Sderot Film Festival: 25th Anniversary Program Includes New Incubator

The Cinema of the South Festival will hold its 25th edition at the Sderot Cinematheque from November 1 to 5, 2026. The event is organized by the School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College and focuses on cinematic output from Sderot and the western Negev.

The program includes television premieres, international films, and competitions. A key addition this year is the launch of Negba, a new incubator designed to support young filmmakers from the southern region. The initiative aims to provide resources and guidance to creators based in the area.

The opening evening on November 1 will feature Hanan Savyon and Guy Amir discussing their Netflix series "Bros." The pair will appear 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 the capital.

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

The festival closes with a preview of Iris Zaki's "What Was She Thinking?" which explores the decision to forgo children in Israeli society. Zaki, who heads the school's master's degree program, will also host a tribute to editor Nili Feller, a two-time Ophir Award winner. The tribute includes screenings of four films edited by Feller and meetings with filmmakers such as Ari Folman and Dani Rosenberg.

Regional programming highlights "Sketches of the Soul," a collection of five shorts by western Negev filmmakers examining life in the three years following the October 7 Hamas-led massacres. The festival will also premiere Sami Shalom Chetrit's "My Beloved Gourama," which documents 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.

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