Sderot launches film incubator for south

Sapir Academic College will launch Negba, a new incubator for young filmmakers from the southern region, during the closing ceremony of its 25th annual Cinema of the South Festival. The initiative aims to provide structured support for local creative talent as the event concludes its anniversary week.

The festival runs from November 1 to 5 at the Sderot Cinematheque. Founded by the college's School of Audio and Visual Arts, this year's program expands beyond traditional screenings to include master classes, competitions, and music events. Organizers intend to spotlight creators from Sderot and the western Negev who have documented life in the three years following the October 7 Hamas-led attacks.

Opening night features a discussion with Hanan Savyon and Guy Amir, who will be followed by the world premiere of the first two episodes of the second season of their Netflix series, Bros. The show follows two Beitar Jerusalem fans who operate a pub in the capital. Audiences will also see advance screenings of Motherland, a KAN comedy-drama directed by Yael Hedaya and starring Dana Ivgy, Sasson Gabay, and Alma Zack.

Documentary programming includes Whose Daughter Are You?, a KAN series directed by Efrat Shalom Danon and Keren Shayo about Mizrahi women in Israel. The team behind the popular KAN series The Pshute, including director Dan Messer and creators Bar Elmaliach Donzov, Chen Rotman, and Oshrit Sarusi, will host a session for attendees. These films represent a shift toward regional narratives that examine social dynamics within specific Israeli communities.

Graduates of the Sapir program will present new work, including Efrat Corem's Heart of Gold, which stars Chen Amsalem, Menashe Noy, and Israel Atias. Shir Houri Abu will show the documentary 100 Gates, while Tal Avitan presents Carlos Outside the Lines, a film about a children's soccer coach in Kiryat Gat. The festival will also screen eight winning films from previous editions to highlight the continuity of its competitive program.

International participation is led by Swiss director Thomas Imbach, who will present two films and lead a master class in cooperation with the Swiss Embassy. The closing ceremony will pay tribute to editor Nili Feller, a two-time Ophir Award winner. The tribute includes four films she edited and meetings with filmmakers such as Ari Folman and Dani Rosenberg.

The festival closes with a preview of Iris Zaki's What Was She Thinking?, a film about choosing not to have children in Israeli society. Zaki heads the school's master's degree program. The program also features Sketches of the Soul, a collection of five shorts by western Negev filmmakers, and the premiere of Sami Shalom Chetrit's My Beloved Gourama, which follows his father's life in Morocco and Israel.