Good news! We've added a new source of content to this blog, Sapir College's film and television school.

Students from the Sderot-based school will be providing their perspectives on life, the universe and everything. We also plan to bring you some of their media projects on this blog, since the proximity to the violence gives these students a unique learning environment.

For those of you unfamiliar with Sapir and its film/tv school, here's a brief snapshot -

Sapir is the largest public college in Israel and a major economic engine for the region. The film/tv school has grown quickly, and now has an enrollment of over 350 students. The school's annual Cinema South Film Festival is an increasingly high-profile event that highlights the talents of its students, but also draws invited guests and films from around the world. The school prides itself on being egalitarian and inclusive -- among these efforts is their outreach to budding Israeli Arab filmmakers.

And while Sapir and its film school refuse to be defined solely by the Kassam missiles that have taken lives as they have crashed onto the campus, the attacks do take a toll on the students and faculty and keep them from seeing themselves as insulated within an ivory tower. (Read the posting 'Our Parking Lot' for an evocative description of a missile-marred day on campus.)

We welcome Sapir and its students to our blogging team, and our audience that stretches from Israel to North America.

To learn a bit more about Sapir, its film/tv school, and the school's director Avner Faingulernt, check out this article from Roger Clark of The Independent (UK) newspaper.