Forty new Israeli doc projects will be presented to broadcasters, distributors, film funds, and production companies both online and in person during the 28th edition of CoPro, Israel’s leading co-production market. The event will mark “a recommitment to the distinct value of documentary films amidst the instability in the region,” write organisers.
The hybrid market will include a pitching forum, rough-cut and finished film showcases, one-on-one meetings, and the annual documentary conference hosted by CoPro and The Israeli Documentary Forum.
More than 70 international representatives from broadcasting networks, production companies, distributors, and film organizations from around the world have confirmed their participation in the online market, organisers confirm, while representatives from several leading international industry studios and organizations are expected to attend on-site during panels and events in Tel Aviv.
“The 28th CoPro Market arrives at a moment of growing polarization, uncertainty, and conflict around the world,” organisers write. “This year’s line-up reflects both the urgency of the current moment and the increasing international demand for Israeli documentary storytelling, with projects ranging from politically engaged works about coexistence and democracy to intimate character-driven stories with broad global resonance.”
CoPro isolates several featured projects which explore “the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, questions of co-existence, democracy, and peace-building from deeply personal perspectives.”
Among them are Dugri, following the unlikely friendship between an Israeli educator and a Palestinian rapper whose dialogue-driven activism is tested by war and loss; Point of No Return: Israel at the Crossroads of Democracy, an intimate political portrait of former general Yair Golan amid Israel’s democratic crisis; Women of Peace, chronicling Israeli and Palestinian women advocating for reconciliation despite growing hostility; and The Future is Peace, following peace activists Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah as they confront violence and extremism while searching for another path forward. Other projects, including Druzeland and Shalom examine coexistence, identity, and collaboration through unexpected and deeply human stories.
Alongside these politically urgent films, the market will also spotlight “cinematic, character-driven stories with wide international appeal.” These include What Are You Willing to Die For?, set inside the high-speed world of the first women’s motorcycle championship; Heart of the Storm, a visually immersive exploration of storm chasing and emotional healing in America’s Tornado Alley; The Fans Are Mine, following Israel’s most famous OnlyFans creator as she navigates sexuality, family expectations, and digital identity; and The Plot Against the West which follows an investigation uncovering links between the October 2023 anti-Israeli protests in Europe and the decades-long Soviet and Russian disinformation campaign using anti-Zionism to fuel division and instability in the West.
The program also features several powerful films centered on women’s stories and overlooked female figures, including Esther, about legendary singer Esther Ofarim; The Woman in White, uncovering the mysterious life of diplomat and political operator Tamar Golan; Out at Six, examining the hidden dynamics of abusive relationships; and I Am Eyes, about the women soldiers whose warnings before October 7 went unheard.
Pnina Halfon Lang, CoPro’s Executive Director, comments: “In a time of growing polarization, uncertainty, and conflict around the world, we believe the role of culture and cultural institutions is more essential than ever. Documentary cinema has the power not only to reflect reality, but also to create space for complexity, empathy, and meaningful dialogue across borders and perspectives. At CoPro, we remain deeply committed to supporting independent Israeli filmmakers, preserving diverse voices and nuanced storytelling, and continuing to build bridges through culture and creativity.”
“The Israeli documentary film industry has emerged as a major source for top-tier films and content for North American and European distributors,” organisers add. “When CoPro was created 28 years ago it marked a turning point in the Israeli film industry. CoPro has expanded the business potential of Israeli films abroad by promoting and marketing Israeli documentary films in the global market.”
“To date, over 700 co-production and partnership agreements have been signed and more than $45 million dollars have been raised for Israeli productions with CoPro’s assistance,” organisers continue. “CoPro Market is often the first opportunity to connect with projects and filmmakers in person while they are seeking co-production involvement during production stages and before completion, or distribution opportunities before their premieres.”
“For the past 28 years, the CoPro Foundation has been promoting Israeli film and television in the international marketplace by connecting creators with leading industry professionals and decision makers from around the world. The annual CoPro Market has become a key international industry hub, fostering meaningful collaborations, building a strong global network, and generating significant cultural and economic impact.”
CoPro featured projects:
- Dugri. Director: David Blumenfeld. Section: Pitching Forum. Synopsis: Dugri follows two unlikely friends: Israeli educator Uriya Rosenman and Palestinian rapper Sameh Zakout. Through music and raw, unfiltered dialogue – dugri talk – they challenge inherited narratives, sparking a movement and an international tour. But war and personal loss begin to fracture their bond, mirroring the conflict around them.
- What Are You Willing to Die For? Director: Shai Gal. Section: Pitching Forum. Synopsis: The first women’s motorcycle world championship becomes an extreme arena where relationships between fathers and daughters are pushed to their limits. At 250 kilometers per hour, ambition, fears, and emotions unfold on camera, confronting the biggest questions: What are we willing to die for, and what do we live for?
- Point of No Return: Israel at the Crossroads of Democracy. Directors: Tal Inbar, Amit Farbman. Section: Pitching Forum. Synopsis: After rescuing young civilians on October 7, former Israeli general Yair Golan emerged as a fearless voice against Netanyahu’s regime and the war in Gaza. Heading toward the 2026 elections, the film follows his transformation into a major political figure while offering an intimate portrait of a nation on the verge of chaos.
- Heart of the Storm. Directors: Yonatan Nir, Dan Lior. Section: Close Encounters. Synopsis: On the plains of Tornado Alley, filmmaker Dan Lior joins storm chaser Michael Snyder in a six-year pursuit of the perfect tornado. Beneath the world’s strongest storms, buried anxiety, grief, and childhood trauma begin to surface, transforming the journey into a space for reflection, reckoning, and healing.
- I Am Eyes. Directors: Tal Barda, Michal Warshai. Section: Close Encounters. Synopsis: The IDF’s Field Observer Program began as a groundbreaking achievement. Twenty-five years later, it stands as a cautionary tale of institutional failure. Through the eyes of the women who saw everything emerges a story of mission, camaraderie, abandonment, and the price of devotion to a system that failed them.
- Druzeland. Director: Yoav Kleinman. Section: Close Encounters. Synopsis: United by a visionary dream of Druze autonomy, an Israeli activist and a Syrian freedom fighter join forces in the aftermath of the post-Assad massacres and chaos in Syria, launching an inspiring and life-saving mission for their people’s future.
- Women of Peace. Director: Keren Shayo. Section: Close Encounters. Synopsis: At a time when even speaking of peace is often seen as betrayal, a group of Israeli and Palestinian women join forces in pursuit of a long-term solution. Through their eyes, the film reveals the personal price of their choices and the often invisible toll that war takes on women’s lives.
- The Future is Peace. Director: Uri Levi. Section: Rough Cut. Synopsis: In one of the world’s most volatile conflict zones, Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah, a Jew and a Muslim who both suffered devastating personal losses, embark on a journey for peace. Confronting violence, extremism, hatred, and their own doubts, they search for another possibility for how Israelis and Palestinians might exist together.
- The Fans Are Mine. Director: Omer Toib. Section: Rough Cut. Synopsis: Twenty-six-year-old Yarden Lasry, raised in a traditional Jerusalem family, has become Israel’s most famous OnlyFans creator. The film explores whether her provocative online identity can coexist with her desire for love, motherhood, and family life, while examining what it means to live as an adult content creator in the digital age.
- Out at Six. Director: Livi Kessel. Section: Rough Cut. Synopsis: A teenage girl’s relationship with an older man slowly isolates her from everything she knows. Though he never physically hits her, fear permeates their secluded world. Through eight research-based stages that precede intimate partner murder, Out at Six examines the hidden dynamics of abusive relationships.
- Esther. Director: Shaked Goren. Section: Screening Room. Synopsis: Late-night phone calls between Tel Aviv and Hamburg during wartime unravel the story of legendary singer Esther Ofarim. The film explores the price of choosing silence over the spotlight, tracing the myth of an artist who refused to become either a public icon or a national symbol.
- Shalom. Director: Meital Zvieli. Section: Screening Room. Synopsis: Shalom the rhinoceros, a beloved resident of Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo, is cared for by Rushdi, a Palestinian Muslim, and Gilad, an Israeli Jew. As the two navigate disagreements over Shalom’s treatment after an injury, they must also broker peace between two powerful male rhinos sharing a cramped habitat.
- The Woman in White. Director: Emmanuelle Mayer. Section: Screening Room. Synopsis: Behind the scenes of Israel’s foreign policy stood Tamar Golan, a mysterious woman dressed in white who operated in the shadows of diplomacy and power. Was she a Mossad agent, the lover of influential leaders, or a hidden architect of the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt? The film uncovers the forgotten story of a woman erased from history books.
A full list of participating films is available upon request to organisers.
