Sderot festival debuts Negba incubator for regional filmmakers

The Sderot Cinematheque will host the 25th edition of the Cinema of the South Festival from November 1 to 5. The five-day program includes television premieres, international screenings, and the launch of Negba, a new incubator for young filmmakers from the southern region. The event is organized by the School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College, which founded the festival.

This year's lineup places a specific focus on creators from Sderot and the western Negev. Several projects examine daily life in the three years following the Hamas-led attacks of October 7. The festival opens with a discussion featuring Hanan Savyon and Guy Amir, creators of the Netflix series Bros. The evening continues with the world premiere of the first two episodes of the show's second season. The series follows two Beitar Jerusalem fans who run a pub in Jerusalem while navigating personal crises.

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

Sapir graduates will present new work during the event. Efrat Corem screens Heart of Gold, starring Chen Amsalem, Menashe Noy, and Israel Atias. Shir Houri Abu presents the documentary 100 Gates, and Tal Avitan shows Carlos Outside the Lines, a film about a children's soccer coach in Kiryat Gat. The program also includes a retrospective of eight winning films from previous festival editions.

Regional programming features Sketches of the Soul, a collection of five short films by western Negev filmmakers about life after October 7. Sami Shalom Chetrit will premiere My Beloved Gourama, a documentary following 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 festival closes with a preview of Iris Zaki's What Was She Thinking?, a film about the decision not to have children in Israeli society. Zaki heads the master's degree program at the school. The closing ceremony also honors editor Nili Feller, a two-time Ophir Award winner. The tribute includes four films she edited, a master class, and meetings with filmmakers Ari Folman and Dani Rosenberg. The Negba incubator launch will take place during this final ceremony.