The Docu.Text Documentary Film Festival, brought to you by the National Library of Israel, is a unique platform, creating a direct link between the imprints left by a story on the sands of time, the camera lens and the screen on which the film is shown—the cinematic creation.
We invite you to watch a selection of recently created documentary films and get a glimpse into the source materials—a document, photograph, newspaper clipping or letter—the raw material from which a film is sometimes created.
Issues of identity, memory and culture that underlie the daily life of the library when it opens its treasures and collections through its extensive cultural events and activities, will also be reflected in the festival program.
This year, we have chosen to look at the phenomenon of “fake news” troubling the world, and the technological and communication capabilities that have given it an unprecedented impact on both the public and private agenda. The festival’s one-day seminar “For Truth’s Sake,” will discuss the issues of cultural responsibility and creative copyright and will examine the place of the library, which is charged with preservation of knowledge in an era where it seems that more than ever, truth is relative. The seminar will be held in cooperation with the Forum of Documentary Filmmakers.
For the first time in the festival’s history, a virtual reality complex has been set up, presenting among other works, Zikr: A Sufi Revival by Studio Sensorium, through which visitors can take part in the exiting ceremony. The creators will hold an open discussion with the audience, revealing the processes and challenges they faced.
As every year, this year too, we will meet the creators, directors and intellectuals in the context of the festival’s films.
Docu.Text is held in collaboration with the Docaviv International Documentary Film Festival, and we thank our partner in this endeavor.
We welcome festival goers and wish them a pleasant and enriching experience.
Ruty Rubinshtein
Artistic Director
Tsila Hayun
Head of Culture and Education, NLI
The National Library of Israel wishes to thank Carole and Saul Zabar and Bader Philanthropies for their generous support of the festival.
