Updated: October 17, 2026
As filmmaker Ava DuVernay said, Film is a medium that can challenge our assumptions, expand our horizons, and change our perspective. The 2026 Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) exemplifies this transformative power by showcasing more than 20 diverse films and events. With talkbacks that direct engagement between audiences and filmmakers, TIFF creates a unique space for reflection, encouraging viewers to connect with stories that push boundaries and inspire meaningful dialogue.
The Film Festival with a Social Conscience
The Teaneck International Film Festival returns November 5-12, 2026, with a lineup of documentaries, narrative features, short films, and engaging talkbacks. Continuing its longstanding theme, Activism: Making Change, the festival brings audiences together through films that raise awareness of critical issues and promote understanding and involvement.
Celebrating its 21st year, TIFF is more than just a collection of screenings; it is a week-long call to action, challenging audiences to confront social issues, engage in dialogue, and explore solutions. The eight-day festival will bring filmmakers, actors, activists, producers, and community leaders to venues throughout Teaneck and Fort Lee for screenings, filmmaker conversations and special events.
Supported by The Puffin Foundation Ltd., TIFF has gained a reputation as “the film festival with a social conscience.” Local and regional partners, community organizations, nonprofits, and advocates join to make TIFF a dynamic space for people of all backgrounds to connect through cinema and spark conversations that matter.
“TIFF has always believed that film can do more than entertain—it can start conversations, bring communities together and inspire people to make change,” said Jeremy Lentz, executive director of the Teaneck International Film Festival. “For our 21st anniversary, we’re bringing together an extraordinary group of filmmakers and films that reflect the issues, histories and personal stories shaping our world.”
A Festival with Purpose: Highlights from TIFF 2026
The festival opens Thursday, November 5, at Teaneck Cinemas on Cedar Lane with Annie Turnbo Malone: The Untold Story, directed by Dr. Kim Love and sponsored by co-founding partner The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Bergen/Passaic Chapter. The documentary tells the largely forgotten story of Malone, the pioneering African American entrepreneur who built an international hair-care and beauty enterprise in the early 20th century. At the height of her success, Malone employed an estimated 75,000 agents, mostly women, including Madam C.J. Walker.
Bea Arthur Centerpiece Gala
The festival’s Centerpiece Gala event will take place on Saturday, November 7, at Temple Emeth in Teaneck beginning at 7:00 pm, and will feature the New Jersey premiere of Bea Arthur: The Documentary — I’ve Done Everything Except Porn, directed by Dan Watt.
The Centerpiece event begins with a light buffet and wine reception at 7:00 pm, followed by the 8:00 pm screening. A talkback will follow with filmmaker Dan Watt and the film’s producer and editor, Lon Garelick. The screening will be sponsored by Broadway producer Marc David Levine of Gemini Theatricals.
The film features a never-before-seen interview with the Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress, offering an intimate look at Arthur’s life, career and commitment to causes she believed in.
Tickets for the Bea Arthur centerpiece gala are $40 and include the pre-screening light buffet and wine reception.
A Platform for Action: TIFF’s Commitment to Community Engagement
The film festival with a social conscience is committed to telling stories that need to be heard, and inspiring thoughtful discussion, involvement, and activism.
Founded in 2006, the Teaneck International Film Festival has built its identity around films and conversations that connect cinema with social justice, activism and community engagement. The festival is a project of The Puffin Foundation and was co-founded with The Links, Inc., Bergen County Chapter, and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Bergen/Passaic Chapter.
The 21st Teaneck International Film Festival runs Nov. 5–12, 2026, in Teaneck, New Jersey. Tickets are on sale now. For the complete schedule, tickets, full list of sponsors and additional information, visit Teaneck International Film Festival.
TIFF 2026 Full Schedule of Screenings and Events
Thursday, November 5 (Opening Night)
- 7:30 pm – Teaneck Cinemas – Annie Turnbo Malone: The Untold Story
Friday, November 6
- 7:30 pm – Teaneck Cinemas – When They’re Gone and Set Her Free
Saturday, November 7
- 10:00 am – Puffin Cultural Forum – CUNY Student Short Series
- 11:10 am – Teaneck Cinemas – American Doctor
- 2:00 pm – Teaneck Cinemas – Alien: American Dream Denied
- 2:35 pm – Puffin Cultural Forum – Free Joan Little
- 4:15 pm – Puffin Cultural Forum – Call Me Micky
- 4:35 pm – Teaneck Cinemas – The Lorraine
- 5:35 pm – Puffin Cultural Forum – Buried Under Years of Dust
- 7:00 pm – Temple Emeth – Centerpiece Gala – Light buffet dinner & wine at 7:00 pm followed by Bea Arthur: The Documentary at 8:00 pm
Sunday, November 8
- 12:00 pm – Temple Emeth – We Met at Grossinger’s
- 12:00 pm – Teaneck Cinemas – Atonement
- 2:00 pm – Puffin Cultural Forum – American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
- 2:30 pm – Teaneck Cinemas – The Dads
- 3:00 pm – Temple Emeth – Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls
- 4:50 pm – Puffin Cultural Forum – Far Out: Life on and After the Commune
- 5:00 pm – Teaneck Cinemas – The Choice
- 7:30 pm – Teaneck Cinemas – Women on Trial
- 7:30 pm – Temple Emeth – Jane Elliot Against the World
Tuesday, November 10
8:30 am – Teaneck High School – Teaching America (This screening is not open to the general public. Teaneck High School students only.)
Thursday, November 12
- 7:30 pm – Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee – Gaslit
For film descriptions and additional details, visit the Teaneck International Film Festival website or the mybergen.com Events Calendar.
Virtual Screenings & Discussions: TIFF from Home
TIFF will offer a virtual program available November 5-12, featuring three films followed by prerecorded filmmaker talkbacks. The virtual package is $15. The virtual film series includes:
A Binding Truth: In 1965, Jimmie became the first Black football star at an affluent white high school in Charlotte, placing him at the center of a volatile civil rights case. A white student named De followed the case and wrote about it in the college essay he credits with helping him gain admission to Harvard. Decades later, a surprising discovery in church records reconnects the two men, revealing a deeply personal story about race, privilege, the legacy of slavery, and the healing power of truth.
Resonancia: In Havana, Grammy-winning composer Ted Nash inspires young Cuban musicians to explore the connection between art and music, using museum paintings as a source of creativity. Their week of musical discovery culminates in a concert for more than a thousand people, celebrating self-expression, personal growth, and the power of the arts.
Ghost in the Machine: Ghost in the Machine examines how human values, biases, and power structures influence artificial intelligence and explores its impact on society and the environment.
TIFF Tickets and Event Details
Tickets for TIFF 2026 are available at teaneckfilmfestival.org. Tickets are $10, Centerpiece Gala tickets are $40, and virtual film tickets (includes all three films) are $15.
Talkbacks follow most films. Visit teaneckfilmfestival.org for complete details and sponsors.
Don’t miss this chance to experience films that entertain, educate, and inspire change. For anyone passionate about the impact of cinema, TIFF 2026 is a not-to-be-missed Bergen County event.
Why not grab dinner in Teaneck, before or after seeing a TIFF film? Visit the mybergen.com Restaurant Directory to find a fabulous variety of Teaneck restaurants!
