2025 Filmmaker in Residence
An intimate five-year coming-of-age journey follows Gen Z international students, some from enemy nations, whose paths first cross at a controversial boarding school for peace in conflict-ridden Israel during a global pandemic. As they transition into adulthood, navigating love, war, loss, and national conflict, their fragile friendships face the ultimate test: an uncertain and divided future.
Karin Kainer is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and producer whose work has captivated global audiences. Her films have been screened internationally in theaters and on major platforms such as BBC, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, France 1, Al Jazeera, and ARTE. Among her acclaimed projects is ‘Tiberias - under the Red Line’, which won Best Documentary Series at the 2023 Documentary Forum Awards. Kainer's previous works include ‘Kosher Beach’ (Israeli Oscar nominee 2020, Krakow Film Festival and Beijing Film Festival winner, World Premiere at DOC-NYC 2019), ‘Rinascita’ (Haifa Film Festival winner, 2011), ‘Das iz der valt’ (Docaviv short film winner, 2010), ‘Skate of Mind’ (Sundance 2011, Los Angeles Movie Awards winner), and ‘South Wind on Hilton Beach’ (Haifa Film Festival 2006, HotDocs 2007). Kainer holds an M.F.A. in scriptwriting from The Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University and serves as a senior lecturer in Visual Communications at the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT). She is an active member of the boards of The Israeli Film Academy and The Israeli Documentary Forum. Kainer lives in Tel Aviv and is a mother of two.
Project description and bios courtesy of the Resident