Sderot Film Festival Reaches Milestone 25 With New Industry Initiatives

Twenty five years have passed since the inception of the Cinema of the South Festival, a milestone that organizers are marking with a program of premieres, master classes, and a new incubator for young talent. The event is scheduled to take place from November 1 to 5 at the Sderot Cinematheque. It is being held at the location founded by the School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College. The anniversary edition aims to highlight the work of filmmakers based in Sderot and the western Negev region.

A significant portion of the programming is dedicated to examining the impact of the last three years on the region. Creators are presenting work that looks back on the events following the October 7 Hamas led massacres in Israel. This focus provides a specific context for the regional shorts and features selected for the lineup. The festival seeks to document the local experience through a variety of cinematic forms.

The opening evening will feature a discussion with Hanan Savyon and Guy Amir regarding their Netflix series Bros. The pair will join the stage to talk about the show, which follows two childhood friends and Beitar Jerusalem fans who co own a pub in the city. Their friendship is tested by a series of crises in the narrative. Following the conversation, the first two episodes of the series second season will receive a world premiere.

The schedule also includes advance screenings of several KAN productions. Motherland, a comedy drama directed by Yael Hedaya, stars Dana Ivgy, Sasson Gabay, and Alma Zack. Audiences will also view Whose Daughter Are You, a documentary series about Mizrahi women in Israel. The series was directed by Efrat Shalom Danon and Keren Shayo and produced by Osnat Trabelsi. Another session will host the team behind the popular series The Pshute, including director Dan Messer and creators Bar Elmaliach Donzov, Chen Rotman, and Oshrit Sarusi.

Returning graduates from Sapir College will present new work during the festival. 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, a Sderot filmmaker, will screen Carlos Outside the Lines, a film about a children's soccer coach in Kiryat Gat. The lineup also includes eight winning films from previous editions of the festival.

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

The closing preview will be Iris Zaki's What Was She Thinking, a film about choosing not to have children in Israeli society. Zaki heads the school's master's degree program. The closing film will include a tribute to editor Nili Feller, a two time Ophir Award winner. This tribute will feature four films she edited, a master class, and meetings with filmmakers including Ari Folman and Dani Rosenberg. The ceremony will also launch Negba, a new incubator for young filmmakers from the south.