Narrative Feature
Spotlight
89 min
Academy Award nominee Jesse Eisenberg returns to HIFF with his sophomore film as a writer/director, in which mismatched cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Emmy Award winner Kieran Culkin, Succession) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old…
Directed By Jesse Eisenberg
Documentary Feature
World Cinema Documentary
110 min
When does a democracy end, and a theocracy begin? Academy Award nominee Petra Costa's (THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY) latest feature investigates the increasingly powerful grip of faith leaders over Brazil's recent political turmoil. Costa gains extraordinary access to the country's top political leaders, including President Lula,…
Directed By Petra Costa
Narrative Feature
Spotlight
84 min
Newly engaged couple David (Jon Bass) and Meg (Meghan Leathers) plan to introduce their parents for the first time over Shabbat dinner at David's parents’ Upper West Side apartment. As the finishing touches for the evening come together, a dead body throws a wrench into this high-stakes affair. This day of rest is anything but,…
Directed By Daniel Robbins
Narrative Feature
Spotlight
120 min
New York Premiere
In his highly anticipated follow-up to ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, Academy Award® winner Edward Berger delves into one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events—selecting...
Directed By Edward Berger
Documentary Feature
World Cinema Documentary
88 min
World Premiere
"Sometimes I'm afraid the tale might be forgotten. Sometimes I'm afraid it is forgotten already." Told primarily through his own eloquent words, ELIE WIESEL: SOUL ON FIRE seeks to understand the man behind the searing and widely read memoir Night. Penetrating at the heart of the known and unknown, the film dives into the…
Directed By Oren Rudavsky
Documentary Feature
World Cinema Documentary
105 min
Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny—he is the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, including the Chief Rabbis of Israel, but also a drag-queen rebel and founder of Lab/Shul, an everybody-friendly, artist-driven, experimental congregation. When he decides to return to…
Directed By Sandi DuBowski
Narrative Feature
Spotlight
97 min
North American Premiere
Devoted father Bill Furlong (Academy Award® winner Cillian Murphy) works as a coal merchant to support his family. In the days leading up to Christmas, he discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent—and uncovers truths of his own—which force him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town…
Directed By Tim Mielants