DocuText returns to Jerusalem with documentaries on October 7, Israeli culture, and Jewish identity

The National Library of Israel's DocuText festival returns to Jerusalem from August 16-20 with a rich program of documentaries, Israeli premieres, meetings with filmmakers, and outdoor performances. This year's theme is 'Uncertainty.' The opening features Ran Tal's 'The Sixteenth Sheep: The Reunion,' and the closing includes Tomer Heymann's 'Aviv' and a performance by Aviv Geffen. Other films include 'Sapiro v. Ford,' 'Safe Room' about October 7, and 'We Met at Grossinger's.'

The National Library of Israel's DocuText festival will return to Jerusalem from August 16-20, bringing together new documentaries from Israel and abroad, with a program focusing on films using archival material from the library's archives. Now in its 11th year, the five-day festival will include dozens of screenings, Israeli premieres, meetings with filmmakers, workshops, special exhibits of archival material, and outdoor performances. This year's theme is 'Uncertainty,' reflecting the national mood amid international unrest. The festival opens with the premiere of Ran Tal's 'The Sixteenth Sheep: The Reunion,' about the return to the stage of a beloved song project from 48 years ago, featuring Yoni Rechter, Gidi Gov, Yehudit Ravitz, and David Broza. It closes on August 20 with Tomer Heymann's 2003 documentary 'Aviv,' a portrait of Aviv Geffen, followed by a live outdoor performance by Geffen and his band. Other highlights include 'Things Were Like That' about novelist Meir Shalev, 'Life as a Rumor' about Assi Dayan, 'Sapiro v. Ford' about Aaron Sapiro's libel suit against Henry Ford, 'Safe Room' about a harrowing day on October 7, and 'We Met at Grossinger's' about the Catskills resort. The festival also features 'The Campaign,' an investigation of narratives about Israel and Gaza since October 7, and 'Shalom,' about a rhinoceros at Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo.