Dagesh at the Jewish Film Festival Berlin-Brandenburg 2026
Film Screening | Workshop Discussion | Network Meeting as part of JFBB Pro
The Dagesh Workshop at the Jewish Film Festival Berlin-Brandenburg 2026 once again demonstrated: contemporary Jewish art is polyphonic, multilingual and multiform. This diversity needs spaces that make it visible and strengthen it, outward into society, and inward as a place of encounter, exchange and solidarity.
As part of the Jewish Film Festival Berlin-Brandenburg 2026 (JFBB), Dagesh was once again represented with its own programme format at JFBB Pro. The Dagesh Workshop took place on 6 May 2026 at the Felleshus | Community House of the Nordic Embassies in Berlin.
JFBB Pro functions as an industry platform for filmmakers, producers and representatives of the film industry from Germany and the international context. It understands itself as a space for exchange on Jewish themes in film, current social debates and new artistic perspectives, this year under the festival’s focus on Nordic-Jewish perspectives.
The Dagesh Workshop was conceived as an open space for conversation and presentation, in which both completed films and projects in the process of being made were introduced. At the centre were five film projects by Dagesh artists: works by Irina Dzhus (ANTICON), Matan Tal (My Sister Shira), Marccela Moreno (Shemira), Ron Segal (ADAM) and Soso Dumbadze (Ein Zufall). The workshop discussion was moderated by Dagesh curator Daniel Laufer together with Dagesh programme associates Alisa Gadas, Paulina Schmid and Yana Lemberska.
Polyphony as an artistic principle
The five works presented differ markedly in language, aesthetics, genre and thematic approach. Essay film, animation, documentary forms, performance and conceptual works stood side by side and opened up different perspectives on memory, identity, migration, the body, language and loss. It was precisely in this multiplicity of perspectives that the format pointed to the multilingualism and polyphony within the Dagesh network. The films and conversations also addressed the artists’ personal experiences in Germany and Europe following 7 October 2023. Throughout, reference was repeatedly made to the significance of Dagesh as a network and platform for Jewish artists, enabling exchange, visibility and solidarity.
Encounter and exchange within the context of network work
Afterwards, artists and network members gathered for the Dagesh network meeting in the rooms of the Nordic Embassies. Over coffee and cinnamon rolls, they exchanged views on current projects, future plans and Jewish perspectives in contemporary film and other art forms. The meeting offered younger filmmakers in particular the opportunity to engage with established artists and forge new connections within the network.
In addition, a shared visit to the official festival opening at the Hans-Otto-Theater in Potsdam enabled encounters and conversations among numerous network members. Participants also attended further events of the JFBB Pro programme, including Talents – Projects – Perspectives, which offered insights into current film and series projects in development and production, and likewise featured works by Dagesh artists, among them Ido Gotlib, Shira Kela and Shoshana Simon.
With the Dagesh Workshop and the network meeting, Dagesh successfully continued its work to create visibility, foster exchange and support artistic networking among Jewish artists in contemporary art. The format once again pointed to the diversity of artistic positions and individual modes of storytelling within the network, and created a space for thinking together, working together and initiating future collaboration.
We would like to thank the JFBB for the fruitful cooperation, the Nordic Embassies for their warm hospitality, and all artists, filmmakers and interested parties for this important exchange across disciplines, experiences and ideas.
Particularly in the face of dramatic social polarisation, making Jewish voices and positions in contemporary art visible and strengthening them is a matter of real importance. For this, we also thank the Stiftung EVZ for the ongoing support of our network work.
