Sapir College Launches Negba Incubator at 25th Sderot Film Festival

Sapir Academic College will open its Cinema of the South Festival in Sderot on November 1. The event marks the 25th anniversary of the program, which was founded by the college's School of Audio and Visual Arts. The five-day schedule runs through November 5 and focuses on regional filmmakers and new industry infrastructure.

The festival introduces Negba, a new incubator designed for young filmmakers from the south. This initiative launches during the closing ceremony. The college aims to support creators from Sderot and the western Negev through this new structure. It also features works that examine life in the three years following the October 7 Hamas-led massacres.

Hanan Savyon and Guy Amir will open the festival by discussing their Netflix series, Bros. The pair will follow the discussion with 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 operate a pub together while facing personal and professional crises.

Advance screenings include Motherland, a KAN comedy-drama directed by Yael Hedaya. The cast includes Dana Ivgy, Sasson Gabay, and Alma Zack. Audiences will also view Whose Daughter Are You?, a KAN documentary series about Mizrahi women in Israel. Directed by Efrat Shalom Danon and Keren Shayo, the series was produced by Osnat Trabelsi. The team behind the KAN series The Pshute will also appear, including director Dan Messer and creators Bar Elmaliach Donzov, Chen Rotman, and Oshrit Sarusi.

Regional shorts titled Sketches of the Soul will showcase five films by western Negev creators. These works address life after October 7. Sami Shalom Chetrit will premiere My Beloved Gourama, a film following 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.

Sapir graduates will present new projects, including Efrat Corem's Heart of Gold. The film 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 story about a children's soccer coach in Kiryat Gat. Eight winning films from previous festival editions will also screen.

The festival concludes 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 final evening honors editor Nili Feller, a two-time Ophir Award winner. The tribute includes four films she edited, a master class, and meetings with filmmakers Ari Folman and Dani Rosenberg.