This year, ZsiFi is becoming a young adult—the film festival has reached its age of a bat mitzvah! We’ll be bringing you the best Israeli and Jewish-themed films the past year with a focus on women and women-created films.  

This year, we’re once again bringing you the best Jewish-themed and Israeli films from last year and this year, with more women-centered themes and creators than ever before!

For the past 12 years, the Budapest Jewish and Israeli Film Festival has brought laughter, sparked thought, and inspired late-night conversations on topics of Jewish and non-Jewish identity, and the world we live in. The goal of JCC Budapest – remains exactly the same as when it first launched the event: to offer a multifaceted view of the rich, diverse, and largely unknown world of Jewish life today.

ZSIFI follows the tradition of film showcases, aiming to broadly present the latest works by contemporary Jewish filmmakers, along with the best Jewish-themed and Israeli films of the past year. The film selection team (consisting of film professionals and members and partners of JCC Budapest – Bálint Ház) also strives to feature films from diverse national backgrounds, including Europe, America, and beyond. ZSIFI also seeks to highlight films made within the local community, providing a platform for creators focused on community-based filmmaking. And since Bálint Ház’s social responsibility program prioritizes issues related to women, this year, marking the age of female adulthood, is an excellent opportunity to emphasize women-centered films and discussions on these topics.

This year, we will be awarding prizes for the third time, including the Best Short Film Award, the Community Choice Award, and the Tikun Olam Award, which honors films that contribute to making the world a better place. Of course, the Audience Choice Award will be given as well, so dear moviegoers, let your voices be heard! The festival will also be enriched with other Jewish cultural programs.

The primary organizer of the event for twelve consecutive years remains JCC Budapest – Bálint Ház.

Our strategic partners include JDC, the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach, BZSH, and MAZSIHISZ.

Our key partners are the Embassy of Israel, the Municipality of Budapest, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the Thalheimer family.

Our collaborating partners are Budapest Film, Puskin Cinema, Erzsébetváros, French Institute, Goethe Institute, Merkaz, Austrian Cultural Forum, NFI, Centropa Foundation, Gláser Jakab Memorial Foundation, Három Holló, Tom Lantos Institute, MAZSÖK, the Prime Minister’s Office, Bethlen Gábor Fund Management Ltd., Kibic Magazine, and Kesher Hungary.

Tickets go on sale on 14 November at www.artmozi.hu and at the cinema box office.