In this episode, we hear from Yonatan Nir who guides us through how documentary film in Israel functions not only as storytelling, but as a therapeutic act. Drawing on his work as a filmmaker and pioneer of docutherapy, he examines what happens when the camera becomes a space for listening, witnessing, and emotional repair.
The conversation moves between the personal and the collective - how individual stories of trauma, memory, and identity intersect with Israel’s broader social reality, and how the process of filming itself can foster healing, insight, and transformation.
This episode looks beyond documentary as art or journalism and asks what it means for film to actively participate in care, resilience, and meaning-making in Israeli society.
As mentioned in the intro to the episode, Yonatan is also the host of DocuNation, an organization that distributes Israeli documentaries for the world to see. You can learn more about DocuNation here.
