MICHEL
KICHKA
Celebrating the work of internationally acclaimed
cartoonist, author, and illustrator.
ABOUT MICHEL KICHKA
Michel Kichka was born in 1954 in Liège, Belgium to Holocaust survivor parents. He moved to Israel in 1974, studying graphic design at Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts in Jerusalem, where he became a professor of illustration and press drawing. Beloved for children’s book illustration, political cartoons — he is a member of “Cartooning for Peace” — as well as his trilogy of graphic novels, Kichka is perhaps best known internationally for his autobiographical Second Generation about his relationship with his survivor father.
Where Art Spiegelman’s classic Maus focused on the testimony of the writer’s father, Kichka “asserts his own story” and that of other children of survivors. (Assaf Gamzou, the Israeli Cartoon Museum)
Selections of his CARTOONS
PROGRAMMES FEATURING MICHEL KICHKA
Kichka: Telling Myself
A deeply personal exploration of memory, identity, and family through the lens of acclaimed cartoonist Michel Kichka.
Shared Memory: The Holocaust in Popular Art
How artists and creators have kept memory alive — adapting history for new generations.
CARTE BLANCHE SELECTION
Life Is Beautiful
A timeless story of love, imagination, and hope in the face of adversity.
Roberto Benigni’s masterpiece is Michel Kichka’s Carte Blanche selection.
MORE WITH MICHEL KICHKA
An exhibit featuring samples of Michel Kichka’s work will be on display at the Miles Nadal JCC.
Kichka will also participate in TJFF2026’s Filmmakers student programme, where he will present Vera Belmont’s My Father’s Secrets, the film adaptation of Second Generation.
PARTNERS
NewsLetters
© 2026 Toronto Jewish Film Festival. All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms of Use
A [HumanElement] Idea