Festivals & Awards:
Best Film Award at Docaviv 2026 (Student Film Competition): Jury Statement:
''This film touched us from the very first frame and stays with us long after its final moments. Beautifully crafted, every detail was meticulously thought out effortlessly executed on screen, celebrating friendship, wide-eyed love for life, and coming of age in a time of war. During a period of extreme polarization and conflict, we turn back to childhood, to a simpler time when our differences did not define us. When we asked questions out of curiosity and not out of accusation. Remarkably powerful and compassionate at eye-level with its protagonists, this film lives with the hope that we will be able to learn from the future generation, let's all be a little more like Rio and Nafez.''
Director's Statement:
Rio and Nafez is a documentary that follows the unique friendship between a Jewish and an Arab boy growing up in the shadow of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Despite their vastly different backgrounds, the two form a strong, sincere bond that defies stereotypes and political narratives. Over the course of three years, the film documents their relationship and raises a central question: Can such a connection survive in today’s divided reality? Nafez’s complex identity, shaped by his family and upbringing, contrasts with Rio’s, yet this difference becomes a foundation for dialogue and mutual curiosity rather than a barrier. The film is shot from the children’s perspective, with the camera placed low to reflect their point of view, and uses observational, intimate cinematography. The sound design emphasizes the contrast between their environments, while the music seeks to build a shared emotional space. As a Jewish filmmaker and the mother of one of the boys, I bring a personal and reflective lens. The film does not aim to offer answers, but to present a rare and hopeful human connection that challenges the harshness of the current reality and invites viewers to see the possibility of coexistence through the eyes of children.
Mayan Ninio
