Israeli movies

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

|ByHANNAH BROWN
CRISTIAN MUNGIU’S ‘Fjord’ won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year.
The Samurai and the Prisoner, the latest film by Japanese master Kiyoshi Kurosawa, will be shown in the festival.

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.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
Checkout, a feature film at Israeli Cinema Day.

Israeli Cinema Day returns with NIS 10 tickets across country

Among the films scheduled to be shown are Checkout, American Henna, Underwater Speculations, ‘Cuz You’re Ugly, and more!

|ByHANNAH BROWN
A group of diverse people are queueing up in a movie theater to watch a movie.

This Israeli startup is using AI to transform cinemas into more than just a place to watch movies

Aiming at younger generations and their need for socialization, Bigger Picture offers cinemas a platform to track their data and create better experiences.

|ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN

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

Ben Perry: How one Israeli actor turned sirens into viral comedy - interview

Scene after scene of Perry turning Israel’s angst into laughter, song, and dance surfaced online to garner millions of views over the almost six weeks of siren jumping.

APRIL 25, 2026ByJUDITH SEGALOFF
BEN PERRY’S family pose outside their neighborhood shelter.

Laughing through it: Israeli comedy films to celebrate Independence Day

Comedy has always been an important part of Israeli cinema. From well-known classics to newer releases, these films continue to attract audiences across generations.

APRIL 25, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
THE TROUPE

Rewind history to the Gulf War with these Israeli classics

TV Time: The Israel Film Archive has a wealth of clips going back over a century, including home movies, footage of weddings, nature scenes, inventions, fashion shows, folk dances, and movies, etc.

MARCH 20, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
MARY, THE plain yet intellectually savvy Bennet sister, is the main character in ‘The Other Bennet Sister.’

How Israeli women dominate the film industry in ways Hollywood still can't

While Israeli filmmakers face pressure abroad, women have emerged at the center of the industry, bringing new voices and perspectives into focus

FEBRUARY 24, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Tom Nesher wins the Ophir Award for Best Director for ‘Come Closer’ in 2024.

‘Under siege’: Creators describe rising antisemitism in Hollywood

Jewish creators behind Mad Men and The Americans describe the growing antisemitism that young artists face.

DECEMBER 10, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
‘Mad Men’ creator Matthew Weiner at Jerusalem Sessions on Monday.

Tovah Feldshuh on portraying Golda Meir, rising antisemitism, and renewed relevance - interview

Tovah Feldshuh reflects on portraying Golda Meir as her filmed performance reaches Israel and global audiences amid rising antisemitism.

DECEMBER 7, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
Tovah Feldshuh: My job as an actor is always to be in my character’s corner.

Tom Nesher’s Ophir Award-winning and Israeli Oscars selection, 'Come Closer,' to open in US

It also won Ophir Awards for Best Director, Best Actress (Lia Elalouf), and Best Editing (Shauly Melamed). Nesher was named one of Variety’s Directors to Watch in 2025.

DECEMBER 2, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
Lia Elalouf in Tom Nesher's Come Closer.

‘Stay Forte’ tells the human story behind the Gaza hostage escape - review

Stay Forte, which was made using classic prison-break movie tropes, manages to keep some suspense throughout, and the drama is not so much about what they did but how they managed to do it. 

NOVEMBER 27, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
TOMER MACHLOOF, Shahar Tavoch, and Wael Hamdun in ‘Stay Forte.’

TV Time: Diane Keaton delights for the ages and ‘Families Project’ spotlights Israel diversity

What to watch this weekend, from Diane Keaton classics to a Kan series that features Israel's diversity like never before.

OCTOBER 18, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
A scene from "Families Project."