November 2–5
Docaviv Galilee Film Festival is proud to present premieres from leading local and international filmmakers as well as a rich selection of top documentaries from the past year: straight from Telluride Film Festival—Retrograde and Wildcat; Q&As with filmmakers and directors; the 10th anniversary of project Knafayim—celebrating original local filmmaking; eye-opening films about the relations between man and nature, including “Sustainability in Style”, a special guided tour inspired by the film Fashion Reimagined; Project “Born to be Free”—films by and about disabled people; film screenings for school children; a solo exhibition by Maya Zack, and more.
Now in its 14th edition, Docaviv Galilee has become an integral part of cultural life in Ma’alot Tarshiha and the Western Galilee.
The festival will feature more than 20 local and international documentaries, including the world premiere of Spinoza. 6 Reasons for the Excommunication of the Philosopher by David Ofek, the 17th film in Yair Qedar’s series The Hebrews; a pre-premiere of the two latest episodes of the beloved children’s show Saving the Wildlife; premiere screenings of international films: Retrograde, a new film by Matthew Heineman (director of the Academy Award- nominated film Cartel Land) made for National Geographic—a cinematic and historic window onto the end of America’s longest war, the war in Afghanistan; Fashion Reimagined (dir. Becky Hutner) —about trailblazing fashion designer Amy Powney and her mission to create non-exploitative, non-destructive fashion; Wildcat (dir. Melissa Lesh and Trevor Beck Frost), the heartwarming story of a war veteran with PTSD and a conservationist who find a path to emotional healing when they raise a wildcat and release it in the Peruvian Amazonia; SXSW Grand Prix winner Master of Light (dir. Rosa Ruth Boesten) —about classical painter George Anthony Morton, who heals from years of distress and imprisonment with the help of his tremendous talent. Also screened at the festival are The Treasures of Crimea (dir. Oeke Hoogendijk), a political courtroom drama revolving around archeological treasures and revealing an unexpected angle on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict; and David Bowie: Moonage Daydream (dir. Brett Morgen) —a cinematic journey into the life, vision, and music of David Bowie, one of the greatest artists in pop-culture history.
Docaviv Galilee also offers an opportunity to revisit top picks from Docaviv 2022: Israeli competition winner The Camera of Doctor Morris by Meital Zvieli and Itamar Alcalay; International competition winner Children of the Mist; winner of Best Director, Best Editing, and the Kadar Foundation Award, 1341 Frames of Love and War by Ran Tal; Ophir Award and Best Debut winner The Artist’s Daughter, Oil On Canvas by Margarita and Yaniv Linton; the Sinead O’Connor biopic Nothing Compares; Best Cinematography Award winner Lost Angeles: Documentary Musical by Golan Rise and Sharon Yaish —about a small town left behind and one clockmaker who tries to turn back time; The Other City (dir. Livi Kessel) —an intimate, bittersweet story about the rise and fall of a group of artists in downtown Haifa; and Cesária Évora (dir. Ana Sofia Fonseca), the turbulent life story of the “Barefoot Diva”, the singer who touched the hearts of millions. The festival’s closing film will be Fire of Love (dir. Sara Dosa), the story of Katia and Maurice Krafft’s red-hot burning love for each other—and for active volcanoes.
The festival will open with a premiere that celebrates local talent. The 10th edition of project Knafayim presents four films by filmmakers from Ma’alot -Tarshiha, created with guidance from filmmakers Yael Kipper and Ronen Zaretzky. The project is organized in collaboration with the Galilee Film Project and supported by the Rabinovich Foundation.
As in previous years, the festival will continue its fruitful collaboration with the Apter Barrer Art Center in Ma’alot. Festival goers are also invited to Maya Zack‘s solo exhibition, “Unmistakable Traces,” curated by Meital Kilemnik. The exhibition opens on Friday, November 4, at 11:00 AM. The exhibition will feature fragments from the artist-filmmaker’s oeuvre. Zack invites the viewers to enter rich environments made up of personal and collective memories. The exhibition will feature prints, photographs, and drawings, as well as the film Counterlight, in which the artist embarks on a journey following the traces of Paul Celan, one of the greatest poets of the postmodern era.
Born to be Free #4: films by and about disabled people will be screened at Ma’arag Center in Kfar Vradim. These films touch on freedom of choice, the search for love, human connection, and overcoming obstacles, revealing unexpected facets of the filmmakers’ personalities along the way. Curator and host: Shahar Gal-Noor.
This year’s selection: Everyone Knows Jack by Or Weissberg, in which a film student with autism documents the relationship between a father and his stepson, who suffers from a degenerative condition; Birth Mark by Margalit Twitto—about Margalit, a Kibbutz Evron member who has been dealing with CP since childhood, and now chooses to revisit significant moments in her life.
On Friday, November 4, the festival will hold a special event: “Sustainability in Style”—a documentary screening and styling therapy workshop.
Once again, Western Galilee Now and Docaviv Galilee have joined together for a special event: a screening of Fashion Reimagined at the Ma’alot-Tarshiha Performing Arts Center and a styling therapy workshop with life coach and styling therapist Orna Rotbart Nitsan. The screening will be preceded by a talk by fashion researcher and head of the Fashion Design Department at WIZO Haifa Academy of Design and Education, Rachel Getz Salomon.
Saturday, November 5, 10:00 AM: Saving the Wildlife, a family-friendly event (recommended for children aged from the age of 5).
A festive pre-premiere of two new episodes from the series’ fourth season.
The series won the Israeli Television Academy Award for Best Documentary for Children and Teens. Saving the Wildlife is a family-friendly show produced in collaboration with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The series follows Israel’s only wildlife hospital. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the show’s director Erez Bernholtz and a special activity with park ranger Shai Kabesa about local wildlife conservation efforts and challenges. The audience will be invited to watch migrating birds outside the theater and, perhaps, even see a wild animal from the wildlife hospital released back into the wild.
As is customary every year, the festival is proud to offer film screenings for the students of Ma’alot-Tarshiha’s schools (from elementary schools to high schools). The festival believes that watching and talking about documentary content enriches young viewers, challenges them, and expands their worlds.
Docaviv director Limor Aharonovich: “It is a great privilege to keep this festival going for so many years in collaboration with the municipality of Ma’alot-Tarshiha. In addition to our rich and thought-provoking film selection, we are proud to give local heroes and filmmakers a space to tell their stories through our projects: Knafayim and Born to be free.”
Arkadi Pomerantz, Mayor of Ma’alot -Tarshiha: “The municipality of Ma’alot -Tarshiha is proud to host Docaviv Festival in our town, now for the 14th time. From the very beginning, Ma’alot-Tarshiha has been associated with this unique festival, which helped position and brand it as a place of culture with a diverse selection of events, shows, and festivals for everyone. Docaviv Festival brings fresh and superb local and international films to film lovers in Israel and worldwide, most of whom see the films for the first time. This year, as always, the festival’s team has given us a carefully curated selection of inspiring and authentic films. I welcome the filmmakers and their works and recognize the great importance of providing a platform for original local art that inspires, provokes thought, and enriches the cultural discourse.”
To learn more about the films, exhibition, seminar, and culinary tour, and for tickets and screening times, visit Docaviv Galilee Website (In Hebrew).