The 42nd Haifa International Film Festival runs from September 26 to October 3, featuring an international program highlighted by new films from leading directors including Danny Boyle, Nanni Moretti, François Ozon, Lukas Dhont, Olivier Assayas, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Andrey Zvyagintsev, according to festival organizers.
Carmel Competition Opens With Danny Boyle’s Ink
The festival’s main international competition, Carmel, opens with Danny Boyle’s Ink, which previously opened this year’s Venice Film Festival, according to festival programmers. The film chronicles the story of legendary Sun editor Larry Lamb and publisher Rupert Murdoch as they transformed the struggling British tabloid during the late 1960s. Boyle’s feature arrives in Haifa directly from its run in the Venice competition.
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Festival Closer and Major International Prize Winners
The festival closes with Nanni Moretti’s It Will Happen Tonight, based on a story by Israeli author Eshkol Nevo and starring Louis Garrel and Jasmine Trinca. Like the opening film, it travels to Haifa directly from the Venice competition, according to event details.
These include Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes, alongside Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden. Lukas Dhont’s World War I drama Coward and Sandra Wollner’s Everytime—the top prize winner in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section—round out the lineup of celebrated entries, as detailed by festival announcements.
Literary Adaptations and Political Thrillers
François Ozon’s adaptation of Albert Camus’s The Stranger highlights the slate, featuring Benjamin Voisin in the lead role. Other notable screenings include Olivier Assayas’s political thriller The Wizard of the Kremlin and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s family drama Sheep in the Box, according to festival disclosures.
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International Filmmakers and Special Screenings
Directors traveling to Haifa include Romanian filmmaker Tudor Giurgiu, who presents 3 Days in September, a feature containing a 65-minute sequence shot in a single take. Alberto Sciamma attends with Cielo, a magical-realist road movie set in Bolivia’s Altiplano, according to program notes.
Boaz Dvir brings his documentary To Kill a Nazi, detailing French Jew Michel Cojot’s pursuit of Nazi criminal Klaus Barbie and his connection to Operation Entebbe. German filmmaker Hille Norden presents the coming-of-age drama Easy Girl, and Muriel d’Ansembourg showcases Truly Naked, a drama following a teenager reassessing his understanding of sexuality and intimacy, based on festival schedules.
Classics, Retrospectives, and Genre Programs
The Haifa Classics program offers a Barbra Streisand tribute featuring Funny Girl, Hello, Dolly!, A Star Is Born, and Yentl. The section also includes a retrospective dedicated to Japanese writer Yukio Mishima and filmmaker Nagisa Oshima, according to organizers.
Additional sections feature documentaries, animation, culinary cinema, and the Haifa Wild Nights genre program, which highlights Asian action films alongside selections from Cannes’ Midnight screenings. The Haifa Docs program presents Broken English, a documentary portrait of Marianne Faithfull featuring interviews, archival footage, and musical performances by artists including Nick Cave and Courtney Love. The section also screens The Match, focusing on the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and England, per festival disclosures.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Haifa International Film Festival take place?
The 42nd edition runs from September 26 to October 3, featuring international competition films, retrospectives, and guest filmmakers.
Where can I find tickets and festival schedules?
Tickets and program details are available on the official festival website at www.haifaff.co.il/.
Which films are opening and closing the festival?
Danny Boyle’s Ink opens the Carmel international competition, while Nanni Moretti’s It Will Happen Tonight closes the festival.
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