Photo credit: Michelle Mivzari: IFF Opening Night Gala red carpet (back row, left to right): comedian Elon Gold; filmmaker Eran Riklis (The Syrian Bride, Lemon Tree, Reading Lolita inTehran) recipient of the 2026 Israel Film Festival (IFF) Cinematic Achievement Award; film and television producer Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, Good Will Hunting, Red Alert) recipient of the 2026 Israel Film Festival (IFF) Visionary Award; Israel Bachar, Consul General of Israel to the Pacific Southwest; comedian Sundra Croonquist; (front row): Meir Fenigstein, founder and executive director of the Israel Film Festival; actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish
DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND ENCORE SHOWINGS OF READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN AND THE RING TO TAKE PLACE ON FEBRUARY 21st
Just as The 37th ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL in Los Angeles, the largest showcase of award-winning Israeli cinema shown in the United States, was wrapping this year’s event, the Festival has extended to one extra day (February 21st) to highlight its Best of the Fest as voted on by Festivalgoers. Audiences overwhelmingly selected the films Reading Lolita in Tehran, directed by Eran Riklis, and The Ring, directed by Adir Miller, Yoav Paz, and Doron Paz, as their favorites and demanded encore screenings of each movie. The announcement was made by Meir Fenigstein, the Festival’s founder and executive director, as he prepared for the Los Angeles Premiere of the comedy Lost in Territories, directed by Nadav Shlomo Giladi, which is the Closing Night film.
“I am profoundly moved by the outpouring of audience support and appreciation that the diverse communities of Los Angeles have shown to this year’s Israel Film Festival, the visiting Israeli filmmakers and talent, and the vast array of comedies, dramas and documentaries that were screened. As Israel and its many neighbors and people continue to face difficult times, the film going experience continues to bring many of us together from all different backgrounds to celebrate our valuable Israeli culture through great storytelling,” said Fenigstein.
The Best of the Fest screenings will take place on Saturday, February 21st at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. Reading Lolita in Tehran screens at 7:00 pm, and The Ring screens at 9:15 pm. Visit www.israelfilmfestival.com to purchase tickets or call 310-247-1800.
This year’s ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL, which ran February 4th – 19th, screened 23 films and included 4 U.S. premieres, 5 West Coast premieres, 10 Los Angeles premieres and 2 international premieres. The screenings of the award-winning feature films and documentaries were followed by post Q&As with renowned Israeli filmmakers and talent. A Festival highlight was the sold-out Opening Night Gala that honored film and television producer Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, Good Will Hunting, Red Alert) with the 2026 Israel Film Festival (IFF) Visionary Award, presented to him by actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish; award-winning filmmaker Eran Riklis (The Syrian Bride, Lemon Tree, Reading Lolita in Tehran) receiving the 2026 Israel Film Festival (IFF) Cinematic Achievement Award; and the Los Angeles Premiere of A Letter to David, directed by Tom Shoval, winner of this year’s Israeli Academy Ophir Award for Best Documentary Award. A Spotlight Centerpiece 40th anniversary screening of Ricochets took place to remember the acclaimed late actor Alon Aboutboul. A very moving and emotional evening was the sold-out International Premiere of From October 6 to October 7, the powerful and moving documentary portrait of former Israeli Major General Doron Almog who transformed relentless personal grief into a legacy of national hope. Along with Almog being present for a post-Q&A, another special guest of the night was renowned Israeli-American philanthropist and humanitarian Dr. Miriam Adelson.
Reading Lolita in Tehran is a powerful moving adaptation of Iranian-American author and professor Azar Nafisi’s memoir. This absorbing and sensitive film set in the extreme Islamic Republic of Iran follows Nafisi across a 24-year period, after the young academic holding a fresh American degree settles in Tehran with her husband in 1979 on the heels of the country’s Islamic Revolution. In The Ring, Arnon Noble is a religious man with a strong bond to his mother, a Holocaust survivor. When the mother’s health deteriorates, he travels to her old hometown of Budapest to search for the mythological ring that saved her life in the past.
The mission of the ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL is to highlight Israel as the lively and innovative nation that it is, as well as to shine a spotlight on its thriving film and television industry and enrich the American experience of Israel’s social and cultural diversity. The ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL is produced by IsraFest Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created in 1982.
The Festival solely relies on the financial support of its sponsors and benefactors to produce the event. Some of the 37th ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL in Los Angeles sponsors are Mattel Inc, Adelson Family Foundation, Arkia Israeli Airlines, Variety, Regal Cinemas, The Jewish Federation Los Angeles, The Steve Tisch Family Foundation, David & Sheryl Wiener and Family, Molly & Israel Weinberg, Israel-American Council (IAC), Ministry of Culture and Sports, Hanna Rubinstein, INSYNC Plus, Ruth Flinkman Marandy & Ben Marandy, Jordana Reuben Yechiel, and OUTFRONT, among others.
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