This year, the festival presents 139 films from 20 countries, including 105 feature films and 34 short films, with 15 world premieres and several other premieres in North America and the United States.
The festival opens with the screening of Once Upon My Mother, a box office hit in France, celebrating the transformative power of maternal love. It closes with the Israeli drama The Ring, winner of the International Emmy Award, a powerful and emotional journey following a father and daughter from Tel Aviv to Budapest in search of a gold ring that once saved their family during the Holocaust.
A highlight of the festival’s program is the world premiere of the biographical documentary From Cuba to America, directed by Jerry Levine, which tells the story of George Feldenkreis, the mastermind behind the success of Perry Ellis International.
Also featured are the premieres of Influenced, a hilarious and heartwarming comedy starring Jill Kargman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore, Matt Damon, and David Krumholtz. Director Rachel Israel and Jill Kargman attend the highly anticipated world premiere.
International guests this year include Amanda Peet and director Matthew Shear, presenting the romantic comedy Fantasy Life, which also stars Judd Hirsch, Oscar nominee Alessandro Nivola, and Jessica Harper.
Peet also presents a special, nostalgic screening of Igby Goes Down. Renowned producer Nancy Spielberg and award-winning Israeli filmmaker Tom Shoval attend the premiere of their timely new documentary A Letter to David, which follows the story of David Cunio, kidnapped from an Israeli kibbutz on October 7, 2023.
A strong selection of world premieres further defines this edition, including Jerusalem ’67, an engaging historical suspense by director Oded Raz; Mahler in New York, a musical documentary by Hilan Warshaw; and Tropical Paradise, another gripping suspense documentary by Panamanian filmmaker Abner Benaim.
Visit www.miamijewishfilmfestival.org for detailed information on films, schedules, and tickets.
Critics Award
Five films were selected to compete for the 2026 Critics’ Award, whose jury DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS has participated in for several years.
- Amrum: Set against the austere beauty of a North Sea island during the final days of World War II, this emotional film tells the story of the collapse of Nazism through the eyes of a child caught between innocence and imposed ideology.
- Holding Liat: Rarely does a documentary compete with feature films. Holding Liat chronicles the desperate wait of Israeli American parents hoping to reunite with their daughter and her husband after being kidnapped by Hamas during the brutal assault of October 7, 2023.
- Orphan: With warm and flawless cinematography, Hungarian director László Nemes tells the story of adolescent Andor, who, in the days following the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1957, clings to the hope of finding his father, who disappeared during World War II.
- The Sea: This extraordinary film follows 12-year-old Palestinian boy Khaled, excited to join a school trip to see the sea for the first time. At an Israeli military checkpoint, soldiers invalidate his entry permit and force him to return, while his classmates continue the journey. Determined to reach the sea, Khaled sets off alone. His father, an undocumented Palestinian secretly working in Israel, risks arrest while searching for his missing son.
- Two Pianos: This French film tells the story of Mathias, a virtuoso pianist famous in Asia, who returns to his hometown of Lyon for a dedicated performance but confronts his past through an impossible love story.
Other Highlights
The festival once again combines cinema and performing arts, presenting the North American premiere of Hold on to Your Music, accompanied by a live classical piano performance. Filmmakers Josh Aranson and Adam R. Wood attend the presentation alongside pianist Mona Golabek, the film’s star.
Special presentations include The New Yorker Theater: A Talbot Legacy, an inspiring visionary chronicle by a Jewish couple whose passion transformed American film culture. The documentary is screened alongside a special showing of A Man Escaped, presented by Miami Film Festival founder Nat Chediak, who also appears prominently in the film.
Very Special Features
This year’s program includes several films that are on or were on the lists of candidates for the 2026 Oscars, including Israel’s bold and controversial The Sea, Hungary’s Orphan, and Poland’s Franz, which offers a daring portrait of Franz Kafka.
Distinguished international filmmakers attending this year include Oscar winner Juan José Campanella, who participates in a panel for the North American premiere of Bibas: Murdered for Being Jewish, a powerful story about the Argentine Bibas family, victims of Hamas attacks in Israel.
The festival also highlights the Made in Florida film section with premieres including Sheitel: The Beauty in the Hidden, exploring the significance of wig-wearing by Jewish women in Miami; Parting the Waters, an inspiring portrait of Floridian Michele Kupfer’s journey to the Maccabiah Games; Baseball Mensch: The Marty Lurie Story, a heartfelt look at the legendary Major League announcer; and the acclaimed Death & Taxes by Justin Schein, featuring Robert Reich, Paul Krugman, David Stockman, and Grover Norquist, which provides an essential focus on wealth, fiscal policy, and inequality.
The festival’s Next Wave competition stands out, with a jury composed of young professionals and university students aged 21 to 35.
This year, the festival pays special attention to French cinema with the Focus on France selection, featuring 14 acclaimed new films.
In collaboration with the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, the festival offers several free screenings dedicated to Holocaust education. Programming includes the premiere of Disposable Humanity, examining the devastating legacy of the Aktion T4 program, followed by a panel with director Cameron S. Mitchell, moderated by the Miami Jewish Abilities Alliance.
Also premiering is This Ordinary Thing, an emotional film bringing to life the testimonies of those who risked everything to save Jews during the Holocaust.
Visit www.miamijewishfilmfestival.org for more information and to access tickets.
