2026 FESTIVAL FILMS

Set against the backdrop of one of Israel's darkest days, this gripping documentary is a cinematic retelling of an extraordinary rescue and an unflinching look at the failures and resilience revealed on October 7. At its core, it is a profoundly human story about courage, family, and the power of love in the face of unimaginable terror.

In the darkest days of the Second World War, Yulia and Hugo, a Jewish mother and son, escape from a Ukrainian ghetto. Fearing for his safety, Yulia entrusts her eleven-year-old boy to the care of her friend Mariana, who lives in a brothel. Hugo is placed in a closet, nominally for his safety, but from which he rarely leaves. As the war rages on outside, Hugo and Mariana form an intimate yet complex bond of love, loyalty and devotion.

Filmed in Jerusalem, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax , this insightful documentary offers a unique exploration of the cultural, religious, and personal significance of hair covering among Jewish women within Orthodox and Hasidic communities.

In the 1960s, Victor, a young Jewish Austrian businessman, witnesses how the prosecution of a Nazi crime perpetrated against his family unjustly fails in the courtroom. He loses faith in the system and pursues matters via a different path.
