Solidarity Human Rights Film Festival is a unique event that raises awareness on significant socio-political issues through screenings of groundbreaking films on human rights in Israel and around the world, films that promote peace, democracy and human rights alongside equality and social justice.
This is the 11th edition of the festival, and given the situation in Israel and around the world, it seems that the need for its existence is clearer than ever.
Solidarity, the only Israeli film festival fully dedicated to human rights, takes place at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque since 2010. The Festival's program shows award-winning narrative and documentary films, providing contexts for issues related to social and political struggles, among them: democracy, globalization, refugees and asylum seekers, the occupation of the West Bank and the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, hunger, poverty and food security, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, children's rights, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, environmental justice and the climate crisis.
The international program for 2023 presents award-winning films, documentaries and feature films - all new, all are Israeli premieres, after having their world premieres at the most prominent film festivals in the world.
The Israeli program for 2023 includes a variety of feature films and documentaries about the Gaza envelope and southern Israel, alongside premiere screenings of feature-length films and a selection of the best films in the field of human rights made in Israel. Again this year, the festival holds a prize-winning competition for films on human rights in various tracks - short films, student films and a young creation track for high school students' films - with the aim of encouraging engagement with political and social issues by local filmmakers and strengthening the status of this field among film students and experienced filmmakers alike.
The Solidarity Festival Founder and Director is Dani Vilenski, the Artistic Director is Gidi Avivi, and the festival is organized by the Solidarity for Art, Activism and Human Rights Association. The Solidarity Festival's year-long activities are grounded in the belief in the power of cinema to be thought provoking and to spark activism towards the creation of a better future for all of us in Israel and the Middle East. In the current political climate, when the very notion of democracy is under threat worldwide, alongside wars with no end in sight, it is important for us to stand up and make our voices heard clearly, bravely and freely.
About
Dani Vilenski
Founder and Festival Director
Gidi Avivi
Artistic Director
Ayala Ehrlich Neuhaus
Producer
Ohad Ephrath
Traffic and Technical Director
Tal Korjak
Technical Consultant
Noam Sheizaf, Dan Geva
Content Consultants
Rani Avgar, Sigal Vanunu Gadish, Dr. Ishai Menuchin
Special Consultants
Shani Kiniso
Synopses and Texts
Jonathan Joel
Language Editor
Ami Asher
Editing and Translation into English
Bimot Digital - Golan Reis, Tal Gershon
Social Media
Ora Lapidot PR – Ora Lapidot, Ofira Botto
PR and Communications
Adi Amara and Itamar Liebergall
Website and Graphic Design
Ronit Shaked
Graphic Design Consultant
Dana and Dan Shaham
Logo Design and Visual Language
Sapir Ben-Hillel
Video
Royal Titles – Roy Pitluk
Films Translation
Staff
International Films Competition Selection Committee
Gidi Avivi, Ada Ushpiz, Guli Dolev-Hashiloni, Dani Vilenski, Ruthy Wischnevsky, Rachelle Yair, Yulie Cohen, Pini Schatz
Israeli Films Competition Coordinator
Ayala Ehrlich Neuhaus
Israeli Feature Films Competition Selection Committee
Gidi Avivi, Guli Dolev-Hashiloni, Dani Vilenski, Ruthy Wischnevsky, Alon Garbuz, Gili Meisler. Pini Schatz
Israeli Short Films Competition Selection Committee
Irit Gal, Ruthy Wischnevsky, Shani Kiniso, Yulie Cohen, Tal Meiri
Israeli Student Films Competition Selection Committee
Shani Kiniso, Ruthy Wischnevsky, Irit Gal, Yulie Cohen, Tal Meiri
Israeli Short Films Competition and Student Films Competition Jury
Prof. Dan Geva (Chair), Yariv Mozer, Sigal Rosh
Israeli High School Students Film Competition
Dr. Evanna Ratner, Itai Ken-Tor
High School Students Film Competition Commitee
Aviran Ben Ramat Yossef, Rula Nassir, Elad Mookades, Yuval Brill
High School Students Film Competition Jury
Dr. Orna Raviv, Dr. Keren Ketko Ayali, Raviv Naveh
Solidarity for Art, Activism and Human Rights Association
Yifat Solel (Chair), Ran Avgar, Yasser Abu Areesha, Arnon Ben Haim, Merav Ben Shlomo, Guli Dolev-Hashiloni, Shimon Elad, Erez Lotan, Julie Schles
