Controversial Dox

Empty Room

Shirly Berkovitz
Screening time  
26.02. / Tuesday, 22:00 - 00:00 Theatre 4  
27.02. / Wednesday, 15:00 - 17:00 Theatre 5  
After their son is killed during his army service, Irit and Asher asked to extract his sperm and use it to have a child via surrogate. Empty Room raises ethical and scientific questions while taking the audience on a journey of hope and deep sorrow.

Death does not have to be the end. That is what Irit and Aser deeply believe in. Their son Omri was an officer in the Israeli navy who died young, before he had started a family. His parents want to use their son's semen to have a granson. Yet the law is not on their side. The documentary is a record of the parents' struggle with officials and courts, but it also depicts a regular Israeli family whose life is accompanied by the memory of the deceased.

Shirly_berkovitz

Shirly Berkovitz

Shirly Berkovitz was born in 1977 in Tel Aviv, Israel. After graduating in film studies from the Beit Berl Arts College, she directed and produced her first short film Blocked (2004), while her first feature documentary was the film 100% (2005). The documentary The Way Up (2009) won an honorable mention at the TLVFest LGBT Film Festival and The Good Son (2012) was screened at IDFA and many more international film festivals. Empty Room (2017) is her latest documentary.

General sponsor

Heder Rek

Israel
2017, 70'

Directed by:
Shirly Berkovitz

Screenplay by:
Shirly Berkovitz

Cinematography:
Shirly Berkovitz

Edited by:
Reuven Brodsky

Music:
Shirly Berkovitz

Producer:
Shirly Berkovitz

Produced by:
Shirly Berkovitz

Festivals & Awards:

Kraków Film Festival 2017; Haifa International Film Festival 2017