Sderot Film Festival Announces 25th Anniversary Programming

The Cinema of the South Festival will open its 25th anniversary edition at the Sderot Cinematheque on November 1. The five-day event, which concludes on November 5, will screen television premieres, international films, and works by filmmakers from Sderot and the western Negev. The program also includes competitions, music performances, and meetings with industry professionals.

Founded by the School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College, the festival has grown over two decades. This year’s schedule emphasizes local voices, including creators documenting life in the region during the three years following the October 7 Hamas-led massacres. The event aims to showcase the evolving media output from the southern part of the country.

The opening evening will feature Hanan Savyon and Guy Amir, who will discuss their Netflix series, "Bros." The pair will appear on stage before 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 manage a pub in Jerusalem while facing personal and professional crises.

Advance screenings will include "Motherland," a comedy-drama produced by KAN and 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 directed by Efrat Shalom Danon and Keren Shayo. Produced by Osnat Trabelsi, the series focuses on Mizrahi women in Israel. Another session will host the team behind the KAN series "The Pshute," including director Dan Messer and creators Bar Elmaliach Donzov, Chen Rotman, and Oshrit Sarusi.

Sapir Academic College graduates will present new work during the festival. Efrat Corem will screen "Heart of Gold," starring Chen Amsalem, Menashe Noy, and Israel Atias. Shir Houri Abu will present the documentary "100 Gates," while Tal Avitan will show "Carlos Outside the Lines," a film about a children's soccer coach in Kiryat Gat. The festival will also screen eight winning films from previous years. Regional programming will include "Sketches of the Soul," a collection of five shorts about life after October 7, and the premiere of Sami Shalom Chetrit's "My Beloved Gourama," which 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 preview Iris Zaki's film "What Was She Thinking?", which explores the choice not to have children in Israeli society. Zaki heads the college's master's degree program. The closing event will also honor editor Nili Feller, a two-time Ophir Award winner, with a tribute featuring four films she edited and a master class. Filmmakers Ari Folman and Dani Rosenberg will join the tribute sessions.

The festival will conclude with the launch of Negba, a new incubator designed for young filmmakers from the south. More information regarding the schedule and registration is available on the festival's page on the Sapir Academic College website.