Celebrating the 40th anniversary of its foundation, the Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival will take place from June 23 – 30, 2026, with festive screenings, master classes, and unique cultural events taking place at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque and additional city venues. Now in its 28th edition, the festival presents a diverse program of films exploring, observing, and interpreting reality through the camera lens. The festival is an all-volunteer effort, produced and run by students of The Steve Tisch School of Film & Television at Tel Aviv University. Considered one of the top student and short film festivals worldwide, TISFF is a favorite of mine for its creativity, energy, and the diversity of its program.
As part of the 40th anniversary celebrations, the festival will screen films that are marking their own 40th, with very special guests. The Israeli masterpiece Avanti Popolo (1986), directed by the late Rafi Bukai will be shown in a special screening in the presence of the actor Salim Daw, who portrayed Khaled, one of the Egyptian soldiers wandering in the Sinai desert. Another memorable 1986 film that will be shown is the cult horror comedy musical Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Frank Oz, in the presence of Audrey – Ellen Greene, honorary guest of the festival, who starred in both the original stage production and the film.
The festival is proud to host Hollywood producers Director Guy Nattiv and actor/producer Jaime Ray Newman, whose film Skin won an Oscar for Best Short Film in 2019. Nattiv and Newman developed Skin into a feature that was acquired by A24, and won the Fipresci Prize at the Toronto Film Festival. Nattiv is one of the most prominent Israeli voices on the international scene. He recently directed Helen Mirren in Golda, which held its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin Film Festival in 2023, and in a historic collaboration between an Israeli and Iranian filmmaker – Zar Amir Ebrahimi, created Tatami, a sports thriller that held its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Fillm Festival in 2023. He is currently completing production on a new film, Harmonia, starring Carrie Coon, Bella Ramsey and Lily James.
In addition to co-producing projects with Nattiv, Jaime Ray Newman’s extensive acting credits in films and series include her role as Callie in the popular Netflix series The Hunting Wives, as well as roles in Dopesick, Little Fires Everywhere, and The Punisher.
Esteemed film music composer Evgueni Galperine will come to the festival as an honored guest directly from the latest Cannes Film Festival, where Minotaur (for which he composed the soundtrack), directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, won both the Grand Prix and the Cannes Soundtrack Award. Galperine, who resides in France, is known for his many compositions for film and series, including Baby Reindeer, Scenes from a Marriage, Loveless (directed by Zvyagintsev), The Past (directed by Asghar Farhadi) and Happening, directed by Audrey Diwan, which won the Golden Lion at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in 2021.
Emmy and Golden Globe nominated writer, director, and activist Yona Speidel will conduct an exclusive master class at the Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival. Speidel, who recently converted to Judaism, is known for her writing on Transparent, Pose, and American Horror Story. A classically trained pianist, Speidel previously had a career in music, and she was the first out trans woman to perform at Carnegie Hall. She is co-executive producer and a writer on the Netflix series, The Boroughs, a sci-fi series set in a retirement home. In addition to her artistic pursuits, Speidel is active in GLAAD and the American Screenwriters Guild. Speidel will conduct a master class focusing on the secrets of writing, producing and directing in Hollywood, and creating stories that can change the world.
Special Events at the Festival
Dream High/Photo: MishaThe creators of The City will host a one-time-only screening of their “work in progress” Dream High (Tichon Magshimim), their much-anticipated rap opera scheduled to premiere this summer. Following the phenomenal success of their cult film The City, Amit Ulman and Jimbo J have created a tribute to teen movies, based on their popular eponymous stage play, featuring Amir Banai, Noam Kleinstein, Yael Shelbia and Michal Yanai. Set in a fictional high school, the protagonist Yoav is a new student who is better with words than with his fists. Wanting to fit in, he makes his way to popularity as a battle rap champion, at the expense of his true friends. It’s an amazing opportunity to see a film-in-progress as it reaches its final stages. Following the film there will be an open and intimate conversation with the creators.
A festive screening of Hairspray in memory of Maya Puder, who was murdered at the Nova Festival on October 7, 2023. Maya was about to begin her second year of studies in the production program at the Steve Tisch School of Film & Television at Tel Aviv University. She worked as a volunteer in the 25th edition of TISFF in 2023.
An award for “Most Promising Director” in memory of filmmaker Yahav Weiner,” who was murdered by Hamas in his home at Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, 2023. The prize is supported by the generosity of Galit Gutman.
Festival Directors Oshrit Biton and Daniel Gal released a statement: “Last year the war forced us to postpone the festival to August at the last minute, and this year we stood once more on the firing line due to the war between Iran and Israel, but this festival has proven that nothing can stop it. It is a unique institution that for 40 years has known how to reinvent itself to overcome any obstacle. This year we faced an unprecedented challenge: a political wave of boycotts from international academic institutions. Facing this complex challenge, we chose to lead with something innovative, and opened a new, direct channel, bypassing the institutions to reach the students themselves – and the response was overwhelming. The future generation of international cinema chose to set politics aside and submit their films independently, proving that the desire for artistic freedom and human solidarity is stronger that any political dictate. We are prouder than ever to protect our festival, our cinematic-democratic gem, that is a beacon of hope and creativity that the volunteers and audiences turn to each year. Many thanks to the international filmmakers who chose with courage and a sense of responsibility to stand by these values and confirm their participation in the festival despite the many pressures inflicted on them. In the same breath, we thank our local filmmakers, who continue to fight for their voice and create wonderful cinema from the broken reality. This year’s festival is not just a celebration of cinema; it is a living testimony to the spirit of creativity that cannot be suppressed. We wish for days of quiet, security, and the end of the war.”
Over 1,000 students from all over the world submitted their films to the festival. 100 short films from 20 different countries were selected to be screened at the festival, included are films from Portugal, Burkina Faso, China, Poland, Hungary, Germany, England, Austria, Ukraine, Italy, South Korea and Japan.
The festival will hold five major competitions: the Israeli Competition, the International Competition, the Short Independent Film Competition, the Experimental Film & Video Competition, and the Digital Media Competition. This year, as well, there will be a competition for Israeli high school student films.
The festival will open on June 23, 2026 with festive, pre-premiere screenings of two films, and will be hosted by Chen Amsalem Zaguri. Solace is a short film by respected director Nitzan Gilady (Wedding Doll, In Bed), starring Reymond Amsalem. The film was developed in the Short on the Way project, a joint initiative of the Gesher Multicultural Film Fund and TISFF. The film depicts a mother (Amsalem) and daughter who go on vacation to mend their relationship. Leave the Light On is an animated short by Dafna Englander, developed in the Animation Shorts Project, a joint initiative of the Makor Foundation and TISFF. The plot centers on a dreamy young woman who enters the life of a broken and closed-off man and tries to draw him out to a joint journey, but she realizes that the trip they planned was never real, and their relationship is tested.
The full schedule and additional information will be available on the TISFF website.
