Sderot Film Festival Spotlights Local Resilience in 25th Year

The Cinema of the South Festival will celebrate its 25th anniversary at the Sderot Cinematheque from November 1 to 5. The event is organized by the School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College. The program spans television premieres, international cinema, and competitive screenings.

This year's schedule focuses on creators from Sderot and the western Negev. The selection includes work that examines life in the three years since the October 7 Hamas-led massacres. The opening evening features Hanan Savyon and Guy Amir discussing their Netflix series Bros. The duo will also screen the world premiere of the first two episodes of the show's second season.

The series follows two childhood friends and Beitar Jerusalem fans who operate a pub in Jerusalem. Their relationship faces strain as a series of crises unfolds. Advance screenings include Motherland, a KAN comedy-drama directed by Yael Hedaya. The film stars Dana Ivgy, Sasson Gabay, and Alma Zack.

Documentary content will also feature prominently. Audiences will view Whose Daughter Are You?, a KAN series directed by Efrat Shalom Danon and Keren Shayo. Produced by Osnat Trabelsi, the series documents the lives of Mizrahi women in Israel. The team behind the KAN series The Pshute will also attend. Director Dan Messer and creators Bar Elmaliach Donzov, Chen Rotman, and Oshrit Sarusi will join a session for audiences.

The festival concludes with a preview of What Was She Thinking?, directed by Iris Zaki. The film explores the choice not to have children within Israeli society. Zaki heads the master's degree program at the college. The closing event will also honor editor Nili Feller, a two-time Ophir Award winner. A tribute will screen four films she edited and include a master class with filmmakers Ari Folman and Dani Rosenberg.

Graduates from Sapir Academic College will present new projects. Efrat Corem will show Heart of Gold, starring Chen Amsalem, Menashe Noy, and Israel Atias. Shir Houri Abu will present the documentary 100 Gates, while Tal Avitan will screen Carlos Outside the Lines. The latter follows a children's soccer coach in Kiryat Gat. Eight winners from previous festival editions will also be shown.

Regional programming includes Sketches of the Soul, a collection of five short films by western Negev creators. These shorts address life after October 7. The premiere of Sami Shalom Chetrit's My Beloved Gourama will also take place. The film chronicles his 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 ceremony will launch Negba, an incubator for young filmmakers from the south.