South Cinema Festival Celebrates 25 Years With Diverse Program
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
The South Cinema Festival, celebrating its 25th anniversary, will take place in Sderot from November 1-5, 2026, showcasing TV series premieres, international and local films, and creator events. The festival will open with the second season of Netflix's "Bash and Water" and close with Iris Zaki's "What Is She Thinking." It will also feature new works by alumni, a tribute to editor Nili Fleer, and content from local creators in the Western Negev, including post-October 7th narratives.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- The South Cinema Festival will celebrate its 25th anniversary in Sderot from November 1-5, 2026.
- The festival will premiere the second season of Netflix's "Bash and Water" and Iris Zaki's "What Is She Thinking."
- The event will feature films by alumni, a tribute to editor Nili Fleer, and content from local creators.
- Special focus will be given to creators from Sderot and the Western Negev, including post-October 7th narratives.
- A new incubator for young southern creators, "Negba," will be launched at the festival's closing.
The festival will feature premieres of TV series, screenings of films from Israel and abroad, meetings with creators, competitions, and music performances, with a special focus on creators from Sderot and the Western Negev.
The opening night will include a special screening of the second season of "Bash and Water," a Netflix original series created by Hanan Savyon and the Creator of "Bash and Water", which follows two childhood friends from Jerusalem who run a pub and face challenges to their friendship. The festival will conclude with a preview screening of Iris Zaki's film "What Is She Thinking," which explores childlessness in Israeli society and is part of a tribute to editor Nili Fleer. "What About a Child?", a comedy-drama by Yael Hedaya featuring Dana Ivgy, Sasson Gabay, and Alma Zack, and "Who Are You the Daughter Of?", a documentary series by Kan about Mizrahi women in Israel, directed by Efrat Shalom Danon and Keren Shaio, will also have preview screenings.
Alumni of the School of Audio and Visual Arts will present their new films, including Efrat Koren's "Golden Heart," Shir Churi Abu's documentary "Sarah's Life," and Tal Avitan's documentary "Carlos Off the Lines," about a local children's football coach. The festival will also screen eight award-winning films from its 25-year history. A special tribute to editor Nili Fleer, a two-time Ophir Award winner, will include four films she edited, masterclasses, and meetings with filmmakers like Ari Folman and Dani Rosenberg.
Southern creativity will be highlighted through "Soul Traces," five short films by Western Negev creators addressing the reality after October 7th. Additionally, there will be a premiere screening of Sami Shalom Shtrit's "My Beloved Gurama," about his father and life in Morocco and Israel, and two films by Bedouin women creators from the Negev, produced in the "In a Woman's Eyes" incubator. The "New South Cinema" competition will showcase films by the school's graduates, and a new incubator for young southern creators called "Negba" will be launched at the closing ceremony.
Rani Blair Elkabetz, Head of the School of Audio and Visual Arts and Chairman of the festival, added that the event celebrates 25 years of creators with a distinct voice and highlights the connection between life and creation, while fostering the next generation of southern filmmakers.
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