The Israeli Short Film Competition in Memory of Bnaya Zuckerman 2024

Lily and Keren are best friends. Their bond is expressed through a shared love of music and dance. On the morning of October 7th, Lily takes refuge in a shelter, worrying about Karen, who is at the Nova rave and cannot be reached. The emotional catharsis leads Lily into daydreams that shift from music and fantasy to a sense of helplessness and loneliness.

Following the terror attacks on October 7th, members of Kibbutz Nir-Am were evacuated to the Herods Hotel Tel Aviv. Against the backdrop of hotel footage, a woman's voice narrates the story of many families, as they strive to find a 'new normal.'

The film tells the story of David and Michal, a young ultra-Orthodox couple who have just gotten married. Both eagerly anticipate the emotional moment in the seclusion room, but when David locks the door as prescribed by religious law, something unexpected happens, leading them to face a complex emotional challenge.

Stranded at the wrong bus stop in Jerusalem, a neurotic young woman calls her boyfriend to come rescue her, setting off a stormy subconscious journey. She is compelled to choose whether to live her life with her boyfriend or on her own.

In the throes of a manic episode, a young Israeli man kidnaps his father and sets out on a surreal journey through the national hero’s consciousness.

A 3D-animated journey through Kibbutz Gevim, where the director grew up, reveals an unexpected encounter among those who stayed behind after the events of October 7th. In a place marked by absence, the film uncovers resilience and the unspoken bond among those left behind.

An ultra-Orthodox mother, exhausted and depressed after giving birth, collapses under the burden of housework and raising the baby. Distraught and in pain, Leah masks herself and the baby's cries by compulsively listening to an empowerment tape. The messages she uses to inject life into her, are the same messages that preserve her unhappiness, deepen and sanctify her suffering.

Three soldiers come back from the past in order to confront the commander who sealed their fate.

Sarah, a religious woman, visits her formerly estranged secular daughter in Tel Aviv for the first time. Her attempt to reconnect fails, and Sarah decides to secretly follow her daughter to understand her life. Through this journey, Sarah discovers hidden parts of herself and the shadow that looms over them both.

On October 7, a father struggles to find the right words for his six-year-old daughter.