Animated Short Puts Israel’s Stateless Bedouins on the Record
Maayan Hoffman takes readers to the western Negev, where CoPro—Israel’s Content Marketing Foundation—has launched an Impact Lab using film to drive policy change. Her report centers on “Jamila’s Loop,” a 12-minute black-and-white animated short pre-premiered at the South Film Festival. Created by Idan Levy and Gili Tzlik, both from the Gaza Envelope, the film follows a Bedouin girl who lives in Israel yet remains legally invisible—one of roughly 3,000 stateless Bedouins without ID numbers. No bank account, no college, no easy path beyond a cash-only job: The loop tightens every step she takes toward a normal life.
Animation is the filmmakers’ workaround, shielding real people who fear exposure while giving the story a stark, hand-drawn force. Levy and Tzlik say the project grew from years of quiet outreach to a community that cannot be filmed without risk. The result asks a blunt question: What does belonging mean if the state won’t acknowledge you?
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Hoffman situates the film in a broader push by CoPro’s “Shorts for Change” program, produced with the Western Negev Regional Authority Cluster and the Negev Foundation, to pair artistry with advocacy. New shorts from the lab also reckon with the trauma of Oct. 7 and its aftermath. CoPro has precedent: A prior project, “In the Name of the Father,” helped end illegal child marriages for the first time in 40 years and spurred an interministerial committee at the Ministry of Welfare.
This piece is not just about one production; it’s about a strategy to turn on-screen empathy into action—training creators to work with ministries, NGOs, and public institutions so stories reach decision-makers. Read Maayan Hoffman’s full article for the scenes, voices, and policy stakes a summary can’t contain—and for why the filmmakers believe “Jamila’s Loop” could push authorities to recognize those still unseen in Israel today and beyond.
