Your family story —
told in a documentary film
Preserve the voices you never want to lose
“I wish I talked to my grandma when she was around — her story of emigration was brilliant, but nobody knows it now.”
“I must record my dad’s story. He was a fighter jet pilot — I'd love my kids to hear it someday.”
I often hear these thoughts from people who care about their family history.
I felt the same way. I began interviewing my mom, my aunt, and other family members about their lives. To this day, I film yearly interviews with my children.
Eventually, I began helping other families preserve their stories too.
Together, we can preserve your family's stories so future generations hear them directly from the people who lived them.
What you receive
The result of our collaboration is a private documentary film created with your family and for your family. Combining interviews, family archives, and scenes from everyday life, it becomes a unique heirloom that future generations can return to again and again.
Examples of my work
Most family documentaries remain private.
The clips below demonstrate my approach to telling personal stories through documentary film.
A Tiny Cobweb on the Window Frame (2025)
A posthumous documentary portrait of painter Vyacheslav Shraga exploring his life, relationships, and artistic obsession through interviews with people who knew him and his work.
Commissioned by: Tobias Hauri, art collector.
Role: Full production cycle — research, interviews, filming, archives gathering, story development, editing.
Watch the full movie here.
Gomel – Leningrad – Gomel, And Still Leningrad (2019)
Wartime memories of Alla Zhilinsky who spent her childhood in besieged Leningrad.
Commissioned by: Zhilinsky family.
Role: Full production cycle — research, interviews, filming, archives gathering, story development, editing.
That’s Life (2023)
A documentary portrait of a couple created for their 50th wedding anniversary. Through interviews and archival materials, the film explores a lifetime of partnership and the experiences that shaped their lives together.
Commissioned by: The C. family
Role: Full production cycle — research, interviews, filming, archival research, story development, and editing.
From the Families I’ve Filmed
I work with families from all walks of life. Some feel a little nervous before we start: Will my loved ones feel at ease? Will they look and sound like themselves? Here’s what they say afterward…
Michelle: “I had the pleasure of working with Arik Shraga who prepared a documentary in honor of my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. We received a movie that is now a treasured testament to our family’s history and a message for future generations.”
Tobias: “Arik Shraga is committed, reliable, professional, and easy to talk to. He is excellent at interviewing and quickly earns his subjects’ trust. He produces material that is a joy to watch.”
Making documentary personal
The person behind Film a Family is Arik Shraga, an Israel-based documentary filmmaker and photographer.
For more than a decade, he has been documenting people's lives and stories through photography, interviews, and film. His work has taken him to hundreds of families and communities, creating projects for organizations such as JDC and IFCJ as well as private family clients.
Film a Family grew out of a belief that the stories of ordinary people matter. Through documentary filmmaking, Arik helps families preserve the memories, voices, and life lessons that might otherwise be lost with time.
How your film comes to life
Every family’s story is unique, and so is the way I treat yours. My process is collaborative, transparent and straighforward. Even if you’ve never been on camera before, I’ll make sure you feel comfortable and in control the entire time.
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Once you reach out, we begin a friendly conversation — online or offline — to learn about your family, your story, and what you hope to capture.
I work comfortably in English, Hebrew, Ukrainian and Russian.Planning
Together, we’ll choose locations, topics, the people to interview, and which archival photos or videos to include.Interview Preparation
You’ll receive my interview questions in advance — so we can gently avoid sensitive areas and feel fully at ease before we begin.
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Filming is calm and unobtrusive — often in your home, garden, or a place that matters most.
Interviews feel like relaxed one-on-one conversations, not staged or posed.
Travel within Israel is included, and filming abroad or via video call is always possible. -
Once filming is complete, I carefully edit the interviews, candid moments, and family archives into a cinematic story — with sound design and color grading that make it shine.
When the final cut is approved by the family, you’ll receive your Legacy Film — ready to share now and to treasure for generations.You may also choose to add:
Uncut Interviews — lightly edited, complete conversations for a family archive.
Family Photo Session — candid portraits to complement your film.
Delivery & Storage. Your film is stored securely in a private cloud and on a custom flash drive designed to last. Your story won’t be trapped in an online service that could vanish — it’s preserved in formats meant for the long term.
Privacy. Your film belongs to you. It remains completely private unless you decide to share it.
Types of Family Films
Life Lessons Film
A Life Lessons film is a documentary portrait centered on one person's story told in their own words. Through a filmed conversation, family photographs, and carefully crafted editing, it preserves memories, reflections, and life lessons for future generations.
Includes
Discovery and planning session
Story preparation and interview design
One filmed interview in the participant's home or a location of their choice
Integration of family archives
Professional post-production
Private delivery
Finished Film
15–20 minutes
Timeline
Approximately 1 month from project confirmation to delivery of the finished film.
Investment
Starting at ₪4,200
Best For
Families who want to preserve the story and voice of a loved one while they can still tell it in their own words.
Tribute Film
A Tribute film celebrates a person's life through their own story and the voices of those closest to them. By weaving together personal memories, family reflections, and archival materials, it becomes both a documentary portrait and a meaningful gift.
Includes
Discovery and planning session
Story and interview preparation
One filming session for interviews and scenes from everyday life.
Up to 3 additional interviews with family members or close friends
Integration of family photographs and archival materials
Professional post-production
Private delivery
Finished Film
30–40 minutes
Timeline
Approximately 8–10 weeks from project confirmation to delivery of the finished film.
Investment
Starting at ₪8,500
Best For
70th, 80th, and 90th birthdays, wedding anniversaries, memorial projects, and other occasions that bring family and friends together to honor someone's life.
Family Legacy Film
A Family Legacy film preserves the story of a family across generations. Through interviews with multiple family members, archival materials, and documentary storytelling, it captures not only individual memories but the relationships, experiences, and values that connect them. The result is a one-of-a-kind heirloom that preserves a family's history, identity, and shared experiences for future generations.
Includes
Discovery and planning session
Story research and development
Multiple filming sessions across multiple locations for interviews and scenes from everyday life.
Family archives integration
Professional post-production
Private delivery
Archival version of full interviews with technical cleanup
Finished Film
30–60 minutes
Timeline
12–18 weeks from project confirmation to delivery of the finished film.
Investment
Starting at ₪14,500
Best For
Families seeking to preserve their shared history, migration stories, family businesses, multi-generational experiences, or the memories that connect children, parents, and grandparents.
Time Capsule Series
A long-term documentary project that captures life as it unfolds.
Most family documentaries look back. A Time Capsule looks forward.
Once a year, we record a conversation with a child, parent, couple, or family. Over time, these interviews become a remarkable record of changing voices, personalities, hopes, fears, and perspectives.
The questions may stay the same, but the answers never do.
Years later, you receive the resulting film life in progress.
Includes
Annual planning conversation
One filmed interview session per year (up to 90 minutes)
Consistent interview structure from year to year
Integration of family photographs and archival materials
Annual delivery of a professionally edited film
Secure archival storage of all recordings
Organization of the growing archive
Long-Term Result
After several years, the recordings become a unique documentary record of a life in progress. Families may choose to commission a final Time Capsule film that weaves together moments, reflections, and memories from across the entire project.
Investment
Starting at ₪3,000 per year,
with minimal commitment of 3 years.