You’ve probably heard of the big film festivals like Sundance, Cannes, and South by Southwest. But, did you know Pittsburgh has its own JFilm Festival and it also happens to be the largest Jewish cultural event in the region?
JFilm Festival in Pittsburgh Highlights Over 20 Films and Shorts by Jewish Independent Filmmakers
The JFilm Festival by Film Pittsburgh features Jewish independent films from filmmakers in the United States, France, United Kingdom, Israel, and other countries around the globe. The screenings show at Row House Cinemas in Dormont, Carnegie Mellon’s McConomy Auditorium in Oakland, and The Lindsay Theater in Sewickley, allowing you to explore different parts of the city as you go.
This year the festival runs from April 30 to May 10, skipping Friday, May 7. You can choose between an all-access virtual pass (as long as you’re a resident in Pennsylvania, Ohio, or, West Virginia), a combination pass for in-person and virtual, or single tickets for in-person and virtual screenings. Students and those under 25 can even grab discount tickets 30 minutes before each screening when available.
What Films are Showing at JFilm Festival 2026?
As usual, the program includes films in a diversity of genres including animation, comedy, documentary, drama, and romance, as well as shorts. Fans of animation will be happy to hear this year’s line-up features three films. Even four romances bless the screens this year including a full-length feature in Dutch and French that follows a radio sound engineer during WWII-era (The Soundman).
Plus, a Virtual Opportunity
For those looking forward to the virtual festival, there are five films and two catalogs of shorts available on May 1. Then you’ll have nine days to watch the films and 24 hours to finish once you start one. The five films include Ethan Bloom about a boy preparing for his bar mitzvah while feeling a call to Catholicism; Hold on to Your Music, A Mother’s Legacy that chronicles concert pianist Mona Golabek’s mother Lisa Jura, rescued as a child from the holocaust in Europe; Sabbath Queen featuring a 39th generation Orthodox rabbi and drag queen; Validity, which is a Pittsburgh-shot drama following researcher Dr. Sidney Randall as she fights for validation of her life-saving data on Nazi camps; and We Met at Grossinger’s, which takes a look at the resort in the Catskills that was the inspiration for Dirty Dancing.
JFilm Festival offers locals a chance to support not only independent filmmakers but also the entire Jewish community at a time where that support is crucial. Lift up your neighbors and learn something new by attending one of the screenings over the next nine days.
You can check out the schedule now for the in-person screenings and events on JFilm’s website.
Story by Kylie Thomas
Photo From Film Pittsburgh
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