Film Screening | Workshop Discussion | Network Gathering as part of JFBB Pro
The Dagesh workshop at the Jewish Film Festival Berlin Brandenburg 2026 once again demonstrated that contemporary Jewish art is multi-voiced, multilingual, and multifaceted. This diversity requires spaces that make it visible and strengthen it: outwardly within society, and inwardly as places of encounter, exchange, and solidarity.
As part of the Jewish Film Festival Berlin Brandenburg 2026 (JFBB), Dagesh once again presented its own program format within JFBB Pro. The Dagesh workshop took place on May 6, 2026, at Felleshus | the Nordic Embassies’ Community House in Berlin.
As an industry platform, JFBB Pro is aimed at filmmakers, producers, and representatives of the film industry from Germany and the international context. It serves as a space for exchange on Jewish themes in film, current social debates, and new artistic perspectives — this year with a special focus on Nordic-Jewish perspectives.
The Dagesh workshop was conceived as an open space for conversation and presentation, where both completed films and works in progress were introduced. The focus was on 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 (A Coincidence). The workshop discussion was moderated by Dagesh curator Daniel Laufer together with Dagesh coordinators Alisa Gadas, Paulina Schmid, and Yana Lemberska.
The five presented works differed significantly in language, aesthetics, genre, and thematic approach. Essay film, animation, documentary forms, performance, and conceptual works stood side by side, opening up diverse perspectives on memory, identity, migration, the body, language, and loss. It was precisely this multiplicity of perspectives that highlighted the multilingual and multi-voiced nature of the Dagesh network.
The projects and discussions also addressed the filmmakers’ personal experiences in Germany and Europe after October 7, 2023. Again and again, participants emphasized the importance of Dagesh as a network and platform for Jewish artists that enables exchange, visibility, and solidarity.
Following the workshop, artists and network members gathered for the Dagesh network meeting in the spaces of the Nordic Embassies. Over coffee and cinnamon buns, they exchanged ideas about current projects, future plans, and Jewish perspectives in contemporary film and other artistic genres. The gathering especially offered younger filmmakers the opportunity to connect with established artists and build new relationships within the network.
In addition, attending the festival’s official opening ceremony together at Potsdam’s Hans Otto Theater created further opportunities for encounters and conversations among network members. Participants also attended additional JFBB Pro events, including Talents – Projects – Perspectives, which offered insights into current film and series projects in development and production and also featured works by Dagesh artists, including Ido Gotlib, Shira Kela, and Shoshana Simon.
With the Dagesh workshop and network gathering, Dagesh successfully continued its work of creating visibility, fostering exchange, and strengthening artistic connections among contemporary Jewish artists. Once again, the format highlighted the diversity of artistic positions and individual narratives within the network while creating a space for collective thinking, collaboration, and the initiation of future projects.
We would like to thank JFBB for the excellent cooperation, the Nordic Embassies for their warm hospitality, and all artists, filmmakers, and participants for this important exchange between disciplines, experiences, and ideas.
Especially in times of dramatic social polarization, making Jewish voices and perspectives in contemporary art visible and strengthening them remains an important commitment. We are also deeply grateful to the EVZ Foundation for its continued support of our network activities.
