Israeli Film and TV festival Seret 2016 was launched at an event attended by Dan Golan, the Minister for Cultural Affairs at the Israeli Embassy in London, and Israeli consul Rachel Shani.

Co-founders of Seret International, Odelia Haroush, Anat Koren and Patty Hochmann, spoke of their pride in the way that the festival has grown: "Now in our fifth year, we have grown in ways that we couldn't possibly have anticipated at the outset.

"Last year, following our success in London, we expanded to other cities in the UK. And outside the UK, Amsterdam and Santiago Chile saw their first Seret International Festivals last year, and this year we will be in Berlin and Zurich."

The programme will be showcasing the work of many new Israeli film makers who have trained at Israel's film schools.

Guests at the Soho Hotel in London saw a screening of A.K.A Nadia, directed by Tova Ascher.

Mr Golan said in a speech that Israeli films and documentaries are being seen by over 1.5 million cinema goers a year outside Israel.

Seret will be running from June 19 -27 in London, Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool.