Efrat's 5th Youth Film Festival

I have a soft spot in my heart for Efrat's Youth Film Festival. Not only because I love film and at one time worked in the film industry (a world ago :) ), but because the Festival was launched five years ago, right on the heels of the first season of my mega-dance production, DAMES of the DANCE. 
We've grown up together. Of course, while DAMES participants are aging (gracefully) with real life, the participants in the Kolnoar Film Festival remain teenagers always. So, even though along with our teenager dancers, we've got mothers and sometimes grandmothers dancing, and the Filmfest is totally youth oriented, we've grown together over the past five years, and we both celebrate creativity, pride in our Jewish heritage, and what is good in our society.
(Hmm, the ultimate co-operative project - perhaps one day the young people of the Film Festival will create a movie of our next Dames of the Dance 6, IY"H. Until then...)
Today's "Festival Kolnoar Chevrati 5" brought together about 300 young people from all over Israel to view short films, created by their peers. They also joined together in workshops on Humor in Film with director Shai Kapon, Make-up with Shachar Gafni, Directing Actors with director Doron Tzabari, and Effects for film with special effects specialist Micky Amram.
Dassi Be'eri of the Ministry of Education told those present that the Festival Kolnoar was part of a larger program today, the "Festival of Arts and Faith." The overall festival included another 700 students in two other locations - Literature and Creativity in Beit Avi Chai in Jerusalem; and Music in the Bible Lands Museum. 
Dassi noted optimistically, "The next generation has shown itself to be creative, socially conscious and dedicated members of society."
You're invited to have a glimpse of today's Festival, http://www.voices-magazine.com/videoClip/241.