Tisha B'Av Films: Complete Guide to This Year's Releases

Tisha B'Av begins at sundown on Wednesday, July 22, and ends at nightfall on Thursday, July 23. Alongside the traditional reading of Eichah and the Kinnot, watching serious or emotionally weighty film content has become a widespread custom for the day, since studying Torah and consuming ordinary entertainment are both restricted. Below is a look at this year's new releases, along with a few standing favorites, where to watch each one, and who it suits best.

While We Were Celebrating, Aish

Aish's original film for this year focuses on antisemitic violence that struck Jewish communities on their holiest days, and on the response that has carried the Jewish people through those moments across generations, the decision to celebrate again.

While We Were Celebrating delves into the human stories of survivors, family members, and eyewitnesses who were left to reckon with the fallout. It highlights their trials and difficulties in overcoming their traumas and continuing to live with hope.

Director Jamie Geller traveled to the sites of three of the year's most devastating attacks: the assault on Jewish beachgoers at Bondi Beach in Australia, a deadly incident targeting the Jewish community in Manchester, England, and the Iranian missile attacks that killed an entire family in Haifa.

Ready for more?

Watch: 9avfilm.aish.com (free)

Who should watch this: A broad family audience, including teenagers, and anyone who wants a film that ties the day directly to the current moment rather than to ancient history alone.

Holy Smokes, Rabbi Yoel Gold, Hashkifa

This year's Hashkifa release tells the previously untold story of how the Ketores used in the Beis Hamikdash was rediscovered. Gold's films tend to favor emotionally driven, narrative storytelling built around hashgacha pratis, and Holy Smokes is being billed as the platform's most anticipated release this year.

Watch: hashkifa.com (paid subscription; promo code YWN for 5% off)

Who should watch this: Viewers who prefer polished, cinematic storytelling with a clear emotional payoff, and anyone already familiar with Gold's earlier films like Hidden Light and The Wait.

Just Tell Me You're Alive

This film is about 7 Families. 7 Extraordinary October 7th Stories that have Have Never Been Told.

Unlike most films about October 7th that focus on the horrors of that day, Just Tell Me You’re Alive tells the deeply personal stories of seven families whose lives were forever changed, and the extraordinary ways they chose to move forward.

Letting Go, Living Lchaim

Living Lchaim's own Tisha B'Av film

Access is free.

"Letting Go" chronicles extraordinary, true stories of individuals who faced unimaginable betrayal, tragic loss, and unimaginable hardship, yet ultimately chose forgiveness and the path forward.

Watch: livinglchaim.com (free, sign up for notification)

Who should watch this: Jfeed does not recommend this for young children.

Fans of Living Lchaim's candid, conversational podcast style, and anyone who wants something meaningful for the day without paying for a subscription.

World Mizrachi:

Nova Festival Site | From 9 Av to 7 October: Season 3

Free

Watch here:

Yad L'Achim

STILL STANDING.4 POWERFUL STORIES OF UNBREAKABLE INNER STRENGTH.

Rav Gav Friedman shares his miraculous recovery
Rabbi Dovod Orlofsky opens up about a painful childhood
Rabbi Moshe Berkowitz, Gabbai of the Ribnitzer Rebbe zt"l, shares intimate recollections of the rebbe's indomitable strength.
Yoav Robinson, a heroic Yad le'achim volunteer, recounts daring stories of Pidyon shvuyim

Price: $18 per person, $48 per family, Coupon YL10 for 10% off

Watch here: https://yadfilms.com/?domain=tishabavfilm

Aleph Beta's Tisha B'Av Collection

Aleph Beta's ongoing series, including material built around the theme of Tisha B'Av after October 7, pairs animated Torah study with contemporary reflection. Rabbi David Fohrman and other Aleph Beta teachers walk through how the themes of Eichah and the Churban echo into present-day Jewish grief.

Watch: alephbeta.org (subscription, with previews and trial access usually available)

Who should watch this: Viewers who want depth and text-based learning over pure narrative, and anyone who found Fohrman's style compelling in his other Torah content.

Undeniable, and the Miracle Connection

Rabbi Naftali Schiff, who recently co-authored the bestselling book Miracle: The Boys Who Escaped the Gas Chamber at Auschwitz, has also directed a companion documentary called Undeniable, built around the same story of the fifty one Hungarian Jewish teenagers pulled from a gas chamber on Simchat Torah 1944. The documentary includes testimony from Holocaust scholar Robert Jan van Pelt, who served as a key expert witness in Deborah Lipstadt's libel case against Holocaust denier David Irving.

Watch: not yet confirmed at time of writing; worth checking directly before planning around it

Who should watch this: Readers who have already picked up Miracle, and viewers specifically drawn to firsthand survivor testimony rather than reenactment or narration.

For Kids:

Captive City, a powerful Tishah B'Av film from The Circle about emunah, hope, and survival in the Old City of Yerushalayim.

Price: 2 day family rental for $24.99

Watch here: https://captivecity.circmag.com/

Classic Holocaust Films

For those who prefer established titles over new releases, several films have become recurring Tisha B'Av staples.

Night and Fog (1956):

Alain Resnais's documentary offers an unflinching, historically grounded look at the camps, shot only a decade after liberation.

Watch: widely available on standard streaming platforms

Who should watch this: Viewers who want a serious, academically minded film rather than an emotionally softened one.

The Pianist:

Widely available on standard streaming platforms

Who should watch this: Viewers who want a narrative feature rather than a documentary.

Denial:

Dramatizes the same Lipstadt versus Irving trial referenced in Undeniable.

Watch: widely available on standard streaming platforms

Who should watch this: Viewers more interested in the fight against Holocaust denial than in survival narratives themselves.

A Note on Suitability

Several of this year's new releases, particularly those tied explicitly to October 7, are emotionally intense and are best previewed by parents before sharing with younger children.

The more text-based Aleph Beta content and the classic documentary Night and Fog are generally better suited to older teenagers and adults who can sit with heavier historical material. Families looking for something appropriate for younger children may want to lean on curated children's content from platforms such as YidFlicks rather than any of the above.