The 2026 Borscht Belt Film Festival is less than two weeks away, and this year’s program is full of Catskills nostalgia. Now in its third year, the fest will take place at Shadowland Stages (157 Canal St, Ellenville), Friday, November 6, through Sunday, November 8, featuring nine films celebrating Borscht Belt history and culture.

Headlining the festival is We Met at Grossinger’s (2025), a documentary honoring the legendary Catskills hotel that inspired Dirty Dancing. The film takes audiences back to Grossinger’s glory days, when the resort was at the center of Jewish culture, food, recreation and romance.

“I saw it at Doc NYC last year and the reaction from the crowd was unbelievable,” Festival Director Melody Gilbert said of the film. “Everybody had a story about Grossinger’s, and they all wanted to share.”

Gilbert hopes the screening will turn into something of a Grossinger’s reunion for those who worked and vacationed there in its heyday. For those who know the hotel only through stories, We Met at Grossinger’s brings its mythology to life.

The film will screen three times at the festival, beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and returning that evening as part of the opening-night reception. The event is a fundraiser for the Catskills Borscht Belt Museum up the street at 90 Canal, which sponsors the festival and has been hard at work preserving Borscht Belt history since 2023.

It is to be a ritzy reception, with music, noshes, and old Borscht Belt glamor – mid-century cocktail attire is encouraged. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. at the museum before moving down the street to Shadowland for the 7 p.m. screening. A conversation with producer Robert Friedman and members of the Grossinger family will follow.

The festival will also present its first ever Legacy Award to Elaine Grossinger Etess, who passed away this February. She inherited Grossinger’s and ran the resort beginning in 1972, leading it through a period of great success.

“She was so important for her time,” said Gilbert. “You see it in the film, she was a pioneer as a woman business owner.”

Museum Vice President Robin Kauffman conceived of the Legacy Award to honor Etess’ impact on the Borscht Belt. Her children, Susan Zimmerman and Mitchell Etess, will attend the ceremony. The festival plans to present the Legacy Award to another Borscht Belt figure each year going forward.

If you can’t catch it Friday, We Met at Grossinger’s will also show on Sunday at 11 a.m. Director Paula Eiselt will be at the Common Good (119 Canal St) beforehand to chat with attendees over breakfast.

“That’s what great about the fest this year,” said Gilbert. “People get to continue schmoozing.”

Gilbert’s main festival goal for 2026 was to foster community and get people talking. A designated Film Lovers’ Lounge will give attendees a place to continue conversations between screenings.

“These films will make you laugh, they’ll make you cry, they’ll make you think way back,” she said. “It’s that nostalgia.”

Saturday’s programming begins at the Common Good with Josh Mostel discussing his famous father, Zero Mostel. Films will screen from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., including The Automat (2021) and Egg Cream (2018), both of which pay homage to bygone Borscht Belt treats. An original automat fixture will be installed in the Shadowland lobby, and visitors will have the chance to sample egg creams.

Gilbert has expanded the festival’s offerings this year with museum exhibits and food experiences designed to bring Borscht Belt history to life and spark memories.

Later in the day, Pair of Jokers (1990), The Floaters (2026) and Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost (2025) honor the great Borscht Belt performers. Bad Shabbos (2024) brings it all home for Shabbat dinner on the Upper West Side.

On Sunday, Ringside in the Mountains (2025) tells the stories of boxing legends who trained in the Borscht Belt. Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man! (2026) will close the festival in the afternoon.

Every film will include a talkback, and guided tours of the museum and downtown Ellenville will be available between screenings.

“I’m very excited about this lineup,” Gilbert said. “It’s funny, it’s a little quirky, it’s full of heart.”

Gilbert knows the older generation will come and reminisce, but she hopes young people join in the nostalgia. There’s an appetite for it these days, with new interest in the Hudson Valley and the Catskills helping drive the area’s success.

“Ellenville can be a part of that little zeitgeist,” she said.

More information about the festival programming, including tickets, times and all-access passes, is available at borschtbeltfilmfest.org.