6/11/2025
16:00 | Cocktail Reception – Cinematheque Plaza
16:45 | Screening Begins – Cinematheque, Hall 2
This year, as part of Cinema South Festival, we are proud to invite you to a unique and festive event: The official launch of the United Negev Film Fund.
Following five years of independent activity by three regional funds- the Negev Film Fund, Darom Film Fund, and Arava Film Fund- we are joining forces, visions, and resources under a single banner with a common goal: To empower cinematic creation in the Negev and provide it with the screen it truly deserves.
At the heart of this merger is a clear message of connection, partnership, and profound belief in the power of culture to transform reality. From the understanding that collaboration is key to broader impact and for supporting large-scale creative works, the United Fund was born. The fund will support filmmakers from the South at various stages of production, promoting diverse, independent, and relevant cinema– from and for the Negev.
At the launch, we will celebrate the start of this shared journey, and present three short films supported by the regional funds– a tribute to the vibrant creative forces already present here, and a glimpse into the broader vision to come.
Moderated by Dr. Yael Shenkar, senior faculty member at the School of Audio and Visual Arts, Sapir College.
A Foreign Language Film | Boaz Frankel & Noa Koler
Israel | 2023 | 26 Min. | Hebrew, Arabic | Hebrew Sub | Fiction
An Israeli film production in a desert Bedouin village turns into a battle of egos between languages, cultures, and classes, as the film's director insists on filming a simple shot she envisioned.
From a Balcony, 90km Up | Talila Frank
Israel | 2025 | 17 Min. | Hebrew | Hebrew Sub | Documentary
Why did I even start making films? I ask myself, sitting on the balcony of my temporary home in Tel Aviv - 90 kilometers from my kibbutz, which was ravaged in the October 7th attack. As I watch neighbors' balconies, I’m reminded of the films I once shot in Kibbutz Re'im, and wonder if I'll ever make films again - if I'll ever live again.
I Hear Everything | Shahar Arapov
Israel | 2025 | 10 Min. | Hebrew | Hebrew & English Sub | Docu-Animation
Shahar, 30, suffers from extreme misophonia- a sensitivity to everyday noises such as chewing, sirens, airplanes, motorcycles, babies crying, and more. The film tracks his journey of dealing with the unbearable distress through various failed therapy attempts- as his sensitivity distances him from friends and loved ones, and even threatens his partnership.
Ultimately, Shahar opts for a radical solution. He leaves the big city for Yeruham- a quiet town in the South. Yet noise hounds him even in the desert. The film depicts Shahar's struggle to find calm, internal and external. Will he succeed?
Join us, connect, and discover new creative voices - in a powerful moment of shared vision, storytelling, and hope.
