DocuNation - the online screening project - was established in March 2020, right at the outbreak of COVID-19, by Yonatan Nir and Almog Gurevich. Its initial purpose was to help and comfort those in isolation and the sick, to bring hearts together, and to spread goodness through documentary cinema during that difficult time. COVID-19 has passed, but the project continues to run once a week without interruption since then, with over 750,000 viewers and more than 140 Israeli creators having participated.

The central purpose of DocuNation was and remains to bring hearts together, to discover and share good and beneficial content, and to illuminate Israeli society in all its different shades, in a light of compassion and love for humanity - through documentary films and meetings with their creators. We also engage extensively with the question - how can audiovisual creation support growth processes from pain and healing from trauma - based on the concept of docutherapy.

Registration for events is open to the general public, payment is optional and according to each person's ability and willingness. All interested individuals are welcome to participate in the screenings and meetings with the creators and to share further. Support for the project is shared with the specific filmmaker whose film you choose to support.

Yes! DocuNation operates according to the Dana model, a Sanskrit word meaning giving with generosity of heart - in our Hebrew, this is called "true kindness." Therefore, everyone at DocuNation can choose whether, how much, and when to pay. The goal is to enable every person access to quality, heart-connecting content, regardless of their current financial ability. We certainly appreciate all support - small and large alike. Your support helps creators and Israeli documentary filmmaking, and enables us to continue making quality content with positive social value accessible to the general public.

To participate, choose from the available English screening events displayed on this page and register at the bottom of the page to receive an email with the required details. Currently, we offer one English event at a time, and as demand and audience grow, we will increase the frequency of screenings. The available event will always appear on this page. On the screening day, you can watch the film and the live meeting with the creators, or watch the film and the recorded meeting while it's available for viewing.

Absolutely! The meetings take place in a Zoom webinar format, so viewers are not visible on screen and communication with the creators happens only through chat. During the meeting, you can type questions in the chat, and the creators will answer the questions that are raised. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the creative process and gain unique insights from the creators themselves, all in an intimate and respectful atmosphere. We always recommend attending the live meeting, but if you missed it, all meetings are recorded. Since we know we can't find a time that's convenient for everyone, the recording is available. And of course, if you couldn't participate live due to time zone differences and would like us to pass a question to the creators, you're always welcome to email us.

The recording of the meeting with the creators will be available for viewing for a limited time, and the link to the recording will be updated on the same page where you watch the film. This way you can watch the recording after the live screening, if you missed it or want to revisit the meeting. You can see in the screenshot above exactly where ^

In accordance with creators' rights - each film is available for viewing for a limited time only, after which it is removed from the site. Therefore, it's important to pay attention to the viewing times published on each film page. Sometimes you may find the films screened in our project on other platforms, but our goal is to provide access to content that may not be available elsewhere, so it's best not to miss out. Our purpose is not only to enable film viewing but also to learn about the creative process through conversations with the creators.

Viewing of films screened in the DocuNation project is time-limited, as we are bound by copyright restrictions for each film. After a defined period, we are required to remove them from our platform, and at that point, we no longer have access to the films ourselves. Therefore, it's important to pay attention to the viewing times indicated on each film's page and to register and watch them in advance.

In the vast majority of cases, the answer is yes! The films screened in the project are available for viewing from anywhere in the world without geographical restrictions. If you have family/friends living abroad - introduce them to our project. We have a parallel platform that has been running in Hebrew for five years, but recently we've expanded to English as well. The more people we reach - the more screenings there will be!

We encourage our audience to spread the word about DocuNation among their friends and close circle. To join our mailing list, simply register for any of the upcoming screenings on the website. You can share posts on social media, follow our Instagram page for screening updates, and sign up for our newsletter - once you register for any event, you'll receive updates about future events. You can forward our newsletter to friends as is, or share the link to our registration page (click here to go to this page). This way we can reach more and more viewers and spread the guiding principles of DocuNation: love of humanity and nature, compassion, humanity, and acceptance of others and diversity.

DocuNation operates according to the Dana principle - a Sanskrit word meaning giving with generosity of heart. We provide this service regularly, whatever it takes - and you support according to your willingness and ability, and share further if you enjoyed it. Because of the way the project operates - its existence is not guaranteed. If you enjoyed the experience and are interested in supporting the project and the creators' work, thereby ensuring its future existence - you can donate any amount you choose on the film page or on the project's general donations page. Currently, there's an option to support through PayPal, and we hope to soon open additional options (this is a technical matter). Your support enables us to continue bringing inspiring films and heart-connecting meetings to the general public, and to strengthen the community that has been built around it.

Very simple! All you need to do is choose the available screening event displayed on the page, scroll to the bottom of the page and register using the registration form. After registration, you'll receive an email with all the details needed for viewing, including the link to the film and the live meeting with the creators. On the screening day, you can watch the film and the meeting live, or access the recording that will be available for a limited time.

Sometimes it takes a few minutes for the email to arrive. If you still haven't found the email after waiting, it's worth checking folders like "Spam" or "Promotions" first – sometimes emails end up there by mistake. If it's still not found, you can contact us via email at office@yonatannir.com and we'll make sure to send you the details again as soon as possible.

Check the volume on your device – make sure the speakers are working and the volume is turned up. Check the volume on the YouTube or Vimeo player – sometimes the sound in the interface itself is lowered or muted (speaker icon with X). Make sure there's no connection to wireless headphones or another audio device that might be connected and preventing playback on the device you're watching on. Refresh the page or try restarting the film – sometimes refreshing the connection solves sound issues.

If the film freezes during the screening, try the following steps to improve viewing quality: Check your internet connection – make sure you're connected to a stable and fast network. Sometimes, refreshing the connection or reconnecting to the network can improve streaming. Connect via mobile hotspot – if your home internet isn't stable, you can try connecting through your mobile phone as a temporary hotspot. Lower the video quality – on YouTube and Vimeo you can choose streaming quality (for example 720p or 480p). If the film is freezing, lowering the quality can help improve streaming. Try watching from another device – sometimes freezing is related to the device itself, so viewing from another device (such as phone, tablet, or another computer) might solve the problem. Close other applications – heavy applications or additional internet connections might slow down speed. Closing them might improve viewing. Try a different browser – sometimes switching to another browser (like Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari) can solve streaming freeze issues.

If you're seeing black squares instead of videos, there might be content blocking on your home internet (for example, parental control filters like "Internet Rimon"). Here are some steps that can help: Remove the blocking selectively – to allow full access to films, you need to remove the content blocking or configure it in a way that allows viewing on the site. Try connecting via mobile hotspot – if your home internet doesn't allow proper viewing, connecting through your mobile network can solve the problem. Try watching from several different devices – sometimes, even after removing the blocking, viewing from another device (such as phone, tablet, or additional computer) can improve the experience. If none of this helps - please contact your internet service provider for assistance.

Click here to add the screening calendar to your Google calendar. After adding the calendar, all screenings will automatically appear in your Google calendar, and you can receive reminders and stay updated.

If you want to remove the screening calendar from Google, follow these steps: Go to your Google Calendar in your browser. In the left section, under "Other calendars," find the name of the screening calendar. Click on the three dots next to the calendar name and select "Remove calendar". Confirm the removal when asked if you're sure. The calendar will be removed from your view and will no longer appear in your Google calendar.