- August 22, 2025
- 9:16 pm
- Israel
From August 17 to 22, 2025, Jerusalem will host the Docu.Text festival: five days of documentary films, meetings and discussions, where the voices of Israel and the entire world are heard. This event is not just an introduction to new films, but an attempt to look at oneself and others in a new way.
Docu.Text: the August route to new meanings
Not every festival can unite so many different stories and destinies as Docu.Text. Every year, this project becomes more ambitious, and 2025 is no exception. This time, the organizers — the National Library of Israel together with DocAviv — invite viewers to Jerusalem for five busy days of documentary cinema, meetings with directors, discussions, and creative events.
The Docu.Text festival has long ceased to be just a series of film screenings. Here you can join a group meditation, discuss films about the past and future with the creators, listen to live music and even take part in folk dances. This is a space for informal dialogue, where not only art is discussed, but also memory, trauma, survival, changes — what worries everyone.
Festival website — https://docutext.nli.org.il/
What will be shown this year: films, names, destinies
The films included in the Docu.Text 2025 program are not only new Israeli cinema, but also international works, films about art, biographies, chronicles of the era.
At the center of the poster is the premiere of a film about Yehoram Gaon: directors Kobi Farage, Maurice Ben-Muir, and Shai Lahav invited the viewer behind the scenes of the life of one of the main symbols of the Israeli stage. Gaon himself will appear at the premiere to answer questions.
The festival will end with a story of love and creativity — the film “Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love” by director Nick Broomfield, after which the songs of Leonard Cohen will be performed live by Ivri Lider and the Camerata Israel orchestra.
Diversity and depth: from the Holocaust to contemporary music
One of Docu.Text’s strengths is its honest attention to the past and present. The program offers, for example, a film about Michel Kichka, an illustrator and son of a Holocaust survivor. There are also women’s stories: a film about choreographer Naomi Polani, a portrait of Ada Sereni — a legend of underground emigration, a biographical film about the Rovina family, the story of mother and daughter Armoni.
Some are waiting for a film about the musical revolution of the Reuveni brothers — founders of the Mizrahi style. Others — a study of dance culture in Israel or an excursion through the Jerusalem necropolis, where life and memory coexist in every stone.
Modernity through a documentary lens
Another notable line of the festival is chronicles of the latest tragedies. Yariv Mozer in “We Will Dance Again” tells about those who survived the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The film by Moran Ifergan “Waiting for Him” is about women who lost their loved ones in war. Docu.Text does not shy away from topics that are difficult to discuss — on the contrary, it brings them to the center of public attention.
Stories not only about the past: a Ukrainian perspective on war through the eyes of Mstyslav Chernov
This year, Docu.Text will also feature a film reflecting the reality of another country, where war is not a page from a textbook, but a daily struggle. The film by Ukrainian director Mstyslav Chernov — “2000 Meters to Andriivka” — is built on unique footage: the author joined a Ukrainian unit to show the battle for the liberation of the village of Andriivka in the Donetsk region.
The film tells about the liberation of Andriivka near Bakhmut by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and directly by the 3rd Assault Brigade. In the film, together with colleague and Associated Press photographer Oleksandr Babenko, Mstyslav Chernov films Ukrainian soldiers and tells about life in the trenches.
The filming took place during the Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2023. Journalists follow the soldiers of the 3rd Assault Brigade, who, meter by meter, overcome a narrow planting strip to liberate the small, Russian-occupied and mined village of Andriivka near Bakhmut. The further the soldiers advance across the ruined homeland, the more they realize that for many of them this war may never end.
“This is the story of Ukrainian soldiers who are fighting for every inch of their land. This is the story of a small forest and the village of Andriivka, located just two hours from my hometown. This is the story of modern war — how it is fought, how it is experienced, and how it changes us,” said the director himself.
The film “2000 Meters to Andriivka” is the second feature-length documentary by Ukrainian director Mstyslav Chernov, Oscar winner, Pulitzer Prize winner, Directors and Producers Guild of America, BAFTA, and Royal Television Society Television Journalism Awards, Associated Press journalist.
The film has received reviews at major festivals in Europe and the USA. The footage is not a reconstruction, but a real chronicle of the battle, filmed in the trenches. Immersing the viewer in the everyday life of war, Chernov shows how fighters change, what home, fear and hope mean to them.
This is especially important for the Israeli audience: many find in these shots parallels with their own stories — the defense of the country, confrontation with danger, the price of freedom. The festival offers a rare opportunity not only to watch the film but also to meet those who know war from the inside.
Film screening — August 20, 2025. Tickets — https://docutext.nli.org.il/en/movies/2000-meters-to-andriivka
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Meetings, discussions and the experience of participation
Docu.Text is not just screens and seats in the auditorium. Each session is accompanied by dialogues: directors and film characters answer questions, listen to the personal stories of viewers. Sometimes complex questions about memory and forgiveness are heard here, sometimes — about politics, borders, migration, peace and war.
The organizers emphasize: the festival is open to everyone who wants to watch and think, even if opinions differ. Therefore, people of all generations, professions, and cultures meet at the library venue.
Format, dates, tickets: what you need to know
The Docu.Text festival will be held from August 17 to 22 in Jerusalem, in the building of the National Library of Israel.
Every day — new premieres, discussions, sometimes performances and concerts.
Tickets can be purchased online, prices depend on the format (single screenings, subscriptions).
NAnews — News of Israel recommends not to delay your purchase — many sessions sell out quickly.
Festival website — https://docutext.nli.org.il/
Why go to Docu.Text?
This festival is a chance to see Israel and the world through the eyes of those who film, live, remember and think outside the box. There is always room here for unexpected meetings, debates, discoveries. For Jews who value cultural dialogue and remember that history is not an archive but a part of today, Docu.Text is becoming an important August tradition.
NAnews — News of Israel considers this festival one of the most interesting cultural events of the season.
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Full list of Docu.Text 2025 films
Tonight with Yehoram Gaon (Israel, dir. Kobi Farage, Maurice Ben-Muir, Shai Lahav) — a personal and musical story of one of the main symbols of Israeli culture, singer and actor Yehoram Gaon.
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love (UK, dir. Nick Broomfield) — a documentary look at the complex relationship and mutual love of poet Leonard Cohen and his muse Marianne Ihlen on the island of Hydra.
We Will Dance Again (Israel, dir. Yariv Mozer) — about those who survived the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 at the Nova music festival and their struggle with trauma.
Waiting for Him (Israel, dir. Moran Ifergan) — the story of two women who lost their loved ones during the war in Gaza and their path to a new life.
Ada Sereni: The Lady in the Black Dress (Israel, dir. Avigail Sperber) — the biography of Ada Sereni, a legendary member of the Haganah underground and a fighter for Jewish immigration.
Naomi Polani: Last Dance (Israel, dir. Shmuel Vilozni) — the portrait of 96-year-old Naomi Polani, an outstanding dancer and choreographer who changed the Israeli stage.
The Rovina Legacy (Israel, dir. Anat Zeltzer, Modi Bar-On) — a film about the fate of famous actress Hanna Rovina and her daughter Ilana, who became a symbol of Jewish theater.
Girl, Woman (Israel, dir. Rinat Klein) — the story of famous actress Ella Armoni and her mother, singer Dafna Armoni, against the background of Israeli pop music.
Kichka: Telling Myself (Israel, dir. Haim Tabakman) — the confessions of illustrator Michel Kichka, son of a Holocaust survivor, about family, memory and art.
Hora (Israel, dir. Dori Ben-Zeev, Tomer Zelniker) — a documentary study of the traditional Israeli hora dance, its past and future.
Kings of the Cassettes – The Reuveni Brothers (Israel, dir. Uri Levi) — about the Reuveni brothers, who laid the foundation for the popular Mizrahi music in Israel.
Necropolis (Israel, dir. Tal Michael) — a cinematic journey through the central cemetery of Jerusalem, life and memory in stone.
My Bee Family (Israel, dir. Miriam Gadban) — a touching story of a family devoted to saving bees and their impact on Israeli nature.
Ai Weiwei’s Turandot (Germany/China, dir. Friederike Schlumbom) — the story of the unusual staging of Puccini’s opera “Turandot” by the famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Adaptation to Darkness (Israel, dir. Shaked Goren) — about people with visual impairments who learn to see the world differently.
Four Seasons of Dance (Israel, dir. Oren Shkedy) — a chronicle of a year in the life of a leading Israeli dance company.
The Sleeper – The Lost Caravaggio (France/Italy, dir. Jean-Pierre Devillers) — a detective story about the search for a lost painting by the great artist Caravaggio.
Folktales (Israel, dir. Yoav Shutan-Goshen) — a study of the role of fairy tales and legends in shaping Israeli identity.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin (Germany, dir. Nadav Schirman) — the chronicle of the struggle of Russian oppositionist Vladimir Kara-Murza against the Putin regime.
Light Memories (Israel, dir. Oren Saar) — a film about a photographer who captured the history of several generations of Israelis on film.
Does Sound Heal? (Israel, dir. Ori Gruder) — a documentary experiment on the impact of sound and music on the human body and soul.
The Trouble With Mr Doodle (UK, dir. Benjamin Lankester) — the story of British artist Mr Doodle, who conquered the world with his graffiti.
Raving Iran (Germany/Iran, dir. Susanne Regina Meures) — about two DJs from Tehran who risk everything for electronic music and freedom.
2000 Meters to Andriivka (Ukraine, dir. Mstyslav Chernov) — about the mission of Ukrainian soldiers liberating the village of Andriivka from Russian occupiers during the war.
Screening — August 20, 2025. Tickets — https://docutext.nli.org.il/en/movies/2000-meters-to-andriivka
