This mid-length shorts program brings together two emotionally resonant observational documentaries that capture the reverberations of October 7th in Israel. Created independently by alumnae of the same 2025 JFI Filmmakers in Residence cohort, these two films attend to the fragility of daily life in the aftermath of tragedy, and trace parallel yet distinct expressions of mourning. Seen together, these films offer complementary perspectives that illuminate a shared humanity.
Kfar Aza - 95% Heaven (Episode 1: Destruction)
Karin Kainer (Israel, 2025, 45 minutes, Hebrew w/ English subtitles)
In the aftermath of October 7th, the residents of Kibbutz Kfar Aza face grief, displacement, and destruction, as families and couples wrestle with whether and how to return to life after everything is lost.
Children No More: Were and Are Gone
Hilla Medalia (Israel, United States, 2025, 30 minutes, Hebrew w/ English subtitles)
Nominated for the 2026 Academy Awards in Best Documentary Short Film
In Tel Aviv, activists gather weekly to demonstrate their opposition to the war in Gaza with a silent vigil for the children killed in Israeli attacks.
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. 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.
Hilla Medalia is a Peabody Award-winning director, producer, writer, has received six Emmy award nominations. Her projects have garnered critical acclaim and screened internationally in theaters and on platforms including HBO, MTV, PBS, BBC and ARTE. Her range of titles includes: ‘Mourning in Lod’ 2023 (MTV Documentaries, DocAviv) ‘Innocence’ 2022 (Venice International Film Festival), ‘H2: The Occupation Lab’ 2022 (Hotdocs), ‘ Leftover Women’ 2019 (Tribeca), ‘The Oslo Diaries’ 2018 (Sundance, HBO, ARTE), and 'Censored Voices', 2015 (Sundance, Berlinale). Hilla is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the PGA and she holds an M.A. from Southern Illinois University.