Overview
The Jerusalem Film Festival is Israel's primary film festival and the country's main competitive platform for both Israeli and international cinema. The 43rd edition ran July 9 to 19, 2026, screening approximately 200 films to an audience of roughly 70,000 across 10 days. The festival awarded prizes totaling approximately NIS 1 million (approximately USD 275,000).
The festival opens each year at Sultan's Pool, an outdoor amphitheater beneath the Old City walls, with an audience of 6,000 guests. The 2026 opening night featured the Israeli premiere of Tell Me Everything by Moshe Rosenthal. Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa received the festival's lifetime achievement award and served as jury chair for the Israeli competition.
Screenings take place at the Jerusalem Cinematheque and the Lev Smadar theater. Israeli films that have premiered at the Jerusalem Film Festival have gone on to win awards at international festivals and receive Oscar nominations. The winner of the Israeli Short Film Competition is eligible for Academy Award consideration.
Submission Details
Submissions for the 2026 Jerusalem Film Festival were accepted through the festival's submission portal. Key details:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Submission Platform | FilmChief (jff.filmchief.com) |
| Submission Fee | EUR 35 (via credit card, PayPal, or Apple Pay) |
| Submission Deadline (43rd edition) | April 19, 2026 |
| Eligibility Window | Films must not have been shown or released more than 12 months prior to the festival start date |
| Festival Dates (44th edition) | July 2027 (dates TBA) |
The submission fee is non-refundable and is required before a film is considered for selection. In case of selection, the film cannot be withdrawn from the festival program. No participating film may be screened in Israel outside the festival venues prior to its official presentation at the festival.
Key Sections
- International Competition - international films competing for the Nechama Rivlin Award for Best International Film
- Haggiag Competition for Israeli Feature Films - the top Israeli competition, with the Haggiag Award for Best Feature as its top prize
- Diamond Competition for Israeli Documentary Cinema - Israeli documentaries
- Israeli Short Film Competition - short films, with the winner eligible for Academy Award submission
- International Debuts Competition - first features from international filmmakers, sponsored by GWFF
- In the Spirit of Freedom Competition - films addressing human rights and freedom, with the Cummings Award
- Jewish Experience - films exploring Jewish culture and history
- PitchPoint - industry pitching competition for feature films in development
- Art and Experimental Cinema - video art and experimental film competition
Awards and Accreditation
The 43rd edition (2026) awarded prizes totaling approximately NIS 1 million across all competitions. The festival's Israeli Short Film Competition winner qualifies for Academy Award consideration. The festival also awards FIPRESCI prizes through the International Federation of Film Critics.
Israeli Competition Winners (2026)
- Haggiag Award for Best Israeli Feature - Where To? (dir. Assaf Machnes). Also won screenplay and performance awards. World premiered at Berlinale 2026 Perspectives. Lucky Number handles international sales.
- Diamond Award for Best Israeli Documentary - I Am Neo (dir. Yael Abecassis)
- GWFF Award for Best Israeli Debut - Find Me, Okay? (dir. Yula Gidron)
- Diamond Award for Best Israeli Short - Another Body (dir. Orit Fouks Rotem)
- Best Animation - Saba (dir. Liron Topaz)
International Competition Winners (2026)
- Nechama Rivlin Award for Best International Film - The Dreamed Adventure (dir. Valeska Grisebach, Germany)
- GWFF Award for Best International Debut - 17 (dir. Kosara Mitic, North Macedonia)
- Chantal Akerman Award for Experimental Documentary - Subliminal Flood (dir. Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk, Ukraine/Germany)
Other Awards (2026)
- Cummings Award (In the Spirit of Freedom) - Skateboarding Is Not for Girls (dir. Dina Duma, North Macedonia)
- PitchPoint Grand Prize - Three Days in Baku (dir. Yonatan Gurfinkel)
- PitchPoint Jury Prize - Leaving Gor (dir. Brachi Haisrich)
- Gesher Foundation Award for Multicultural Cinema - Acoustics (dir. Itamar Elkalai)
- Jerusalem Creator Award - Omri Levi
- Afterglow Award (Video Art and Experimental Cinema) - Bon Voyage on Land (dir. Gadi Yampel)
Past Winners
Recent Haggiag Award winners and their downstream trajectories:
- 2026: *Where To?* (dir. Assaf Machnes) - Won the Haggiag Award for Best Israeli Feature, plus screenplay and performance awards. World premiered at Berlinale 2026 Perspectives. Lucky Number acquired international sales rights before the Berlin premiere.
- 2025: *Come Closer* (dir. Tom Nesher) - Won the Haggiag Award. Became Israel's Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
- *Footnote* (2011, dir. Joseph Cedar) - Won Best Screenplay at Cannes 2011. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics in the US.
- *Fill the Void* (2012, dir. Rama Burshtein) - Won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at Venice 2012. Israel's Oscar submission. Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics in the US.
- *Foxtrot* (2017, dir. Samuel Maoz) - Won the Grand Jury Prize at Venice 2017. Israel's Oscar submission. Won 8 Ophir Awards including Best Film and Best Director.
- *Waltz with Bashir* (2008, dir. Ari Folman) - Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.
- *Ajami* (2009, dir. Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani) - Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
The Jerusalem Film Festival programs Israeli cinema with a strong curatorial focus on films that engage with Israeli identity, conflict, and social issues. The Haggiag Competition for Israeli Feature Films is the country's top competitive prize for narrative features. If your film is Israeli-made, this is the most valuable domestic platform.
The In the Spirit of Freedom section programs films addressing human rights and political freedom. The Jewish Experience section programs films exploring Jewish culture and history. If your film fits either thematic track, flag this in your submission materials.
For international filmmakers, the International Competition and International Debuts Competition are the primary entry points. The 12-month eligibility window is broader than many European festivals, which typically require completion within 6 to 12 months. The strict rule to note: selected films cannot be screened anywhere in Israel outside the festival venues prior to their official festival presentation.
Industry Reputation Notes
The Jerusalem Film Festival is the most significant competitive film festival in Israel, comparable to how the Cairo International Film Festival functions in Egypt. Unlike Cairo, which holds FIAPF accreditation, Jerusalem operates without FIAPF status but maintains a stronger industry dimension through its PitchPoint platform and the concentration of Israeli distributors and press.
The festival's opening night at Sultan's Pool, with the Old City walls as a backdrop, gives it one of the most visually distinctive opening ceremonies on the international circuit. Israeli films that premiere at JFF have a documented track record of going on to international festival success and Oscar nominations. The festival serves as the primary sourcing ground for Israeli cinema for international programmers and sales agents.
Festival History
The Jerusalem Film Festival was founded in 1984 by Lia van Leer, who also founded the Jerusalem Cinematheque. The festival has operated continuously since its founding, running for 43 editions through 2026. Past guests have included Warren Beatty, Robert De Niro, Marcello Mastroianni, Kirk Douglas, Jane Fonda, Liv Ullmann, and Wim Wenders. Festival director Roni Mahadav-Levin and artistic director Orr Sigoli led the 2026 edition. The 44th Jerusalem Film Festival will take place in July 2027.
Watch
What Filmmakers Should Know
For Israeli filmmakers, the Jerusalem Film Festival is the most important domestic platform. The Haggiag Competition for Israeli Feature Films is the country's top competitive prize for narrative features, and the winner of the Israeli Short Film Competition is eligible for Academy Award consideration. Israeli films that premiere at JFF have a documented track record of going on to international festival success and Oscar nominations.
The submission fee of EUR 35 is moderate by international standards. The 12-month eligibility window is broader than many European festivals. The strict rule to note is that selected films cannot be screened anywhere in Israel outside the festival venues prior to their official festival presentation. International filmmakers benefit from the festival's large audience (approximately 70,000 attendees) and the concentration of Israeli press, distributors, and industry professionals. The In the Spirit of Freedom and Jewish Experience sections provide thematic programming tracks that may align with films addressing human rights or Jewish cultural themes. The key trade-off: the festival's Israel-only territorial restriction on prior screenings limits your ability to build Israeli audience awareness before the festival.
See Also
Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival circuit strategy and planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding the Middle Eastern film market and international sales, see International Film Markets. Submit through the Jerusalem Film Festival submission portal.
