Haifa Film Festival Unveils Israeli Program
The 42nd Haifa International Film Festival will take place from September 26 to October 3, 2026. The program features documentaries on Chaim Topol and Naomi Shemer, a film about the Black Panthers, and the final work of the late director Nitzan Giladi.
The 42nd Haifa International Film Festival has revealed its Israeli program for the upcoming festival, scheduled to take place during the Sukkot holiday, from September 26 to October 3, 2026. This year, 12 films will compete in the Israeli cinema category, split between seven feature films and five documentaries.
The feature film competition includes:
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"And You Shall Love" — the final film by Nitzan Giladi (of blessed memory), who passed away last July at 56, depicting an ultra-Orthodox woman navigating marital turmoil.
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"Agar — Land" by Shmuel Bro — a story of an Ethiopian Jewish family torn between their heritage and a dangerous journey to Israel.
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"Home!" by Reut Ackerman — centered on a woman reconciling two families and two identities after her mother's death.
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"Zebras" by Shiran Shaharani — about three childhood friends on a desert journey before their lives change forever.
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"Blue Signs" by Dina Zvi-Riklis — following a young Israeli woman in Paris whose life is upended by trauma.
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"Farewell to Dough" by Shimon Shay — a Jerusalem bachelor's journey following a personal crisis.
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"Double Panther" by Marco Carmel — a docudrama about a criminal acting as a mole within the Black Panthers.
The documentary competition features:
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"I Want to Tell My Story" by Tomer Heymann — the survival story of Holocaust survivor Shimon Rothschild.
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"Travel Dreams" by Mania Luzovsky — a mother and daughter traveling through wartime Ukraine.
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"Children of Hebron" by Elad Goldberg — examining how the Second Intifada shaped the lives of children growing up in Hebron.
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"A Place Called Hope" by Eitan Cohen — a father and son's search for hope across Israel.
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"Peace 30 20" by Uri Levy — documenting Maoz Inon's struggle for peace following the loss of his parents on October 7.
A new section dedicated to cultural icons features "Naomi Shemer, Between Grass and Stone" by Ron Omer and Shai Lahav, "Topol: On the Roof of the World" by Alon Gur Aryeh, and "Alice. Last Conversations" by Nurit Yaakovs-Inon. Special screenings include "Yoram and Gila," starring Yoram Gaon and Gila Almagor, and Avi Nesher’s new film, "Our Loves," which addresses the events of October 7.
