Soundtrack festival returns to Tel Aviv with films, talks and live music
Tel Aviv's Soundtrack festival has published the programme for its fourth edition, bringing film screenings, conversations and live music to the Tel Aviv Cinematheque from November 24 to 28, 2026. One strand reaches directly into the city's cultural memory, with documentary footage of singer Ahuva Ozeri and the Kerem HaTeimanim neighbourhood where she grew up.
The Cinematheque names Yashiv Cohen and Dana Kessler as artistic directors. Its programme includes documentary and fiction films, Israeli work and competition strands. Ticket prices have not been confirmed for every event discussed here. Readers should check the selected event's price and booking conditions before paying.
A fourth edition with several kinds of evening
The current development is the publication of the 2026 programme. Soundtrack is an established festival returning for another edition, and the individual event descriptions now show how its film-and-music theme will work in practice. Some programmes continue after the screening, making the accompanying discussion or performance part of the evening's structure.
The international programme includes Walter Fasano's Nino: A Film about Nino Rota, narrated by Sting. The Cinematheque describes a documentary that considers the composer's film scores alongside his less familiar concert and opera work. It lists a 120-minute film in Italian and English with Hebrew subtitles. That portrait of a composer working across forms broadens the programme beyond filmed concerts: music itself becomes the subject of the screen story.
For residents planning an evening out, that distinction affects the clock as well as the content. A film's running time may leave out a conversation that follows. Before booking another activity immediately afterwards, check the duration of the complete event. The published programme offers enough detail to begin making those decisions, without treating every screening as interchangeable.
A neighbourhood appears through its music
The programme's local connection includes two documentaries by Uri Barbash, Ahuva Ozeri and Gan Eden. The official event page describes work made for Israeli television in the 1970s. The Ozeri film also records Kerem HaTeimanim, the Tel Aviv neighbourhood associated with her musical development, and the family and cultural surroundings in which she worked.
The published schedule places the double bill on November 25 at 18:00 in Auditorium 2. The two films run for 90 minutes together. A conversation between Barbash and Gilad Levy Kopelman follows, bringing the advertised total to approximately 120 minutes. That additional half-hour matters when arranging an onward journey or a second booking.
For readers unfamiliar with the neighbourhood, the programme offers a way into local history through a performer and her surroundings. The connection is more specific than a general celebration of Tel Aviv: it gives a recognisable part of the city a place in the festival's musical story. This description is based on the published programme, rather than a review or a claim that the newsroom has watched the films.
Another screening leads into live music
On My Momma, listed in Hebrew as "באמא׳שלי", takes a different form. According to the Cinematheque, Tal Avidan's film combines documentary and fiction around his attempt to reunite the hip-hop group Parvarim Refugeez. Its festival event is described as a screening followed by a live performance, scheduled for November 25 at 18:30 in Auditorium 1.
The film page gives a running time of 69 minutes and lists Hebrew and English with Hebrew subtitles. Those 69 minutes should not be treated as the duration of the complete evening. A separate duration for the performance has not been confirmed for this article. Anyone arranging another commitment afterwards should establish the total time before relying on a tight schedule.
Placed alongside the Barbash double bill, the event illustrates a practical choice within the programme. A discussion with a filmmaker and a concert after a screening offer different experiences. Neither format should be assumed from the film title alone. Read the event description to establish what the ticket includes, and distinguish the screen time from the time spent in the auditorium.
Language details deserve their own check
An international festival does not necessarily provide English subtitles at every screening. The programme lists language and translation information separately. The Ozeri and Gan Eden event is listed in Hebrew; On My Momma is listed in Hebrew and English, with Hebrew subtitles. Neither description establishes a complete English-subtitled experience for someone who does not understand Hebrew.
There is another distinction for English-speaking residents and visitors: a film's language, its subtitles and the language of the accompanying conversation are separate questions. Check all three when choosing an event with friends who have different levels of Hebrew. This article does not confirm interpretation for the discussions, even where a film contains English dialogue.
The same care is useful for the children's strand. A family category is a starting point, rather than a confirmed age recommendation for every programme. Parents should establish the intended age, language and complete duration of the selected event. Those details give a more useful basis for planning than a familiar title or a broad festival label.
Booking an event, rather than just a festival
The Cinematheque's official address is 5 HaArba'a Street, Tel Aviv. Keep the auditorium number with the booking confirmation, as the venue address alone does not identify the room. Readers who need accessibility arrangements should ask about the chosen event in advance. Specific seating, assistance and accessible translation arrangements have not been confirmed here.
Check the displayed price, any conditions attached to a concession, and available seats before payment. This article confirms neither a particular discount nor a festival pass or free admission. A price found for one screening cannot be applied to the rest of the programme. Save the confirmation showing the correct film, date, time and booking details.
Recheck the event time before leaving and plan the return journey around its full duration. Soundtrack's published programme makes its central idea concrete: music becomes material for a film, then sometimes a reason to remain for a conversation or performance. The individual event page is where that idea becomes a specific evening residents can actually plan.
