Sderot festival turns 25 with new support for local filmmakers

A new incubator for young filmmakers from the south will launch at the Sderot Cinematheque as the venue marks 25 years of programming. The Cinema of the South Festival runs from November 1 to November 5, 2026. The event is organized by the School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College, which founded the festival.

The anniversary program includes television premieres, international and Israeli films, music, and competitions. It will spotlight creators from Sderot and the western Negev. Several works examine life in the three years following the Hamas-led massacres that began on October 7.

Hanan Savyon and Guy Amir will open the festival on stage. They will discuss their Netflix series "Bros," which follows two childhood friends and Beitar Jerusalem fans who run a pub together. The event will include the world premiere of the first two episodes of the show's second season.

Other screenings include "Motherland," a KAN comedy-drama directed by Yael Hedaya. The film stars Dana Ivgy, Sasson Gabay, and Alma Zack. Audiences will also see "Whose Daughter Are You?", a KAN documentary series directed by Efrat Shalom Danon and Keren Shayo. The series explores the lives of Mizrahi women in Israel.

The festival will host the team behind the KAN series "The Pshute." Director Dan Messer and creators Bar Elmaliach Donzov, Chen Rotman, and Oshrit Sarusi will attend. Swiss director Thomas Imbach will also present two films and lead a master class in cooperation with the Swiss Embassy.

Returning graduates from Sapir Academic College will show new work. Efrat Corem will present "Heart of Gold," starring Chen Amsalem, Menashe Noy, and Israel Atias. Tal Avitan will show "Carlos Outside the Lines," a film about a soccer coach in Kiryat Gat. Sami Shalom Chetrit will premiere "My Beloved Gourama," which follows his father's life in Morocco and Israel.

The closing event will preview Iris Zaki's "What Was She Thinking?" Zaki heads the school's master's degree program. The film addresses the choice not to have children in Israeli society. It will also honor editor Nili Feller, a two-time Ophir Award winner. The tribute will include four films she edited and meetings with directors Ari Folman and Dani Rosenberg. The Negba incubator launch will take place during this ceremony.