ATESIB! is based on four core values: 
Representation - African cinema is not a single entity, but a continent with diverse populations and many cultural treasures.
Presence – ​​In Israel, people of African descent are eager to hear their authentic voice. The festival presents blackness comfortable in its own skin, as an act of human compassion and activism.
Social Justice – ATESIB! Festival advocates, strives, and initiates egalitarian discourse and social and cultural justice by focusing on the experience of blackness as a locally-specific and global experience.
To Correct and to Heal - cinema as a tool for healing and communication between groups - intra-group conversation (between Africans and their surroundings) alongside a productive dialogue with the general public - and as a highly influential means of eradicating racism and division.