Israeli Premiere! A biographical drama unfolding the story of Enrico Berlinquer, Secretary of the Italian Communist Party and one of the most influential political figures in the West during the 1970s Play Screenings: Sun 7.12 | 17:00 | Hall 4 Tickets Fri 12.12 | 16:00 | Hall 2 Tickets Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, 2024, 123 min Director: Andrea Segre Language and Subtitles: Italian, Bulgarian, Russian; subtitles in Hebrew and English Cast: Elio Germano, Stefano Abbati, Francesco Acquaroli International Feature Films The Great Ambition Israeli Premiere! A biographical drama unfolding the story of Enrico Berlinquer, Secretary of the Italian Communist Party and one of the most influential political figures in the West during the 1970s. The film describes his struggle for his ideals in the face of political upheavals, internal pressures and personal conflicts, while highlighting the constant tension between ideology and reality. He survived an assassination attempt and witnessed the killing of his ally, Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro – a traumatic event in Italy’s sociopolitical history. His visits to Moscow and multiple appearances in the global media demonstrate his centrality in the international scene, but also emphasize the gap between his public image and the personal copings and heavy prices involved in leadership. This is a portrait of a man who wanted to change the world, but had to acknowledge his limitations. Production Credits and More -> More Films

Ever since its establishment, the Solidarity Festival has been monitoring the struggle. This year, twenty years after the Separation Barrier was built on Bil’in’s lands, we will mark the event with two award-winning films: Bil’in My Love by Shai Carmeli-Pollak and 5 Broken Cameras by Guy Davidi and Emad Burnat. At the end of each screening, we will host the filmmakers for a panel discussion with the audience. Bil’in Program Five Broken Cameras Sat 6.12 | 19:30 | Hall 4 Tickets Bilin My Love Sat 13.12 | 16:15 | Hall 2 Tickets In early 2005, work started on the Separation Barrier on the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Bil’in. It quickly turned out that the construction work would involve the takeover of much of the village’s lands and the expansion of nearby Jewish settlements, which have already threatened to surround the village. This was the start of one of the most stubborn struggles against the crimes of the ongoing occupation. Every Friday, hundreds of demonstrators – women, men, children and the elderly marched towards the barrier. The IDF responded with extreme violence, using shock grenades, tear gas – sometimes with canisters aimed directly at protestors – rubber- and plastic-coated bullets, and sometimes even live ammunition. Dozens of villages were injured, many were arrested, and night raids on homes became routine. But the Bil’inite spirit refused to break, and their struggle inspired millions worldwide. It spawned photo albums, exhibition, documentaries, and even an entire movie festival. The protests were accompanied by a prolonged legal battle, at the end of which the Israeli Supreme Court ordered that some of the barrier’s route would be changed and some of the lands returned to their owners. Ever since its establishment, the Solidarity Festival has been monitoring the struggle. This year, twenty years after the Separation Barrier was built on Bil’in’s lands, we will mark the event with two award-winning films: Bil’in My Love by Shai Carmeli-Pollak and 5 Broken Cameras by Guy Davidi and Emad Burnat. At the end of each screening, we will host the filmmakers for a panel discussion with the audience. Emad Burnat from the Palestinian Bil’in receives his first video camera on the occasion of the birth of his son Jibril in 2005. At that time, Israel decides to build the Separation Barrier on the land of his village. The villagers oppose that decision and their weekly protests with international and Israeli peace activists come to symbol nonviolent resistance. 5 Broken Cameras Info Tickets The West Bank Separation Barrier cuts through Palestinian land and deeply affects its inhabitants – thousands of olive trees are uprooted, and farmers are separated from their fields, patients from their clinics, and children from their schools. Bilin My Love Info Tickets

An inward odyssey through Israel, 2005—undertaken in the footsteps of the celebrated French filmmaker Chris Marker and his internationally acclaimed film Description of a Struggle (1960). In that work, Marker contemplates fragments of everyday life in a twelve-year-old nation, wandering its landscapes with exquisite observational sensitivity and a distinctly poetic cinematic language. Play Screenings: Screening and Talk Sat 13.12 | 19:00 | Hall 2 Tickets Tickets Israel, 2006, 80 min Director: Dan Geva Language and Subtitles: Hebrew, French, English, Arabic; subtitles in Hebrew Cast: Dan Geva's Trilogy Tribute Description of a Memory An inward odyssey through Israel, 2005—undertaken in the footsteps of the celebrated French filmmaker Chris Marker and his internationally acclaimed film Description of a Struggle (1960). In that work, Marker contemplates fragments of everyday life in a twelve-year-old nation, wandering its landscapes with exquisite observational sensitivity and a distinctly poetic cinematic language. His piercing gaze fashions a crisp mirror of a nascent country whose very being provokes unsettling questions about its spiritual and moral identity.Forty-five years later, filmmaker Dan Geva retraces Marker’s journey, composing a cinematic letter of response—Description of a Memory (2006). At once a filmic voyage and a philosophical meditation, it unfolds as a constellation of thirteen impressionistic memories—moments that dwell not only within the time and space of Israel–2005 but also reverberate backward and forward across the continuum of Jewish–Israeli consciousness, as well as through Geva’s own artistic past.Geva reimagines Israel—filming it anew, differently—pursuing the seen and unseen haunting images Marker once framed. He dismantles the symbols that Marker’s camera recorded, reducing them to “insignificant details,” revealing within them the quiet tremors of transformation—those unforeseen, dramatic mutations time alone could conceive. 13.12.25 | Screening and Panel Discussion At the end of the screening, there will be a special discussion. Production Credits and More -> More Films

Snir Oznovich: Interwined Elkie Hershberg: Crazy Snow Kobi Yonatan: Between Bullet and Lens Omer Sternberg: Lucy Play Screenings: Mon 8.12 | 19:30 | Hall 4 Tickets Tickets Israel, 2025, 65 min Director: Snir Oznovich Elkie Hershberg Kobi Yonatan Omer Sternberg Language and Subtitles: Hebrew Cast: Shorts Competition Shorts Competition Program Snir Oznovich: Interwined | Israel, 2025, 18 min Shiri and Lior, a young couple eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child, find themselves in the midst of an emotional storm. Due to the security situation, the delivery room has been moved to the lower floor of the hospital. Just before they are discharged home, the head of the maternity ward reveals a disturbing suspicion: there is a chance that their baby was switched with another couple’s baby. Elkie Hershberg: Crazy Snow | Israel, 2025, 10 min In the heart of Jerusalem, there is a secondhand clothing store run by Rasi (26), a former ultra-Orthodox woman. Among the daily arrivals of clothes and items, a colorful group of characters begins to gather. Each is waiting for something — an answer, a touch, a glimmer of hope. At the height of Hanukkah, just before the darkness outside takes over, Rasi tries to spark a true light — one that will bring everyone, if only for a moment, back to a sense of home Kobi Yonatan: Between Bullet and Lens | Israel, 2025, 27 min Between Bullet and lens, is a gripping 27-minute documentary that delves into the harrowing experiences of journalists and photojournalists who covered the brutal Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023. Through raw and uncensored testimonies, these frontline witnesses recount the chaos, fear, and moral dilemmas they faced documenting the worst massacre of Israeli civilians. Omer Sternberg : Lucy | Israel, 2025, 10 min Lucy, a young Filipino caregiver working overseas, faces grief for the first time after her patient’s passing. She tries to find comfort and a place for her sorrow within mourning customs that feel foreign to her, in a society where her presence often goes unseen. Production Credits and More -> More Films

Israeli Premiere! Bürglkopf is a center for asylum seekers located in the heart of the Tyrol Mountains. Its official purpose is “return counselling” – a process designed to convince the tenants to leave Austria voluntarily. In actuality, its geographic isolation serves as a pressure mechanism. Play Screenings: Fri 5.12 | 18:30 | Hall 1 Tickets Mon 8.12 | 19:30 | Hall 1 Tickets Austria, Germany, 2025, 78 min Director: Lisa Polster Language and Subtitles: German; subtitles in Hebrew and English Cast: International Documentary Films, Panorama Competition Bürglkopf (Out of Sight) Israeli Premiere! Bürglkopf is a center for asylum seekers located in the heart of the Tyrol Mountains. Its official purpose is “return counselling” – a process designed to convince the tenants to leave Austria voluntarily. In actuality, its geographic isolation serves as a pressure mechanism. Director Lisa Polster had sought to document life in Bürglkopf, but the authorities refused. Instead, she met the tenants in the forests and fields. Her interviews paint a picture of isolation and uncertainty. The film presents a sharp contrast between the between the Alpine landscapes and the harsh reality of imprisonment. For many in Bürglkopf, the promise of a two-week stay fades away and they find themselves living there for months if not years, trapped between majestic mountains and a system blind to their needs Production Credits and More -> More Films

Israeli Premiere! Bye is a poetic and political film about two young acters rehearsing Romeo and Juliet in a quiet park, as reality starts invading their world. The Shakespearean love story becomes a mirror image of present-day Israel: toxic political discourse, police violence, and a looming dictatorship. Play Screenings: Fri 5.12 | 10:00 | Hall 1 Tickets Fri 12.12 | 13:30 | Hall 2 Tickets Israel, 2025, 96 min Director: Tommy Lang Language and Subtitles: Hebrew; subtitles in English Cast: Israeli Films Bye Israeli Premiere! Bye is a poetic and political film about two young acters rehearsing Romeo and Juliet in a quiet park, as reality starts invading their world. The Shakespearean love story becomes a mirror image of present-day Israel: toxic political discourse, police violence, and a looming dictatorship. The border between drama and real life blurs as the frames become filled with viral images of political chaos. Through the actors’ fragile intimacy, Bye binds together love, art and the spirit of resistance. 5.12.25 | Screening and Panel Discussion At the end of the screening, there will be a special discussion with film creator Tommy Lang. Production Credits and More -> More Films

Israeli Premiere! Director Laura Coppens ventures on a personal journey following her family’s heritage through the stories of her grandfather, a former doctor who lived under Nazi rule and later in East Germany. Their in-depth conversations reveal inner conflicts, moral choices and the ongoing impact of dictatorships on personal identity and memory. Play Screenings: Sat 6.12 | 14:30 | Hall 2 Tickets Tue 9.12 | 17:00 | Hall 1 Tickets Switzerland, 2025, 81 min Director: Laura Coppens Language and Subtitles: German; subtitles in Hebrew and English Cast: International Documentary Films, Panorama Competition Sediments Israeli Premiere! Director Laura Coppens ventures on a personal journey following her family’s heritage through the stories of her grandfather, a former doctor who lived under Nazi rule and later in East Germany. Their in-depth conversations reveal inner conflicts, moral choices and the ongoing impact of dictatorships on personal identity and memory. Through a combination of intimate testimonies and breathtaking scenery, the film examines how family memory and national history intertwine, and shows how the past continues to shape the present and the minds of future generations. Production Credits and More -> More Films

Israeli Premiere! After his release from a psychiatric institution, Akin returns to his family home and withdraws from society. He hardly ever goes out, except for regular visits to religious sites in Istanbul, in an attempt to find comfort and meaning Play Screenings: Fri 5.12 | 16:00 | Hall 2 Tickets Fri 12.12 | 19:30 | Hall 1 Tickets Turkey, Germany, Italy, Norway, The Netherlands, 2024, 132 min Director: Gürcan Keltek Language and Subtitles: Turkish; subtitles in Hebrew and English Cast: Cem Yigit Üzümoglu, Suzan Kardes, Erol Babaoglu International Feature Competition New Dawn Fades Israeli Premiere! After his release from a psychiatric institution, Akin returns to his family home and withdraws from society. He hardly ever goes out, except for regular visits to religious sites in Istanbul, in an attempt to find comfort and meaning. New Dawn Fades is an award-winning psychological thriller, winner of Best Feature (Independent Critics) at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival. With compassionate sensitivity and meticulousness, the movie traces the daily routine of a man straddling the seam between self-imposed isolation and losing touch with reality, offering a poignant perspective on coping with an ongoing inner crisis. Production Credits and More -> More Films

TBA Play Screenings: Wed 10.12 | 17:00 | Hall 4 Tickets Tickets Israel, 2025 Director: Language and Subtitles: Hebrew Cast: Special Event 710 Testimony TBA Production Credits and More -> More Films

At Radio Czechoslovakia — one of the last bastions of free speech under communist rule — a battle for truth unfolds. Tomáš, a cautious and reserved man, fears that his younger, rebellious brother Pavel will be hired at the station and find himself in danger. Play Screenings: Mon 8.12 | 20:00 | Hall 3 Tickets Tickets Czechia, Slovakia, 2024, 131 min Director: Jiří Mádl Language and Subtitles: Czech; subtitles in Hebrew and English Cast: Vojtěch Vodochodský, Táňa Pauhofová, Stanislav Majer, Vojtěch Kotek, Martin Hofmann International Feature Films Waves At Radio Czechoslovakia — one of the last bastions of free speech under communist rule — a battle for truth unfolds. Tomáš, a cautious and reserved man, fears that his younger, rebellious brother Pavel will be hired at the station and find himself in danger. But it is Tomáš himself who is unexpectedly chosen to join the team — alongside the bold journalist and freedom fighter Milan Weiner. Together, they strive to broadcast the truth in a world where every word could cost them their lives. Under constant surveillance and growing threats from the secret police, they confront censorship, expose corruption, and become entangled in the defining moments that shaped history. Production Credits and More -> More Films

Israeli Premiere! Winner of the 2025 Sarajevo Festival Best Documentary Award is an intimate portrait of Gambian refugee Siaka and his partner Victoria, an Austrian graphic designer. The couple tries to build a shared life in Vienna after years of uncertainty and forced exile Play Screenings: Mon 8.12 | 16:30 | Hall 2 Tickets Sat 13.12 | 13:30 | Hall 4 Tickets Austria, 2025, 105 min Director: Ivette Löcker Language and Subtitles: German, English, Mandinka; subtitles in Hebrew and English Cast: International Documentary Competition Our Time Will Come Israeli Premiere! Winner of the 2025 Sarajevo Festival Best Documentary Award is an intimate portrait of Gambian refugee Siaka and his partner Victoria, an Austrian graphic designer. The couple tries to build a shared life in Vienna after years of uncertainty and forced exile. Through the sensitive eyes of director Ivette Löcker, the film follows the two over a year as they struggle against racism, bureaucracy, precarious working conditions and past traumas that threaten their love. Against the background of an increasingly rigid and closed Austrian society, we glimpse a relationship that challenges hegemonic views and centers the question of belonging in a world that classified people by their origins. In soft moments of intimacy, hope and renewal, the film offers the possibility and finding love and a shared future even in an alienating reality. Production Credits and More -> More Films

I Cried in Gaza is a groundbreaking film confronting the severe, hidden mental toll of modern warfare. For the first time since 1948, women were extensively deployed to the front lines of the Gaza War (AKA “Iron Swords War”); war, with over 4,000 having since sought mental health treatment. The film plunges into the intimate, subjective experiences of seven female warriors who fought in active combat in Gaza and Lebanon. Play Screenings: Tue 9.12 | 20:00 | Hall 4 Tickets Tickets Israel, 2025, 55 min Director: Nurit Kedar Language and Subtitles: Hebrew; subtitles in English Cast: October 7 I Cried In Gaza I Cried in Gaza is a groundbreaking film confronting the severe, hidden mental toll of modern warfare. For the first time since 1948, women were extensively deployed to the front lines of the Gaza War (AKA “Iron Swords War”); war, with over 4,000 having since sought mental health treatment. The film plunges into the intimate, subjective experiences of seven female warriors who fought in active combat in Gaza and Lebanon. Through their candid testimonies, it charts their struggle as raw, fresh memories of the war mix inextricably with debilitating post-traumatic stress symptoms. This is an urgent, unprecedented look at the true psychological price paid by a new generation of combat veterans. 9.12.25 | Screening and Panel Discussion At the end of the screening, there will be a special discussion. Production Credits and More -> More Films