Sderot Film Festival's 25th Year Spotlights Post-October 7 Life in the South

The Cinema of the South Festival begins its 25th edition on November 1 at the Sderot Cinematheque. The five-day event runs through November 5. It coincides with the launch of Negba, a new incubator designed to support young filmmakers from the south.

Sapir Academic College's School of Audio and Visual Arts founded the festival. This year's program emphasizes creators from Sderot and the western Negev. Several films examine the region's life in the three years following the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023.

Hanan Savyon and Guy Amir open the festival by discussing their Netflix series "Bros." They will be followed by 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 together in Jerusalem.

The schedule includes advance screenings of KAN productions. "Motherland" is a comedy-drama directed by Yael Hedaya. It stars Dana Ivgy, Sasson Gabay, and Alma Zack. Audiences will also view "Whose Daughter Are You?", a documentary series about Mizrahi women directed by Efrat Shalom Danon and Keren Shayo.

Iris Zaki's "What Was She Thinking?" closes the festival. The film focuses on the decision not to have children in Israeli society. Zaki leads the school's master's degree program. The closing ceremony also honors editor Nili Feller with four of her films and a master class.

Returning graduates present new projects. Efrat Corem shows "Heart of Gold," while Shir Houri Abu presents the documentary "100 Gates." Tal Avitan screens "Carlos Outside the Lines," a film about a soccer coach in Kiryat Gat. The program also features "Sketches of the Soul," five shorts by western Negev filmmakers about life after October 7.

Swiss director Thomas Imbach presents two films and leads a master class with the Swiss Embassy. Sami Shalom Chetrit premieres "My Beloved Gourama," which follows his father's life in Morocco and Israel. The festival concludes with the official launch of the Negba incubator.