This year, for the first time, I have the honor of accompanying the Budapest Jewish and Israeli Film Festival as its producer, an event that, now in its fourteenth edition, invites audiences to reflect, engage in dialogue, and remember together.

Before I share why I believe this festival matters, I’d like to thank Dávid Lantai, the lead organizer of recent years, for his dedicated work. I hope we can offer experiences this year that live up to what audiences have come to expect under his leadership.

For me, this festival is not merely a series of films, but a space of encounter, where the contradictions and enduring identity of Israeli life, the diversity of Jewish experience, layers of history, and urgent contemporary questions are interwoven.

As the festival producer, it is both my task and responsibility to ensure that this real and symbolic space remains open, thoughtful, and resonant. We’ve curated a selection of films that speak to different generations, some that make us laugh, others that may move us to tears.

This year’s program, eight feature films, three documentaries, and nine short films, presents some of the most compelling works from the past two years, many of which will be shown exclusively in Hungary at ZSIFI. These films speak boldly about the meeting points of past and present, cross-border experiences, and the many shapes memory can take.

I trust our audience will join us not only as viewers, but as active participants in this five-day shared experience.

We warmly welcome you once again to Puskin Cinema!

On behalf of the JCC Budapest – Bálint Ház team,
Andrea Ausztrics