Non-Israeli soldiers who serve in the Israeli army are known as Lone Soldiers. At any given time, there are between 4,000 and 6,000 such soldiers who serve as part of the Israeli Defense Force.  

How and why does a non-Israeli come to the decision to fight for another country? Many would never even entertain the thought of voluntarily entering such a hostile region, yet every year an increasing number of non-Israelis choose to enlist.

This week's doc-in-progress, Lone Soldier follows an international group of new cadets through the four and a half months of basic training and examines how they cope. The filmmakers plan to keep filming, as their subjects move to active combat roles. The film also surveys the history of foreigners in the IDF and how they are viewed within Israel and the country's they come from.

To find out more about the film and filmmakers Tamir Elterman and David Alexander, check out Three Cities Productions.

If you're a documentary filmmaker with a project in the works, send a link to grittv (at) grittv.org with GOT DOCS in the subject line.