Beginning in 1991, the Tucson J International Film Festival is one of the longest-running Jewish film festivals in the country. Celebrating Jewish history, culture, storytelling, and humor, the festival continues to delight audiences every year.
The 2026 festival, opening on Thursday, January 8, will feature incredible dramas, documentaries, comedies, and shorts from around the world. Keep reading to learn more about how this year’s films were chosen.
Behind the Scenes of the 2026 Film Festival
Chloe Loos, the director of arts and culture at the Tucson J, explained that the 2026 Film Festival Committee structure has evolved. “Instead of a one-year commitment where the committee works on everything, we’ve shifted to a wheel and spoke model where the one-year steering committee members are the head of a smaller subcommittee. This was done in the hopes of including more folks in the festival committee/planning process, since we know that one year is a huge commitment. We are incredibly grateful to those who have served on the committee and continue to serve and are excited to add new voices to the committee who are helping to shape the festival experience.”
There are four subcommittees: screening, programming, outreach, and volunteer engagement, but it’s the screening committee, naturally, that requires the biggest time commitment. “The committee watched over 70 films—features and shorts—and connected weekly to talk about the options and view them through the lens of strong filmmaking. These factors included story, cinematography, and acting, as well as Jewish content,” said Loos.
“The goal of the festival is to present a diverse tapestry of Jewish life and ensure the many ways of being and experiencing Jewishness can be represented.” While watching the films, each reviewer rated the film on a scale of 1-5, and screening committee chair, Audrey Brooks, took notes and compiled the scores to determine the films.
After discussion and ratings, the films were narrowed down to 17 feature length films and seven shorts. Features include Welcome to Yiddishland, Haute Couture, The Blond Boy from the Casbah, and Ada – My Mother the Architect. Shorts include Miriam, The Cave Synagogue, and Fiddler on the Moon.
“After nearly a year of planning, I’m incredibly proud of the festival we’ve put together,” said Loos. “The new committee structure really worked, giving everyone a chance to contribute their creativity and ideas, and that collaboration shows in this year’s lineup.”
Experience the Festival
This year’s festival will kick off on January 8 with a glamorous, Hollywood-inspired screening of The Property, a dramedy following a grandmother and granddaughter to reclaim family property seized during World War II.
The festival continues with screenings and special events through January 18, which will end with a fictional Moroccan-Jewish immigrant story, Flowers Gate. Yuval Malka, Senior Community Shlicha at the Weintraub Israel Center, will present a special program in connection to the film — sharing her family’s story and personal perspective, bringing the rich history to life.
In addition to in-person screenings, you can watch many of this year’s films online from January 16 through January 26 here.
The Film Festival Committee is always accepting new members of all ages and backgrounds, and if you would like to get involved in next year’s festival, please contact Chloe Loos at cloos@tucsonjcc.org.