*Oscar Shortlist - Children No More: “Were and Are Gone” - Director Hilla Medalia

CHILDREN NO MORE: “WERE AND ARE GONE”is an observational documentary short about a vigil that began in March 2025, when a handful of women stood silently in a public square in Tel Aviv, each holding a photograph of a child killed in Gaza. On every image: the child’s name, age, date of death, and the words “WAS AND IS NO MORE.” Their stillness is heavy, pressing against the rhythm of ordinary life. Some passersby look away; others respond with denial, sorrow, or rage. Yet week after week, new names are added, new photographs are printed and lifted high. And each week, more people step forward to join this quiet act of protest. Director Hilla Medalia stops by for a conversation on what kind of an impact are the people bearing witness to the deaths of children are having on the Israeli body politic.Hilla Medalia is a Peabody Award-winning filmmaker whose work has garnered six Emmy® nominations. Her projects have received critical acclaim and screened internationally in theaters and on television including HBO, Netflix, MTV, PBS, BBC and ARTE. Hilla has been awarded the Paris Human Rights Festival Jury Award, Golden Warsaw Phoenix, as well as the jury award at FIPA and more. She is a regular lecturer on the subject of production, directing and crowdfunding. Hilla is a mentor at Ex Oriente and Dok Incubator. She acts as lector and judge at film festivals and forums. Hilla is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the PGA and holds an M.A. from Southern Illinois University.