International LGBT film festival sets screenings at Tel Aviv Cinematheque

Audiences can also look forward to Adam Shankman’s camp comedy Stop! That! Train! featuring RuPaul, alongside major festival favorites from Cannes and Montreal’s Fantasia.

TLVFest, Israel’s premier international LGBT film festival, will return to the Tel Aviv Cinematheque for its 21st edition, October 22-31.

This year’s festival marks a major turning point, introducing a new leadership team with artistic director Gili Porat and producer Yael Lavie. They take the reins following the departure of founder Yair Hochner, who spent two decades building the festival into a cornerstone of local queer culture.

Recognized globally, TLVFest was previously named one of the top 10 LGBTQ+ film festivals in the world by IndieWire. Over the years, it has hosted renowned industry figures from the Sundance and Berlin film festivals.

This year’s lineup promises a diverse selection of queer cinema, exploring themes of love, faith, family, and queer joy.

The international slate features highly anticipated award-winners. Headline films include Markus Schleinzer’s Rose, which earned Sandra Hüller the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, and Dylan Meyer’s crime comedy The Wrong Girls, starring Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat.

Audiences can also look forward to Adam Shankman’s camp comedy Stop! That! Train! featuring RuPaul, alongside major festival favorites from Cannes and Montreal’s Fantasia.

A rich mosaic of new Israeli cinema

The domestic lineup highlights a rich mosaic of new Israeli cinema. The festival will host the premiere of Yuval Hadadi’s A Man Walks on the Street, alongside Moshe Rosenthal’s Ophir Award-winning Tell Me Everything. It will also feature And Thou Shalt Love, the final film from the late, award-winning director Nitzan Gilady.

Beyond narrative features, the festival includes international documentary competitions, local short film showcases, and special 30th-anniversary retrospective screenings, such as a 35-millimeter print of the Wachowski sisters’ debut thriller, Bound.