger audiences, the festival will present animated films like "Iron Boy," "Yugly," and "Mary Anning and the Hidden Fossil," alongside the classic "Mary Poppins." The opening night will feature films produced with the support of the Negev Film Fund and shot in the Israeli desert.