The second edition of Oy Vey Film - the Jewish Film Festival of the Netherlands
The time has come! The second edition of Oy Vey Film – the Jewish Film Festival of the Netherlands kicks off this year at Kriterion in Amsterdam. Between February 26 and March 1, you can watch more than 12 films. Ticket sales have already begun via Kriterion’s website. You can either calmly read through this newsletter, or… You can buy your tickets right away. Good news for Cineville members, your pass is also valid at Oy Vey Film!
Trust us… you don’t want to miss this!
Okay, how nice, you’re still reading. Then we can tell you a bit more about Oy Vey Film this year, namely: HERELAND, the theme of Oy Vey Film 2026, cannot be found on a map. It is a borderless conviction: wherever we are, is where we are meant to be! With twelve films spread over four days, we explore HERELAND, inspired by the Yiddish concept of ‘doykeit’. Mythological stories, political and religious activism, folklore, fresh perspectives, and the joys and pains of contemporary Jewish life, all of this will be addressed in our journey through HERELAND. Each of the twelve films covers Jewish life and the layers of Eastern European Jewish roots and identity.
We have a diverse range of films ready for you.
We’re screening two films from 1930s Poland (Children Must Laugh / Mir Kummen On and The Dybbuk) that you rarely get to see on the big screen.
Dutch Premieres
We have several Dutch premieres and recently released films in store, such as the impressive All I had was Nothingness (Guillaume Ribot, 2025) – A striking look back at the creation of SHOAH (1985), built from unused footage and Claude Lanzmann’s personal notes.
And the feature film The Safe House / La Cache (Lionel Baier, 2025) – A sparkling and quirky family portrait set against the backdrop of France’s historic May ’68 protests – also our opening film!
Dance and music lovers can enjoy Everything You Have is Yours (Tatyana Tenenbaum, 2024) in which New York-based choreographer Hadar Ahuvia explores the roots of the Israeli folk dances she performed as a child in the US together with her mother.
Or Welcome to Yiddishland (Ros Horin, 2024) – an upbeat, witty and contemporary exploration of a global community of artists rediscovering and breathing new life into the endangered Yiddish language.
On Friday evening we’re screening Sabbath Queen (Sandi DuBowski, 2024), an acclaimed documentary about the life journey of Amichai Lau-Lavie, from radical drag queen to influential rabbi of a God-optional, artist-driven synagogue in New York. Afterwards, we’ll celebrate Shabbat together in Kriterion’s café!
In short, we warmly invite you for four days of Oy Vey Film joy.