About the project

The "Light and Shadow" Project

The "Light and Shadow" project is a unique initiative by the Media and Communication Technologies Department at the Israeli Ministry of Education. It brings together a series of final documentary films created by 12th-grade students from across the country. The project comprises ten films: one central film examining the consequences of the disaster on the education system, and nine films presenting harrowing personal stories. The project’s goal is to shine a spotlight on the deep psychological scars left by the events of October 7th on students and educators, as perceived through the eyes of the younger generation.

The project’s uniqueness lies in its dual perspective: the films reveal the stories of families who experienced loss and anxiety, but they do so through the eyes of the student-creators. These teenagers, standing on the threshold of their enlistment in the IDF, use cinematic language as a tool for processing, understanding, and emotional connection. The result is a mature and direct body of work that fuses national pain with a poignant personal gaze.

At the end of two years of intensive work, the students have not only acquired cinematic skills but have also undergone a journey of identity formation and maturation. They have become the storytellers of this era, using art to shine points of "light" and hope upon the heavy "shadow" cast by the disaster. Beyond its documentary value, the project serves as a basis for educational and ethical discussion; to this end, dedicated lesson plans have been developed to accompany the viewing and invite deep discourse regarding the dilemmas arising from the films.

Credits:

Yossi Bar David – Head of Discipline, Ministry of Education
Uri Shidursky – Lead Director
Tiki Bar Chen Harel – Production Manager
Gila Shalev – Project Producer
Elian Lazovsky – Research
Dr. Sharon Lifshitz Ashvaga – Psychological Support
Itay Ben Tal – Digital & Website
Shlomo Hazan – Chief Editor
Elrom – Film Translation/Subtitling