The festival Week Is May 12–19, 2026
Beverly Hills, CA — The 20th Annual Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival kicks off during Jewish American Heritage Month with a star-studded Opening Night Gala in Beverly Hills featuring the Los Angeles premiere screening for The Hollywood Rabbi, an inspiring documentary about Rabbi Marvin Hier, the visionary behind the Museum of Tolerance. Celebrities and VIPs are attending the opening night gala.
Rabbi Marvin Hier will be honored for his contributions to the City of Los Angeles and the Jewish community world wide as the founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Museum of Tolerance as well for his achievements in film. Rabbi Hier is a two-time Academy Award®-winning filmmaker, bringing critical history to the forefront. The opening night starts the week-long film festival that will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. An international line up of films will screen in various theaters and venues in and around the Los Angeles area from May 12 to May 19, 2026. Other notable names that will grace the LAJFF screening events include social influencer and actress, Jill Kargman, with her new comedy film, Influenced, and veteran actor, Jon Voight, who will introduce Monument, the spine tingling drama he stars in during the festival. Voight will be recognized at the festival. All screenings are listed at lajfilmfest.org.
The Hollywood Rabbi is Directed by Jon Kean and produced by Brad Krevoy and Susie Krevoy. The new documentary features appearances by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal, Steven Spielberg, Gavin Newsom, Ted Sarandos, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Montana Tucker, plus many more.
(THE HOLLYWOOD RABBI, Directed by Jon Kean, (United States, Israel, 2025) Documentary, 87
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1151076317)
History and Mission for The Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival:
Festival History: In 2006, the inaugural Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival proved to be not only a successful program, but filled a cultural void in the Los Angeles Jewish community. Based on that feedback, LAJFF expanded into the city and valley and underserved areas continuing to offer affiliated Jews, unaffiliated Jews and non-Jews an opportunity to meet emerging filmmakers and scholars and celebrities, and engage in educational bridge-building discussions, while having a first look at the latest feature films, documentaries and shorts all dealing with Jewish history and culture. The festival highlights the universality of Jewish values and experience through the powerful medium of cinema.
LAJFF Mission:
The Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival (LAJFF) builds community by offering films that educate and create awareness of important societal issues, and pride in the diversity of the Jewish people through a cinematic experience.
History/Bio/Background on Hilary Helstein, Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker and Founder/Director for the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival:
Hilary Helstein is an acclaimed American film director, producer, writer, and festival leader known for her powerful documentary work and commitment to storytelling that bridges history and humanity. She began her career in the humanitarian field with Steven Spielberg’s USC Shoah Foundation, where she directed and produced over 250 interviews with Holocaust survivors, liberators, and rescuers. Drawing on this experience, Hilary spent more than a decade creating the award-winning documentary As Seen Through These Eyes, narrated by Maya Angelou and co-produced by the Sundance Channel, which has been screened internationally and honored at major festivals.
In addition to her filmmaking, Hilary is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival. Based in Los Angeles, she champions film as a medium for education, connection, and community engagement.
