I am thrilled to present the Nineteenth Annual Ring Family Wesleyan University Israeli Film Festival, 2026. This year the festival will continue to offer the most innovative contemporary Israeli cinema and TV shows (Kugel), featuring three New England Premieres (Halisa, Nandauri, Kugel) and one Connecticut Premiere (Reading Lolita in Tehran). Two Israeli film directors (Sophie Artus, director of Halisa, and Eran Riklis, director of Reading Lolita in Theran) will present their films in person and conduct a Q/A session with the audience in addition to screening a taped interview with another film director (Eti Tsicko, director of Nandauri). The themes of the films are varied and include struggling with motherhood in a multiethnic neighborhood in Haifa, exploring the complicated Polish-Jewish relations, women’s struggle in Tehran and matchmaking and other intrigues within the orthodox community. All screenings are at the Goldsmith Family Cinema in the Jeanine Basinger Center for Film Studies at 301 Washington Terrace, Middletown, CT at 8:00 PM. Admission is free and all are welcome. There is free on-site parking. Video trailers and more information about the films and speakers can be found at the festival’s website.
I hope to greet you and your guests at the movies, Dalit Katz (festival curator).
