Unimpeded by war, Jerusalem Film Festival to open with strong international guest list

When the Jerusalem Film Festival opens on July 9, it will welcome more than 25 international guests and some 6,000 moviegoers to the second-largest film festival opening night in the world (surpassed only by Locarno, Switzerland), at the Sultan’s Pool, an outdoor venue in the heart of the capital.

But Roni Mahadav-Levin, manager of the Jerusalem Cinematheque and executive director of the festival, has more on his mind than attendance, ahead of this year’s event — which will feature roughly 200 films before it wraps up on July 19.

“Three months ago, we were in the middle of a war,” said Mahadav-Levin, referring to the latest conflict with Iran, in which hostilities raged from late February to early April.

Still, said Mahadav-Levin, this was better than last year, when a 12-day war with Iran broke out on June 13, just weeks before the festival was set to begin, forcing last-minute changes and cancellations.

“At least this year it happened three months before the festival and not the month before,” he said.

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Festival planners were in the midst of inviting guests when the country’s airspace temporarily closed and most foreign carriers halted service due to ongoing missile strikes from Iran.

“It’s not simple,” said Mahadav-Levin, who has been managing the festival for the last five years. “You have to take extra steps and speak to each guest or the filmmaker to calm and convince them, and it’s another part of the process.”

Perhaps surprisingly, there were fewer rejections by potential guests this year than in previous years, said Mahadav-Levin.

“It could be because of the total mayhem in the world, or that people look at what’s happening in the US and ICE [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and say, ‘If we boycott the Jerusalem Film Festival, what are we going to be left with?'” he said. “We’ve been around for 43 years; we have long connections, and people may not support Israel, but still want to show their film here.”

Despite the dismal geopolitical situation, more than two dozen filmmakers from around the world will attend this year’s festival to serve on competition juries and present screenings of their films.

Discussion panels all relate to Israel’s film industry, said Mahadav-Levin, as the festival’s planners are committed to strengthening ties between Israeli filmmaking and the international film community.

This year’s guest of honor is Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa, who will receive a lifetime achievement award at the opening night for his support of freedom of expression and opposition to cultural boycotts.

“At a time when Israeli cinema faces unprecedented challenges both at home and abroad, it is more important than ever to bring Israeli filmmakers together with film industry leaders to support Israeli creative voices and continue promoting their growth and development,” said Mahadav-Levin.

The festival will open with a screening of “Tell Me Everything,” a 2026 drama written and directed by Moshe Rosenthal that premiered at Sundance in January.

The film is about a 12-year-old boy who finds out his father, Meir (Assi Cohen), is in a relationship with another man at the height of the HIV epidemic.

Other Israeli films premiering in Jerusalem include: “The Wedding Entertainer (The Tale of Moishe Badhan),” by veteran director Gidi Dar and actor Shuli Rand, and the drama “What is to Come,” from Ruthy Pribar, starring Ronit Yudkevitz and, unexpectedly, Yaakov Zada Daniel, better known for his ongoing role in “Fauda.” Both films premiered at Tribeca.

The third Tribeca film at the festival is the long-awaited “Noga,” a documentary by brothers Jono and Benji Bergmann about Israeli singer Noga Erez.

One of the featured American films is Katie Aselton’s “Their Town,” a story of two teens contemplating their futures and unearthing surprises from their pasts, written by Aselton’s husband, actor and filmmaker Mark Duplass, and starring their daughter, Ora Duplass.

The latest offering from French filmmakers Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, “Just an Illusion,” set in 1985 suburban Paris and starring Camille Cottin, will also be screened as part of the Gala section of the festival.

Though the festival has shown Iranian films in the past, this year there will be none. “It just seemed more complicated,” said Mahadav-Levin, given the recent war between the two countries, which saw dozens in Israel killed and over 9,000 injured, amid widespread damage and destruction.

“We try to choose fewer films that trigger,” he said. “It’s not as if there won’t be any war movies, but we try to mix it more with comedies and more lighthearted fare.”

This year’s lineup also includes many more Asian films than in years past, from countries including Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan — a trend that is noticeable at European festivals as well, said Mahadav-Levin.

“I think it comes from a thirst for a little bit of a different kind of film,” said Mahadav-Levin. “They’re a little slower, and it’s what the Western audiences are looking for right now.”

The festival will, as usual, include the always popular Industry Days, this year taking place from July 9 – 12, with a conference on the future of Israeli cinema, pitching sessions, panels featuring filmmakers discussing the struggle for freedom of expression in Israel, collaborations with film funds, and filmmakers’ organizations, and open discussions on the future of Israeli cinema.

“We all need this,” said Mahadav-Levin, who is expecting record crowds. “We need to see movies, and it looks like we’ll have plenty of people coming to see them.”