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- Dozens of award-winning documentaries about trailblazers like John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Ai Weiwei, Truffaut, and Caravaggio, as well as controversial figures, from Putin to Orbán
- “World in Conflict”: a new film category at the festival
- The Yad Vashem Award for an outstanding Holocaust-related documentary will be presented to Oren Rudavsky, director of Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire.
- This year’s international guests include: Lucie Kon, Head of the BBC’s Documentary Strand; Alex Szalat, former deputy Head of the Arte France Documentary Department; Alissa Simon, Artistic Director for Palm Springs Film Festival and film critic for Variety; Christian Beetz, CEO of German documentary powerhouse Beetz Brothers Film Production; David Teboul, director of François Truffaut, My Life, a Screenplay, and others.
May 22–31, 2025
Tel-Aviv Cinematheque and other Tel Aviv venues
The 27th edition of Docaviv Festival will take place on May 22–31 2025, featuring world premieres, Q&As with local and international filmmakers, and industry events held throughout Tel Aviv–Yafo: at the Tel-Aviv Cinematheque, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Suzanne Dellal Center, Migdalor Cinema, Azrieli Sarona, and more.
Docaviv Festival presents this year’s impactful doc lineup, a program that echoes the most dramatic and loaded moments of recent global history. The films in the Festival’s new category, “World in Conflict,” collectively paint a comprehensive, grounded-yet-hopeful picture of our times, as seen through the lenses of diverse filmmakers. They chronicle struggles against the mechanisms of power—struggles for freedom and the right to forge a different future.
Alongside these riveting docs, the festival will feature a selection of Israeli and international films that offer a temporary break from reality by revisiting the past or escaping to nature, as well as uplifting, dance-in-your-seat music docs.
International Competition lineup:
2000 Meters to Andriivka by Mstyslav Chernov (20 Days in Mariupol), Academy Award Best Documentary winner and Special Mention winner at Docaviv 2023, about a Ukrainian platoon on a mission to liberate a village from the Russian invaders; San Sebastián Festival grand prize-winner Afternoons of Solitude, in which director Albert Serra closely observes the life of a working matador both inside and outside the ring; The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés, an emotional musical journey through childhood memories and family secrets, and a sweeping and stylized celebration of Gypsy culture, raw feeling, and the fiery beat of flamenco; Viktor, an immersive multisensory odyssey through the mind of Viktor, a still photographer who lost his hearing at age five and is determined to fight for Ukraine; Danae Elon’s Rule of Stone, which closely examines the literal building blocks of Jerusalem, attesting to architecture’s physical and ideological role in the conflict; Israel and Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989 – in the depths of the Swedish television archive lies a treasure trove: records that paint a complex, fascinating, and grim picture of the key actors and those cast as extras in the mother of all conflicts – the Israeli-Palestinian one; Holding Liat, the Berlinale Documentary Film Award winner by American filmmaker Brandon Kramer, an intimate and hopeful observation of Liat Atzili’s family as they navigate each moment leading up to her release from captivity in Gaza while facing the complexities of Israel’s future, each in their own way; Home Game, in which the filmmaker moving between Sarajevo and Amsterdam, crafts a relatable family portrait of migration and homesickness; The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine – about an ailing gold miner who cannot afford to retire, and his son, who decides to build a machine that would give them a better future; Saint Damian, from a Polish psychiatric hospital tothe streets of Rome,Damian plunges into the chaos of a rough-sleeper’s life at Termini Station; An American Pastoral, an incisive documentary chronicling a Pennsylvania community’s fight over the fate of its public school system; Dad’s Lullaby, in which, haunted by loss and the horrors he had seen, Serhiy returns home and must function as a family man and reconnect with his loved ones.
This year’s music-doc program features:
Googoosh: Made of Fire – the Iranian Revolution abruptly halted the successful career of a pop singer and cultural icon, until an unexpected comeback changed everything: this is the moving story of Googoosh, who became a voice of resistance and a symbol of hope; One to One: John & Yoko, which takes us back to 1972 New York, a turbulent time for John and Yoko, and, centering on the One to One charity concert held for special-needs children, features previously-unseen archive footage, home movies, and restored concert footage; Janis Ian: Breaking Silence – about the folk singer who broke through at 13 with original and daring songs and became a beautiful and inspiring voice for a generation of women in the seventies; Pavements, in which a garden-variety doc about a reunion show morphs into a musical, then a Hollywood biopic, then an exhibition opening—this experimental tribute to the iconic 90s indie rock band unfolds in unforeseen turns, resulting in a rockumentary unlike any other.
Arts and Culture program highlights:
Ai Weiwei’s Turandot – in his directorial debut, artist and activist Ai Weiwei tries to connect Puccini to contemporary politics; I Am Martin Parr, a funny, colorful, and fast-paced journey across Britain, tracing the oeuvre of a photographer who has been diligently documenting his country since the 1970s; Art Spiegelman: Disaster is my Muse, a comprehensive and compelling portrait of the life and work of the cartoonist who revolutionized the medium of comics with his graphic novel MAUS, and whose illustrations continue to shine with sharp wit and unwavering moral and humanistic conviction; Thom Browne: The Man Who Tailors Dreams, a portrait of the fashion designer who transformed the conservative tailored gray business suit into a daring statement piece that dominated global runways; Seasons of Dance, a dynamic and dazzling cinematic piece that brings together Antonio Vivaldi’s original masterpiece, Max Richter’s recomposition, six renowned choreographers, and eight phenomenal dancers in Four Seasons of music, nature, and intense emotions and physicality; Filmlovers! – in which French filmmaker Arnaud Desplechin celebrates the magic of movie theaters and the cinematic experience; The Sleeper: The Lost Caravaggio, in which a painting unexpectedly discovered in Madrid sparks a global frenzy as clues to the artist’s identity emerge; François Truffaut, My Life, a Screenplay, the autobiographical endeavor he never finished in his lifetime, now painstakingly realized, connecting letters, family photos, and scenes from his films; The Trouble With Mr. Doodle – beneath the charming drawings that propelled him to international acclaim lies the complex portrait of Mr. Doodle, a man torn between an untamed creative urge and the dark chasms of his mind.
Panorama program highlights:
Home is the Ocean – a Swiss family of eight is living the dream: sailing the world, connecting with nature, and helping to protect it, but even this idyllic existence is destined to face the towering waves of life’s challenges; Antidote, in which an investigative journalist and a whistleblower confront the dangerous consequences of their brave attempts to bring to light the truth about Vladimir Putin’s habit of assassinating his political opponents; Folktales, in which a coming-of-age journey unfolds as teenagers face themselves and the primal beauty of the Arctic wilderness; Ms. President, the intimate portrait of Slovakia’s first female president, Zuzana Čaputová, who tried to bring a more human approach to the traditionally cutthroat and male-dominated political sphere; Been Here Stay Here, in which deep faith and the climate crisis converge as islanders face an existential threat to their home; I’m Your Venus, which revisits the unsolved murder of Venus, queer icon and Ballroom legend; The Typewriter and Other Headaches, in which the mending of things and the healing of souls is shown through Nicolas Philibert’s compassionate and sensitive lens; Connected – about an American tech entrepreneur and a former high-ranking Soviet scientist-turned-philanthropist-and-dissident, whose life stories echo with memories of peaceful times while the next war looms on the horizon; and Flamingos: Life After the Meteorite – the collective struggle for survival and procreation on the Yucatan Peninsula’s white and muddy shores, where graceful pink flamingos return to nest generation after generation, has never looked, nor sounded, so gorgeous, thought-provoking, and heartwarming.
Ilana Tsur Beyond the Screen Competition highlights:
Tata, in which an investigative journalist and documentarian receives a distressing video message from her father, a migrant worker in Italy, showing bruises on his arms, and her quest to uncover the truth of his employer’s abuse unexpectedly reopens painful chapters in her own family history; Democracy Noir, a gripping and timely political documentary about three courageous women – a parliamentarian, a journalist, and an activist – who are pouring their heart and soul into one mission: exposing corruption and fighting for freedom in their homeland, Hungary; The Family Approach – five young people sit around a dinner table. Instead of “mom” and “dad,” they say “Mrs. Wagner” and “Mr. Gerecke.” Between near-parental love and the bureaucracy of welfare services, the social workers provide what these kids are missing: a home; Shot the Voice of Freedom – a small group of Afghan women is publicly protesting against the Taliban’s reign of terror and fighting for their freedom and future; and Mr. Nobody Against Putin, the stirring tragicomic account of a courageous Russian teacher who secretly exposes how the system uses aggressive nationalist propaganda to mold and control the ultimate weapon in its never-ending war: children.
Depth of Field Competition highlights:
Light Memories, in which, using old cameras, a forgotten collection of photographs, and fragments of memory, the filmmaker fills in the missing pieces of his family history, revealing a chronicle of complicated relationship patterns passed down through generations; Silent Observers– about a tiny village where time seems to stand still, and a hidden world of ghosts, superstitions, and spells lies under the surface; The Sense of Violence, in which present-day and archive footage converges into a rich lyrical essay exploring how imagery and architecture helped construct the anti-communist sentiment in South Korea.
The lineup for Docaviv’s Oscar-qualifying Shorts Competition:
Man, in which, a group of inmates in prison writes scenes about a ”man”; The Guy Who Got Cut Wrong, in which a botched circumcision becomes a very painful and very funny exploration of immigration, masculinity, and otherness; Lift Lady, the tragicomic portrait of an elderly woman who runs a commuter elevator in an old Tbilisi apartment complex; My Uncle Leszek, an intimate study of a son’s extraordinary love for his dying mother—and the sacrifice such love requires; Perfectly a Strangeness, in which three donkeys discover a derelict astronomical observatory and, through it, the entire universe; Trapstarz, in which three small-town youngsters dream of becoming the next big thing in trap music; Correct Me If I’m Wrong, in which a guilt-ridden Chinese youth films their mother’s and grandmother’s mystical attempts to change who they are; Berthe is Dead but it’s OK, in which a grandson directs his grandmother’s grand finale, a life-affirming farewell that’s anything but a tearjerker; Am I The Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen?—the story of two sisters and soulmates, and a joint summer diet that seemed like a fun challenge at the time; Bloodline, in which human conflict is epitomized by the plight of a solitary bison stranded on the wrong side of the wall.
Festival event highlights:
Docaviv X Suzanne Dellal Center: an open-air screening
Seasons of Dance (France, Belgium, Germany, 2025)
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons reimagined in a dynamic and dazzling celebration of music, nature, and emotion
Sunday | May 25 | 20:30 | Suzanne Dellal Center, 5 Yehieli Street, Tel Aviv–Yafo
A panel discussion about Danae Elon’s Rule of Stone, in collaboration with Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
The panel discussion will be moderated by Dr. Marik Shtern, an urban-political geographer at Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. Panelists will include the filmmaker Danae Elon, Professor Alona Nitzan-Shiftan, and Dr. Ahmed Haruf.
In collaboration with Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, the screening will be followed by a panel discussion about the long-term impact these processes have had on the lives of Jewish and Palestinian Jerusalemites, as well as on broader aspects of urban development and daily life within the city.
Tuesday | May 27 | 16:00 | Cinematheque 2
The Yad Vashem Award—Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire
For the fourth year running, Docaviv and Yad Vashem will be presenting the Yad Vashem Award for an outstanding Holocaust-related documentary. This year, the $3,000 prize goes to Oren Rudavsky for his film “Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire”.
The award committee’s statement:
The film offers an intimate perspective shedding new light on the character, philosophy and insights of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel – a Franco-American Jewish writer, journalist, philosopher and intellectual born in Sighet, Romania. A Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1986), he felt the necessity to put the trauma of the Holocaust into words, and dedicated his life to Shoah remembrance. Wiesel was known as a beacon of universal human values and as a symbol of the power of the human spirit.
Wiesel’s philosophy appears in the film as a driving force that generates guilt but also an incentive for action and a commitment to be the voice of those who are no longer here to testify. The Holocaust challenged Wiesel’s identity and his connection to Judaism, God, tradition and Jewish observance, fundamental values that he remained committed to and entrusted to his son in his last letter.
Thanks to exclusive access to Wiesel’s family and personal archives, testimonies and interviews with those closest to him–including rare interviews with his wife and son–the film reflects the moral dilemmas that Wiesel faced throughout his life, and raises profound questions about faith, justice and humanity. The use of dreams, the movement between the personal and the historical, and the rich documentation of Elie Wiesel’s eloquence infuse Rudavsky’s film with emotion, poetry and significance.
The award will be presented by Dani Dayan, Chairman of Yad Vashem, at a special event before the screening.
Tuesday | May 27 | 19:15 | Cinematheque 1
Docaviv Festival X Migdalor Cinema for an open-air screening
Flamingos: Life After the Meteorite (Mexico, 2024, 83 min.)
Tuesday | May 27 | 20:30
Saving the Wildlife—Kan Educational
A festive pre-premiere of two new episodes from the new season of the documentary series. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the team of veterinarians from the hospital and the owners of the pets featured in the episodes. The animal stars themselves will also be present for (gentle) pets, photos, and autographs.
Saturday | May 31 | 10:00 | Cinematheque 3
Docaviv X Azrieli Sarona: two screening & masterclass events:
I Am Martin Parr | Masterclass with Alex Farfuri
A playful, brisk tour of the UK through the lens of a gifted photographer who held up a mirror to consumerism.
After the film, street photographer Alex Farfuri will delve into the work of the photographers who had influenced Martin Parr, who in turn inspired an entire generation, including herself.
Sunday | May 25 | 19:00
The Trouble With Mr. Doodle | BINSKY draws on the walls
beneath the charming drawings that propelled him to international acclaim lies the complex portrait of Mr. Doodle, a man torn between an untamed creative urge and the dark chasms of his mind;
Complementing the screening, Israeli doodle artist BINSKY will paint a mural live before the audience.
Tuesday | May 27 | 19:00
Screenings at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art
What’s on: the best art, design, and culture documentaries from the festival’s programs.
Some of the screenings will be prefaced by short talks by the museum’s curators.
10:00 | Art Spiegelman: Disaster is my Muse
13:00 | Know Hope
15:15 | Kichka: Telling Myself
17:30 | The Spoils | Intro by Dr. Shir Kochavi—Bar-Ilan University, Faculty of Jewish Studies, Department of Jewish Art; Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Division of Art Education
20:15 | The Sleeper: The Lost Caravaggio | Intro by Galit Landau-Epstein, Curator of Special Projects, Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Saturday | 31.5 | from 10:00
Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Asia Hall, 27 Shaul Hamelech Boulevard, Tel Aviv–Yafo
DOC LAB TLV project showcase
Docaviv’s rough-cut lab and the New Israeli Foundation for Cinema and Television, supported by Mifal Hapais, offer expert guidance and mentoring from internationally-acclaimed industry professionals for documentary projects in the rough-cut stage. At the end of the workshop, the mentoring team will select one project to receive a NIS 5,000 prize courtesy of Brosh Real Estate Group.
The first day of the workshop will be open to the public and will include presentations and discussions about the selected projects.
Sunday | May 25 | 12:00 | Cinematheque 5
International program selection committee:
Artistic Director of Docaviv Festival Michal Weits, Tal Arditi, Dr. Nir Ferber, Dr. Laliv Melamed, Karin Rywkind Segal, and Docaviv Festival Program Manager Anat Nattel.
