Israeli documentary filmmakers are producing outstanding films that run the gamut in terms of subject and approach. Some are journalistically objective and others are distinctly point-of-view; some make quiet personal portraits and others boldly capture the inflammatory, multifaceted political situation in Israel, from terrorism against Jews to human rights of Palestinians.

The proliferation and success of Israeli documentaries are a testament to the filmmakers themselves and to the institutions that have nurtured them: the major Israeli international film festivals (Jerusalem, Haifa and Doc Aviv); Israeli television channels 1, 2, 8, 10 and Yes Doco; a strong cadre of film schools; and the growing network of distributors specializing in Israeli film. We are delighted to welcome documentary distributor Ruth Diskin and Jerusalem film festival programmer Gilli Mendel, who will be attending this year’s festival and introducing several films.

The biggest funder and advocate of Israeli documentary is The New Foundation for Cinema and Television (NFCT), which was founded in 1993 by Israel’s Ministry of Arts and has since supported the production of around 250 original films, the vast majority of them documentaries. Films in this year’s festival funded by the NFCT include Ido Haar’s unblinking look at illegal Palestinian construction workers, 9 Star Hotel; Tali Shemesh’s poetic portrait of the Holocaust generation, The Cemetery Club; Shimon Dotan’s masterful and electrifying documentary on Palestinians in Israeli prisons, Hot House; Avida Livny’s playful mockumentary about a legendary boxer, Max Baer’s Last Right Hook, and Lina Chaplin’s foray into the unfamiliar world of Neturei Karta, Yoel, Israel and the Pashkevils.

We offer a Close-Up this year on three films by veteran documentarian Nurit Kedar, whose films Borders, Lebanon Dream and her newest, Wasted, examine the ongoing conflict between the neighboring countries of Israel and Lebanon. Kedar will attend the San Francisco and Berkeley screenings of her films.

We also offer the latest films of the prolific Duki Dror, who will be attending the festival this year with a sneak preview of his documentary Sidewalk as well as with Mr. Cortisone, Happy Days, two original, if very different, close-up portraits. And the newest generation of filmmakers is on view in the youth media program I Am You Are, presented by program founder Gilli Mendel of the Jerusalem Cinematheque.