The 46th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, set to take place July 16 through August 2, 2026, revealed the lineup of 65 films, including 21 narratives and 24 documentary features, as well as 4 dynamic shorts programs, including a showcase of Bay Area filmmakers on closing day. 

Opening Night on July 17 will feature the California premiere of Tell Me Everything, the latest film from Israeli director Moshe Rosenthal. The film premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and marks Rosenthal’s second SFJFF opening-night presentation following Karaoke in 2022.

Closing Night on Saturday, August 1, at Landmark’s Piedmont Theatre is We Met at Grossinger’s, about the making of one of the most central places to the development of American Jewish identity in the Catskills of New York. Director Paula Eiselt, comedian and actress Judy Gold, and producer Robert Bobby Friedman are expected to attend.

Among the festival’s Centerpiece selections are the U.S. premiere of Where To?, directed by Assaf Machnes, and Holofiction, an experimental documentary by Michal Kosakowski that examines how Holocaust imagery has been represented across film and television.

One of the festival’s marquee events will be the West Coast premiere of Hollywood Does Abortion, a documentary exploring more than five decades of abortion portrayals in popular culture. Directors Janet Goldwater and Mike Attie are expected to attend alongside executive producer and actress Rachel Bloom. Bloom will also receive SFJFF’s Freedom of Expression Award during the event.

The festival will also spotlight Bay Area filmmakers, including the world premiere of The Lonely Child from Marc Smolowitz and the U.S. premiere of Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie by Steven Pressman.

“Jewish identity is undergoing a profound generational transformation, and independent filmmakers are at the forefront of expressing what that means,” said Lexi Leban, Jewish Film Institute’s Executive Director, in a statement announcing the program.  

SFJFF46 features a record number of world premieres for the festival this century, including Blue Marks, The Darkest Light, Everything I Own, I Don’t Know What I’m Doing Here, Necropolis, Only Good Feelings, and What Was I Thinking.

Additional highlights include the North American premiere of the psychological thriller Estate, the Sundance Award-winning documentary Who Killed Alex Odeh?; Noga, fresh off its world premiere at Tribeca; and The Oldest Person in the World from Bay Area filmmaker Sam Green.

The festival will also showcase several projects supported through JFI’s artist development initiatives, including Oxygen by Israeli filmmaker Netalie Braun, recipient of a 2024 JFI Completion Grant and winner of Best Israeli Feature at the 2025 Jerusalem Film Festival.

Founded in 1980, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival is the largest and longest-running festival of its kind in the world. Presented by the Jewish Film Institute, SFJFF46 runs July 17–26 at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco before expanding to additional Bay Area venues through August 1.

46th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival Official Selections

Opening Night Selection

Tell Me Everything (France/Israel, 109 min.) – Director: Moshe Rosenthal

Closing Night Selection

We Met at Grossinger’s (USA, 104 min.) – Director: Paula Eiselt

Director Spotlight: Netalie Braun

Oxygen (Israel, 95 min.) – Director: Netalie Braun

Shooting (Israel, 80 min.) – Director: Netalie Braun

Take Action Spotlight

Hollywood Does Abortion (USA, 95 min.) – Directors: Janet Goldwater, Barbara Attie, Mike Attie

Centerpiece Narrative

Where To? (Germany/Israel, 96 min.) – Director: Assaf Machnes

Centerpiece Documentary

Holofiction (Austria/Germany, 102 min.) – Director: Michal Kosakowski

Local Spotlight

Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie (USA, 89 min.) – Director: Steven Pressman

Next Wave Spotlight

Act One (USA, 105 min.) – Director: Sophia Takal

Special Events

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (USA, 90 min.) – Director: Amy Heckerling

I Don’t Know What I’m Doing Here (USA, 86 min.) – Director: Jacob Pincus

The Day After (Israel/Palestine/UK/Ireland, 90 min.) – Directors: Aziz Abu Sarah, Yuval Orr

mdbr mdbr: Brian Chase & Annie Albagli

Shorts Programs

Shorts: The Power of the Pen

Shorts: Documentaries

Shorts: Narratives

Shorts: From the Bay

Additional Featured Films

Amazing Live Sea Monkeys (USA, 99 min.) – Directors: Mark Becker, Aaron Schock

American Doctor (Malaysia/Qatar/USA, 93 min.) – Director: Poh Si Teng

American Zoo (USA/UK, 85 min.) – Director: Tim Travers Hawkins

Beyond the Duplex Planet (USA, 93 min.) – Director: Beth Harrington

Blue Marks (France/Israel, 110 min.) – Director: Dina Riklis

Bookends (USA, 99 min.) – Director: Mike Doyle

Cuz You’re Ugly (Israel, 82 min.) – Director: Sharon Angelhart

The Darkest Light (USA, 77 min.) – Director: Simon Mendes

Estate (Israel, 86 min.) – Director: Eilon Bar Tal

Everything I Own (USA, 87 min.) – Director: Andrew Jared Garbus

Far From Maine (Denmark/France/Hungary/Italy/Norway/Switzerland, 99 min.) – Director: Roy Cohen

Given Names (France, 82 min.) – Director: Nurith Aviv

Girl Dad (USA, 94 min.) – Director: Solvan “Slick” Naim

The Hedonist (USA, 78 min.) – Director: Nick Funess

Human Theories (USA, 71 min.) – Director: Jess Zeidman

Landscapes of Memory (USA, 79 min.) – Director: Leah Galant

The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo (USA, 94 min.) – Director: Michael Walker

The Lonely Child (USA, 106 min.) – Director: Marc Smolowitz

Looking for Yadida (Israel, 66 min.) – Director: Israela Shaer Meoded

The Mad Dog of Europe (France/Germany, 80 min.) – Director: Rubika Shah

Nandauri (Georgia/Israel/Italy, 93 min.) – Director: Eti Tsicko

Necropolis (Israel/Spain, 70 min.) – Director: Keren Alexander

Noga (Israel/Austria, 100 min.) – Directors: Jono Bergmann, Benji Bergmann

Only Good Feelings (USA, 91 min.) – Director: Shervin Nassi

Our Bodies & Other Shames (USA, 87 min.) – Director: Jenny Lester

Sada (Israel, 105 min., 3 episodes) – Director: Ariel Benbaji

The Soundman (Belgium/Denmark/Netherlands, 118 min.) – Director: Frank Van Passel

Sun Bay (Israel, 70 min.) – Director: Ido Weisman

The Wedding Entertainer (or The Tale of Moishe Badhan) (Israel/USA, 103 min.) – Director: Gidi Dar

What Was She Thinking (Israel, 60 min.) – Director: Iris Zaki

Who Killed Alex Odeh? (USA, 83 min.) – Directors: Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans