Curated Programs of Student Films

DocuText Festival is proud to provide a platform for emerging filmmakers, inviting you to watch a selection of student documentaries produced over the past two years.
This is an opportunity to see ourselves through the camera lens of promising filmmakers.

In partnership with: Sam Spiegel Film and Television School | Ma’aleh School of Television, Film and the Arts | Sapir College, School of Audio & Visual Arts

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Facing Reality | Program one
13:30-15:00

A selection of student films that turn their lens — with courage and compassion — toward the burning reality outside, in the shadow of the events of October 7 and the ongoing war.

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Still There

Lital Hauptman, Avraham Nolman, Noga Cohen, Adel Lizi Mohov, Lital Hauptman, Sahar Dor, Eli Josephson, Denis Moloshniuk, Shilat Michaeli, Adi Lutenberg, Casey Segev, Samantha Frid, Chen Abelow

15 min. | School of Audio and Visual Arts, Sapir College
A collection of animated films about the students' experience during and after October 7th, whether they were in North Israel or in Gaza envelope - as evacuees, young students and reservists.

Alon My Brother the Hero

Dir: Omri Koren / 36 min. / Sam Spiegel Film & Television School  
This film follows the family of 26-year-old Alon, who is taken hostage during the October 7th attacks. His family fights desperately to bring him home, only to face an unimaginable tragedy that exposes the cruel ironies of war.

79 KM

Dir: Mika Friman / 12 min. / Sam Spiegel Film & Television School
What does a city look like when, just hours away, horrors and disaster have become routine? A documentation of moments in Jerusalem, from sunrise to sunrise.

The Gun

Dir: Shaya Chesner / 17 mins. / Maaleh Film School
Shaya (30) is married to Moriah and is father to Maayan (2). He is literally attached at the hip to his handgun. As a result of the need to renew his firearms license, Shaya embarks on a journey of clarification regarding his fears and their origins after suffering post trauma in the IDF. If he can unchain himself from them, perhaps he will also be able to separate from the gun.

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Up Close and Afar | Program Two
15:15-17:00

A selection of student films that explore identity and roots, sketching with sensitivity and humor portraits of closeness and distance.

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Kicking the Family Curse

Dir: Aviya Shaked / 28 mins. / Maaleh Film School
The women in my family are wonderful, funny, and larger-than-life. But in one area, something seems to have gone wrong: double divorces, passionless partnerships, unhappiness, and a sense that fate has controlled their choices. I’m still dreaming of finding the love of my life. If I can figure out what went wrong for my mother and aunts, maybe I can dodge the family curse.

The Last Lap

Dir: Raphael Pomeranz / 28 min. / Sam Spiegel Film & Television School
95-year-old Yoel wants to die with his boots on. He is fiercely independent, living on his own while his loving extended family is far away. When his grandson is sent by his mother to convince his grandfather to get assistance at home, he realizes that his grandfather’s life depends on a degree of independence. An intimate and gentle examination of family, generations and “a fourth childhood”.

Land of Freedom

Tom Pelleg | 27 min. | School of Audio and Visual Arts, Sapir College
In 2005, the Pelleg family, with four young children, embarked on a one-year journey to Southeast Asia, documenting everything through the camera lens. Fifteen years later, the parents make a personal decision which shakes the family's integrity. Now their second child, Tom, revisits his parents' choices, examining what family really means and the true price of freedom.

The King of Shlock

Dir: Shmuel Elmaleh / 26 mins. / Maaleh Film School
There isn’t a single Jew in the USA who doesn’t know the name Lenny Solomon - the Jewish rock star from the 80s. Lenny has published 39 albums, performing in all 50 states (!) and for years has gone on tours worldwide. Today Lenny is 63 years old. Although Lenny’s glory days are over, he continues to write new music and perform via live-stream to a devoted group of fans in New Jersey. Slowly but surely, he rediscovers his purpose in the Jewish music industry.