Sderot hosts 25th film festival with new fund for local creators

A new incubator called Negba will open on November 5 at the Sderot Cinematheque. The fund is designed to support five young filmmakers from the southern region. It launches during the closing ceremony of the festival’s 25th anniversary edition.

The festival was established by the School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College. It runs from November 1 to 5. The program includes television premieres, international films, and meetings with creators. This year’s lineup focuses on work from Sderot and the western Negev. Several projects examine life in the three years following the October 7 Hamas-led attacks.

The opening evening on November 1 features Hanan Savyon and Guy Amir. They will discuss their Netflix series Bros. The pair will also premiere the first two episodes of the show’s second season. The series follows two childhood friends and Beitar Jerusalem fans who run a pub in the capital.

Advance screenings include Motherland, a KAN comedy-drama directed by Yael Hedaya. The cast includes Dana Ivgy, Sasson Gabay, and Alma Zack. Audiences will also view Whose Daughter Are You?, a KAN documentary series about Mizrahi women in Israel. Efrat Shalom Danon and Keren Shayo direct the series. Osnat Trabelsi serves as producer. The team behind The Pshute will also host a session. Director Dan Messer and creators Bar Elmaliach Donzov, Chen Rotman, and Oshrit Sarusi will participate.

The festival closes with a preview of Iris Zaki’s film What Was She Thinking?. Zaki heads the school’s master's degree program. The film explores the choice to not have children in Israeli society. The event also honors editor Nili Feller, a two-time Ophir Award winner. The tribute includes four films she edited, a master class, and meetings with Ari Folman and Dani Rosenberg.

Returning graduates from Sapir Academic College will present new work. Efrat Corem will show Heart of Gold, starring Chen Amsalem, Menashe Noy, and Israel Atias. Shir Houri Abu will present the documentary 100 Gates. Tal Avitan will screen Carlos Outside the Lines, which focuses on a children's soccer coach in Kiryat Gat. Eight winning films from previous editions will also be shown.

Regional programming includes Sketches of the Soul, a collection of five shorts by western Negev filmmakers. The shorts depict life after October 7. Sami Shalom Chetrit will premiere My Beloved Gourama. The film follows his father's life in Morocco and Israel. Swiss director Thomas Imbach will present two films and lead a master class with the Swiss Embassy.

More information is available on the festival's page on the Sapir Academic College website.