The Winners & Awards of the 24th Cinema South Film Festival

Yahav Winner International Debut Film Competition

The rich and promising body of work left behind by Yahav Winner - a beloved and talented member of the faculty at the School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir College - was tragically cut short. Yet his overflowing talent represents the very essence of a debut film: raw emotion, artistic audacity, and a distinct visual signature.
The 12 debut films selected this year from Israel and around the world capture something of Yahav's spirit and reflect the magic and power of first-time cinematic voices.
Jury Members: Andrea Kalin, Yair Raveh, Maya Kenig

Best Debut Film | 20,000₪, Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture & Sport and the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: Necropolis
Director: Keren Alexander
Jury Statement: A film about death that manages to comfort, make us laugh, and reveal a hidden world of places and people. As David Perlov’s In Jerusalem captured the spiritual city from above, Necropolis captures its underbelly- portraying reality with poetic grace.

Best Israeli Debut | Development Grant 30,000₪
Sponsored by the New Fund for Cinema and Television
Awarded to: Cuz You're Ugly
Director: Sharon Angelhart
Jury Statement: Some debut films leave you eager to see what the filmmaker will do next. Cuz You're Ugly is one of those films-with an excellent, unexpected script and an unforgettable protagonist who stole our hearts.

Visual Signature Award | 15,000₪, Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture & Sport and the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: On This Land
Director: Renata Dzhalo
Jury Statement: A striking black-and-white cinematographic achievement that tells a symbolic, period story. The monochrome palette evokes not only a historical period, but also contrasting worlds: past and present, peasants and aristocrats- those grounded in the soil and those who dream of flying.

Cinematic Storytelling Award | 10,000₪, Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture & Sport and the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: Return
Director: Bar Mayer
Jury Statement: A moving and illuminating piece of art- a personal montage of perspectives and intersecting biographies.

Special Mention
Awarded to: Sun Bay
Director: Ido Weisman
Jury Statement: A stunning visual contrast between Eilat's luxury hotels and a neglected trailer park nearby. The film follows three compelling characters living on society’s margins, revealing their fractured inner worlds with both insight and compassion.

Special Mention
Awarded to: Mama
Director: Or Sinai
Jury Statement:
In the role of Mila, actress Evgenia Dodina delivers a performance of incredible precision and presence. Every gesture- where she looks, how she holds her body- is restrained yet powerfully expressive. Her presence was so captivating, we simply couldn’t look away.

Short Film Competition in Memory of Miriam Hochman

Now in its sixth year, this competition features 12 short and independent films from Israel and abroad, representing a wide range of genres. These human stories, diverse and unique, come together to create a rich, multifaceted universal picture.
Jury Members:Tom Nesher, Ady Walter, Dan Sachar

Best Short Film | 15,000₪, Sponsored by the Israel Film Fund
Awarded to: Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado   
Director: Natalia León
Jury Comments: With a unique and powerful visual language, León sketches a portrait of a mother returning to a house that no longer feels like a safe space. In making the film she fights the erasure of missing and murdered women from the public narrative. Through a beautiful and moving cinematic work, she gives voice to those women and to the collective trauma known by daughters worldwide.

Second Prize | 10,000₪, Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture & Sport and the Israel Film Council
Awarded to: Holdin On
Directors: Maya Bitan and Daniel Pakes
Jury Comments: The film reflects how difficult it is to be an Israeli artist today- torn, distant and at the same time present. It also raises urgent questions about the impossible political tension that accompanies artists here. The film highlights the importance of voicing your vision - whoever you are and wherever you come from - because art is what connects people, always for the better. We also applaud the distinctive visual language created by the director, choreographer and cinematographer of the film.

Special Mention
Awarded to: Roma
Director: Lev Brodinsky
Jury Comments: A film distinguished by its quiet intensity. In particular we wish to applaud the wonderful performance of Iván Alexandrov as a complex, fragile and captivating character.

Negev Student Film Competition

For the first time, Cinema South Festival welcomes student films from other institutions in Israel and abroad. The new Negev Student Competition includes 13 short, sensitive, moving student films, offering a glimpse into the voices of promising up-and-coming filmmakers the next generation of cinema.
Jury Members: Ibtisam Mara’ana, Orit Fouks Rotem, Asaf Korman, Martin Hagemann 

Best Student Film | 15,000₪
Awarded to: I’m Fine
Director: Rachel Shatz
Jury Comments: A mature and assured debut by a promising filmmaker, who gently leads the audience into the intimate space of a newlywed couple. In a unique and sensitive way, the film explores the dynamics and shifting power relations shaped by a couple’s first intimate encounter. Shatz approaches a delicate and complex subject with nuance and bravery, crafting a fully realized work through expressive cinematography, a precise script, and compelling performances by Neta Roth and Ofek Moshe — who embody layered, vulnerable, and resonant characters.

Special Mention
Awarded to: Father, Stones and a Daughter
Director: Liav Tamuz
Jury Comments: A daughter returns to her childhood home, where her parents and brother still live. It is a painful return, as her father seems distant, perhaps no longer remembering her wish- which might still remain- to belong in this space. Her longing gaze is woven through a camera that slowly wanders through the home, taking us back to the past while also toward a quiet goodbye. Through delicate voiceover, we hear the father and daughter attempt to find a fragile closeness, before she gently departs from the house in which the father has entrenched himself- literally- behind walls.
 The jury wishes to highlight the gentle and precise direction of Liav Tamuz, and the empathetic, moving cinematography by Daniel Nahum. We were deeply touched and moved by this sensitive, subtle, and deeply observant documentary work.

Light of Giving Award – in Memory of Tal Shem Tov | 10,000₪, Sponsored by the Shem Tov Family
Awarded to: Poppy Flowers
Director: Evridiki Papaiakovou
Jury Comments: In just four minutes of stunning and inspiring animation, the filmmaker manages to carve out her past in a clear, uncompromising voice; a voice you cannot remain indifferent to. Through mother and daughter memories, she creates a cinematic document that is both bold and tender, breaking down social and religious taboos, and producing warmth and light within a space of pain and memory. The award is given in memory of Tal Shem Tov- a brave woman who devoted her life to children, to community, and to the spread of light. We thank the family for their endless generosity.

Honorable Mention for the Light of Giving Award | 5,000₪, Sponsored by the Shem Tov Family
Awarded to: Sila
Director: Bissan Tibi
Jury Comments: A small, moving and surprising story about the bond that forms between two Palestinian children sent to beg for money in the streets in Israel. Tibi succeeds in telling a tragic story with simplicity and lightness, weaving moments of poetry, innocence and subtle humour that remind us of The Florida Project — only in the Taybeh version. We look forward in eager anticipation to Tibi’s next works, as a filmmaker with a unique and touching voice.

South Student Doco Pitching Event

Now celebrating its 20th anniversary,this initiative, founded by Osnat Trabelsi and produced by the Israel Documentary Forum and Cinema South Festival, strives to advance young filmmakers and their integration within the film and TV industries in the documentary field. It includes projects from all of the film schools in Israel, preparing and mentoring the young creators prior to pitching.
As part of the event, the following documentary projects, currently in production, were presented before a selection panel of representatives from broadcasting bodies and film funds. Standout projects received production grants supported by the Gesher Multicultural Cinema Fund, and Kan – the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation. 
Jury Members:Ruth Diskin, Inbal Petel, Karin Kainer

Gesher Multicultural Film Fund Award | 30,000₪
And the Voice Was Not Heard | Michael Omer Tzvi | Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design
Jury Statement: A powerful story that has gone largely unnoticed in public discourse surrounding October 7th. The film focuses on the rescue of abandoned dogs, offering a unique perspective that connects the national and the personal through the relationship between father and son. In doing so, it exposes familial vulnerability and generational tensions.

Kan 11 Award | 10,000₪
Gaza, War Diary |  David Pontovich | Sam Spiegel Film School
Jury Statement: A rare glimpse into a military unit in the field, seen through the lens of a combat reservist officer. The film presents the war in a distinctive way, allowing for a televisual reflection on the futility and existential tension of war.

Special Mention
Shards of Silence |  Adisa Siyum | Ariel University
Jury Statement: An intimate family story that expands into a broader testimony about the phenomenon of child marriage within the Ethiopian-Israeli community. The director courageously shares her own family's history, giving voice to a silenced issue with rare tenderness and depth, while maintaining a careful balance between personal sensitivity and public importance.

New Cinema South Competition

Best Fiction Film Award, in memory of Mika Eilon | 2,500₪
Awarded to: Buba
Director: Tal Gold
Jury Statement: For the claustrophobic tightness of a narrative that quietly builds suspense, allowing the viewer to lose their innocence parallel to the mother’s character's emotional unraveling.

Best Fiction Film Award in memory of Mika Eilon | 2,500₪
Awarded to: If You Were A War
Director: Ofir Habot
Jury Statement: For boldly breaking classical structure and portraying, with originality, the unbearable reality of a brother and sister. A formally inventive film with deep emotional impact.

Special Mention | Directors Guild of Israel
Awarded to: Ofir Tal for King of the Eyesores
Jury Statement: King of the Eyesores delivers a deeply sensitive and cinematically precise portrait of a man coping with loss and rediscovering imagination and human connection through the eyes of a child. The film demonstrates a light and elegant directorial touch, powerful performances, and ultimately affirms that healing and creativity can emerge from pain.

Best Documentary Film Award | 5,000₪, Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture and Sports & the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: Haviva
Director: Avia Azran
Jury Statement: An invitation into the intimate tender world, between a granddaughter and her grandmother-two generations of women bound by humor and love. The film is awarded for its confident direction, precise framing, and its choice to speak the language of cinema.

Special Mention | Directors Guild of Israel
Awarded to: Raphael Ben Simon for Ma Mère
Jury Statement: For the bravery to share a personal story and face the camera. The director invites us into the painful narrative of one family, offering a profound lesson about love, strength, and the ability to choose joy and life.

Best Animated Film | 5,000₪, Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture and Sports & the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: Unknown Chase
Directors: Tal Kerklies & Tal Kuperstein
Jury Statement: This winning film speaks directly to a generation, allowing the audience to experience a teenage girl's grief while also offering a breath of hope and healing.

Special Mention | Directors Guild of Israel
Awarded to: Neomi Hazan for Longing
Jury Statement: For the delicate poetic ability to translate overwhelming emotions into living breathing frames. The film’s layered and sensitive illustrations convey emotional depth straight from the screen into the viewer’s heart.

Best TV Pilot | 5,000₪, Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture and Sports & the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: Donated at Home
Director: Nir Galanti
Jury Statement: A TV pilot that showcases impressive control over comedic language and editing rhythm, serving a sharply humorous and charming story. Smartly written with sharp dialogue and crisp editing, it lands every punchline at just the right moment. A polished and promising pilot that lays a solid foundation for a potentially successful series.

Best Web Series | 5,000₪, Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture and Sports & the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: Short Fuze
Director: Inbal Geist
Jury Statement: Short Fuze takes us into the awkward and miserable world of an Israeli soldier with intelligence, humor, and precision. Witty, talented, and charming- simply put: “OMG yes.”

Best Editing Award | 3,000₪, Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture & Sport and the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: Uriel Melikov, for the editing of Buba
Jury statement: Editing attuned to the heroine’s breath, holding us in gentle suspense from the first moment to the film’s precise and beautiful ending.

Special Mention – Editing | Editors Guild Membership
Courtesy of the Israeli Editors Guild - Israeli Post Production Professionals
Awarded to: Ofir Tal, for editing Get Wet
Jury statement: For smart, precise editing that supports the creator’s wonderful writing, leaving room to laugh, think, and fall in love.

Best Production Award | 3,000₪
Courtesy of Metaphor Visual Storytelling
Awarded to: Michael Weinberg & Yagel Shukrun, for producing Falling Up
Jury statement: A film that moves and entertains with rhythmic editing and mesmerizing cinematography. A surprising character arc and an impeccable production, attentive to every detail. Outstanding ensemble work in a challenging, active, clinic location- the production quality felt in every frame.

Best Art Direction Award | 3,000₪, Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture & Sport and the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: Neta Alhalel, for If You Were A War
Jury statement: For creating an absurd cinematic theater that builds a world from scratch- an entirely unique space beyond time and place.

Special Mention – Art Direction | (ACT Guild Membership)
Courtesy of ACT – Association of Cinema & Television Professionals
Awarded to: Hila Manor, for Forever Love
Jury statement: Through deep, research-driven collage technique, the film reveals what cannot be said in words. The mixture of video and still images creates a unique emotional landscape.

Best Cinematography Award | 3,000₪, Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture & Sport and the Israeli Film Council
 Awarded to: Maor Vaknin, for A Moment
Jury statement: Cinematography that reflects the heroine’s inner world, using light and space to create emotional depth. A sensitive visual gaze that captures silence and motion in perfect balance, yet unforgettable for its beauty.

Special Mention – Cinematography | Mentorship
Courtesy of ACT - Israeli Film & TV Professionals Union
Awarded to: Ido Israeli, for King of the Eyesores
Jury statement: A beautiful, moving film presenting a complex world through a child’s eyes, supported by surprising, inventive, and humorous cinematography.

Best Acting Award | 3,000₪, Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture & Sport and the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: Avia Sadi, for Temp Job
Jury statement: In a single moment, without dialogue, in one close-up, she transforms from the exploited to the exploiter.

Best Sound Design Award | 3,000₪, in memory of Lior Weizmann
Courtesy of Sderot Cinematheque
Awarded to: Yair Sitbon, for A Fun Day in the Otef
Jury statement: From deafening silence to thunderous quiet, the soundtrack reveals both the outer and inner war through precise choices- what we hear and especially what we do not.

Special Mention – Sound Design | Editors Guild Membership
Courtesy of the Israeli Editors Guild- Israeli Post Production Professionals
Awarded to: Gabriel Maimon, for The Long Shadow
Jury statement: A soundtrack that conveys the protagonist’s inner world with a unique atmosphere and texture born from trauma- captured over one extraordinary night.

Best Original Music Award | 3,000₪, Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture & Sport and the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: Yair Sitbon, for Falling Up
Jury statement: A score that succeeds in creating a sonic world that gives each scene a renewed emotional depth. Rather than accompanying the drama in a predictable way, the music builds a fascinating contrast between the soundscape and the character’s inner world- at times alienated, at times ironic. The use of live musicians and acoustic elements brings a sense of breath and humanity into a charged visual space, allowing the music to feel alive, responsive, and at moments even subversive to the image. The harmonic and textural choices, along with the tension they create between beauty and discomfort, form a soundtrack that dares to surprise, dismantle conventions, and add an entirely new narrative layer.

Special Mention – Original Music | Courtesy of audiolab
Awarded to: Noa Carmi, for Limbo
Jury statement: Noa Carmi’s original score for Limbo weaves itself into the fabric of the film like an underground current-felt even before it is heard. The composition builds tightly-woven emotional landscapes, amplifies intimate moments, and sharpens the film’s dramatic contours without overwhelming them. It reflects a deep understanding of both the film and its spaces.

Audience Award | 2,000₪, Courtesy of the producers of After the Flood
Awarded to: Maayan Nisani, for the web series Get Wet

Rookie of the Year Award | 1,000₪, Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture & Sport and the Israeli Film Council
Awarded to: Itamar Prester Bari

"Sparks" Contest - in memory of Ruth Farhi

This year marks the third edition of the Nitzotzot (“Sparks”) Competition, featuring films and creative works by students from the School of Audio & Visual Arts at Sapir College. Four outstanding films were awarded prizes of 2,500₪ each, courtesy of the Farhi Family.
Jury: The family of the late actress Ruth Farhi.

Hero | Idan Raphael
Jury Statement: In a sensitive, precise, and intelligent film, Raphael addresses a painful and highly relevant issue in Israeli society.

Remember to Forget | Doron Ben Natan
Jury Statement: Through unique cinematic language and a distinctive, original world, this film is a polished work by a promising filmmaker.

Hong Kong | Stav Levy
Jury Statement: Stav Levy delivers a wild, sharp, and very funny comedy, excelling in the lead role and guiding the audience confidently, both in front of and behind the screen.

Nobody’s | Kerem Gigi
Jury Statement: In a delicate, poetic, and mature work, Kerem Gigi looks with compassion at the four-legged wanderers- and, through them, at the wider margins we often overlook.

Cineyouth South Competition

For the third year, the Cinema South Festival held the Cineyouth South Competition in collaboration with Israel’s Ministry of Education. Eight films were selected from cinematic and media school programs across the Southern District (Rehovot to Eilat), chosen from more than 40 submissions.
The event included a festive screening in the presence of leading industry judges, followed by unique cinema and storytelling workshops for youth.
Jury: Liron Edery, Michal Holland, Gili Zolty, Imri Kagan.

1st Place
Ha’chaim Bil’adeiha (Life Without Her) | AMIT Ron Arad High School, Rehovot
Winner of a voucher for film equipment for the school, courtesy of Media Cluster Management Organisation (CMO) in the West Negev, as well as 6 tickets to Cinema City, courtesy of United King Films.
Jury Statement: The film powerfully, sensitively, and with exceptional honesty, depicts Dror’s struggle with the unimaginable loss of his daughter, Shai Asheram. This restrained, yet emotionally potent work, weaves personal grief with national trauma. Sensitive cinematography, precise editing, and meticulous direction, come together to create a moving documentary achievement.

2nd Place
Tirkedi (Dance) | AMIT Hillel High School, Rehovot
Winner of a voucher for film equipment for the school, courtesy of Media Cluster Management Organisation (CMO) in the West Negev, as well as 6 tickets to Cinema City, courtesy of United King Films.
Jury Statement: A delicate and moving work about coping with loss, blending dance and cinema into a unique visual language. Through sensitive cinematography and heartfelt performances, the filmmakers craft a poetic story of pain and hope. The direction harmonizes movement and cinematic expression into a powerful emotional experience.

3rd Place
Mishpacha Israelit (An Israeli Family) | Eshel Ha’Nasi Youth Village
Winner of 10 tickets to Cinema City, courtesy of United King Films.
Jury Statement: With warmth and humor, the film shines a light on the dynamics of a typical Israeli household, featuring a sharp, surprising script; charming and authentic performances; and a cinematic style that perfectly serves the genre.

Honorable Mention:
Ein Kmo Ha’bait (Kfar Aza) - (There’s No Place Like Home - Kfar Aza) | Media Track, AMIT Gutwirth Sderot