Docu.Text Film Festival returns to the National Library for the ninth consecutive year to explore identity, culture, and art.

The National Library opened its new building to the public in mid-October, shortly after the start of the Iron Swords War, and immediately welcomed thousands of visitors who flocked to its halls from every corner of the country.

Since then, the steady stream of visitors has shown no sign of slowing: The reading rooms are full of students, scholars, pupils, and educators. Tens of thousands visit “The Treasures” experience and wander through exhibition spaces showcasing the rarest and most exciting items in the library’s collections—treasures that tell the stories of the Jewish people and Israeli society.  Tens of thousands have already attended the myriad of cultural events held at the library, marking it as a site of cultural pilgrimage.

The decision to hold Docu.Text festival at the library this summer, despite the growing threat of war, was made from a value-based standpoint that views culture and art as a source of strength, inspiration, and resilience. By bringing individual and collective human stories to the big screen, contemporary documentary filmmaking broadens the discourse, reveals ranges of nuance, and cultivates a sensitivity that we so desperately need, especially at a time when much is drowned out by the din of war.

The name of the festival's opening film, “We Will Dance Again”, captures this stance well. The festival’s diverse program represents prominent and varied voices in Israeli society—voices that are gradually laying down the foundation for an important and meaningful cultural dialogue.

We wholeheartedly hope for the safe return of our brothers and sisters from captivity—and our soldiers from the battlefields.