Empty Room - The State of Israel Vs. Irit and Asher

Israeli Documentaries Competition

  • Archive - Festival 33
  • Director: Shirly Berkovitz
  • Israel 2017
  • 70 minutes
  • Hebrew
  • Subtitles in English

An hour after the army informed Irit and Asher that their son Omri, an officer in the Israeli Navy, had been killed, the grieving parents asked to extract his sperm, and use it to fertilize an egg donation and by using a surrogate mother, create a child they could bring up as parents. This is a truly unique case, and a worldwide precedent.

׳Empty Room׳ is an exceptional personal story raising ethical, scientific and moral questions. A journey of hope, humor and deep sorrow for a bereaved family trying to choose life.


  • Director Shirly Berkovitz
  • Production Shemi Shoenfeld, Amitan Menelzon
  • Co-Producer Shirly Berkovitz
  • Script Shirly Berkovitz
  • Cinematography Shirly Berkovitz, Gonen Glazer
  • Editing Reuven Brodsky
  • Initial Editing Lavi Ben Gal
  • Music Amir Benayoun
  • Sound Design Ronen Nagel
  • Source ComeBack Films, Shirly Berkovitz
  • Produced with support by Yes Docu, Mifal Hapais

Shirly Berkovitz

Filmography: The Good Son (2012), The Way Up (2009), One Hundred Percent (2005)