Over 35 documentary films from Israel and around the world; several Israeli premieres; live performances by Luna Abu Nassar, a tribute to Arik Einstein, and more; encounters with  filmmakers; a new local art exhibition; workshops and seminars; an outdoor screening in Tarshiha; guided tours of the region; and more.

This is the ninth year of the Docaviv Galilee Film Festival in Ma’alot-Tarshiha, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The festival will run for five days (7—11 November) at various locations around town, including the Cultural Center, Eshkol HaPayis—the ORT Ma’alot School, the Apter Barrer Art Center gallery, and Tarshiha.

Docaviv Galilee presents the best Israeli and international documentary films, and raises the most pressing and relevant social and cultural themes for discussion. Throughout the festival, there will be a series of encounters between documentary filmmakers and the audience, which keeps growing every year. The festival, which has become an essential part of the Galilee’s cultural calendar, is just one part of the Docaviv NPO’s extensive activities. In addition to Docaviv Galilee, the NPO also organizes and hosts the Docaviv International Film Festival in Tel Aviv, Docaviv Negev in Yeruham, Docaviv Cinema at Tel Aviv Cinematheque, and additional documentary film screenings throughout the year and across the country.

Selected events at the festival include:

  • Gala opening and screening of The Ancestral Sin, winner of the Fipresci Award for Best Director and the Research Award at Docaviv 2017, followed by a conversation with filmmakers David Deri, Ruth Yuval, and Doron Galezer.
  • Ma’alot-Tarshiha’s 60th anniversary event, to include a screening of a documentary featuring Ze’ev Revach about the story of the city’s founding, and an orchestra performance: “Soundtrack of Our Lives”, a musical journey from the Arabian peninsula, through the region of Andalusia in southern Spain, and down into North Africa, charming Arabic and Andalusian music to stir a longing for childhood.
  • The Israeli premiere screening of Jane, Brett Morgen’s documentary about chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall. Screening in collaboration with National Geographic.
  • World premiere of the first episode of the new series about Arik Einstein created by Avida Livni, Yoav Kutner and Assaf Amir for Yes Docu. The screening will be attended by the director, and preceded by an instrumental tribute to the music of Arik Einstein.
  • A screening of the new Channel 8 series, “The Sad and Foretold End of Zohar Argov”, attended by directors Dani Dotan and Dalia Mevorach.
  • A gala screening of Rana Abu Fraiha’s “In Her Footsteps”, followed by a performance by Luna Abu Nassar.
  • Joint screenings of films for students from Ma’alot-Tarshiha, including an Israeli premiere of “Dreaming of Denmark” by Danish director Michael Graversen.
  • A new exhibition, “Three Hundred 60 ° Degrees/Maa’lot”, on the occasion of Ma’alot-Tarshiha’s 60th anniversary, at the Apter Barrer Art Center Gallery, featuring paintings that reflect a complex and captivating urban portrait. The exhibition includes landscapes, portraits, abstracts, and still lifes, by artists with ties to the city in their past or present.
  • A gala premiere of films by local filmmakers: The sixth year of Wings, the Docaviv and Apter Barrer Art Center’s filmmaking workshop, supported by The New Fund for Cinema and TV and led by filmmakers Yael Kipper and Ronen Zaretzky.
  • A free open-air screening of the film Raving Iran in Tarshiha.
  • Screenings of music documentaries from around the world: “Whitney: Can I Be Me” by Nick Broomfield and Rudy Dolezal and “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week–The Touring Years” by Ron Howard.
  • A seminar focusing on True Crime in Documentary Film and Television. An overview of the genre’s development and its remarkable results, in Israel and around the world. A lecture by Dr. Ohad Landesman and a screening of the first episode of The Staircase, a landmark documentary thriller that takes viewers on a bone-chilling tour of the American justice system. Israeli true crime: a masterclass with the creators of Shadow of Truth, Ari Pines and Yotam Guendelman, and a sneak peek into its new sequel. A screening of American film The Family I Had.
  • During the festival, there will be guided tours of special sites in the region, such as Tarshiha and Jat, in cooperation with Western Galilee Now.

Galia Bador, Festival Director: “We are proud to open the festival with the chilling film The Ancestral Sin, which lays bare the injustices and hardships that befell the residents of Israel’s refugee absorption camps in the 1950s. Docaviv Galilee features, for the ninth year running, relevant and influential cinema that deals with the complexities of Israel’s multicultural society, and sounds the voice of Israel’s periphery alongside some of the world’s greatest documentaries. We are happy to add our program to Ma’alot-Tarshiha’s 60th anniversary celebrations, and would like to congratulate the mayor, his staff, and the people of Ma’alot-Tarshiha.”

Shlomo Buhbut, Mayor of Ma’alot-Tarshiha: “I am proud and delighted that the city of Ma’alot-Tarshiha is hosting the Docaviv Galilee festival for the ninth year running. This year, Ma’alot-Tarshiha marks its 60th anniversary, and I am proud of our city’s cultural institutions. As part of our anniversary celebrations, the municipality of Ma’alot-Tarshiha has even produced a documentary, in association with the festival, which tells the story of the city’s founding in a unique way. The film features actor Ze’ev Revach, and is based on a screenplay written by me. The Docaviv Galilee festival, alongside other cultural institutions in the city, has established Ma’alot-Tarshiha’s reputation and turned it into a magnet for cultural aficionados no matter where they are. The city is fulfilling its vision of being a platform and creative venue for artists and the arts in the Galilee, while at the same, using the arts to empower all people, no matter who they are.”

Ticket Prices:

Per film / workshop: NIS 20

Cultural Center subscribers and residents of Eshkol Western Galilee: 1 + 1 (for the same film)

Students and soldiers: free.

For more information, call 04-9573050.

For the full program [Hebrew]