Sderot Film Festival Opens 25th Edition With New Incubator

The Cinema of the South Festival begins its 25th anniversary run at the Sderot Cinematheque on November 1.

Established by the School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College, the five day event will screen Israeli and international films, television premieres, and music performances. The program centers on creators from Sderot and the western Negev, including works examining life in the three years following the October 7 Hamas led massacres.

The opening evening features Hanan Savyon and Guy Amir discussing their Netflix series "Bros." The event will include 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 while facing personal crises.

Advance screenings include the KAN comedy drama "Motherland," directed by Yael Hedaya and starring Dana Ivgy, Sasson Gabay, and Alma Zack. Audiences will also view "Whose Daughter Are You?" a KAN documentary series about Mizrahi women directed by Efrat Shalom Danon and Keren Shayo. The team behind the KAN series "The Pshute" will appear, including director Dan Messer and creators Bar Elmaliach Donzov, Chen Rotman, and Oshrit Sarusi.

The festival concludes with a preview of "What Was She Thinking?" directed by Iris Zaki, a professor in the school's master's degree program. The film addresses the choice to forgo children in Israeli society. The closing program includes a tribute to editor Nili Feller, a two time Ophir Award winner. The tribute will screen four films she edited and host a master class with filmmakers Ari Folman and Dani Rosenberg.

Sapir graduates will present new works, including "Heart of Gold" by Efrat Corem and the documentary "100 Gates" by Shir Houri Abu. Sderot filmmaker Tal Avitan will show "Carlos Outside the Lines," a film about a children's soccer coach in Kiryat Gat. The lineup also includes eight winning films from previous festival editions.

Regional programming features "Sketches of the Soul," a collection of five shorts by western Negev filmmakers regarding life after October 7. The festival will premiere "My Beloved Gourama" by Sami Shalom Chetrit, which follows 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, a new incubator for young filmmakers from the south.