Articles

Katriel Schory, Executive Director of the Israel Film Fund is honored with the Special Medallion at the 44th Telluride Film Festival.

"Scaffolding" Matan Yairs' debut film, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, ACID Program. Theatrical release in Israel on Nov 9, 2017.

Yoel, a meticulous historian leading a significant debate against holocaust deniers, discovers that his mother carries a false identity. A mystery about a man who is willing to risk everything to discover the truth. Directed and Written by Amichai Greenberg

On Tuesday, 20/2, Katriel Schory received the Berlinale Camera Award for his contribution to Israeli Cinema, World Cinema and particularly European Cinema. Schory was awarded also for his strong commitment to safeguarding creative freedom and expression.

In his first film Eliran Elya portrays a powerful story about Assi, a screenwriter and poet who is sent to work with juvenile delinquents in Beersheba - the desert city in southern Israel - who are under house arrest. Based on true events.

In her third film, Veronica Kedar portrays a family which is unlike anything we would expect. The film brakes all family given definitions and takes the viewers to unexpected places.

All Naftali wants to do is renovate his old studio. The day he brings a Palestinian worker to start the renovation a young woman is assaulted in the small community where Naftali lives. The worker is quickly accused of the assault by the community and Naftali who stands up for his defense finds himself in the middle of a storm which quickly gets out of hand. A comic drama that is very much Israeli but universal at the same time

Three social realist films that were produced in Israel in the last year, focus on teens coming from harsh social backgrounds living in the outscirts of Israeli Society.

Red Fields directed by Keren Yedaya is based on the 80s Anti-War Israeli rock opera “Mami” that generated a cult following. Mami, a young girl from a southern town works at the local gas station until her husband returns severely wounded from the war. She moves with him to Tel Aviv and struggles to survive until a fateful encounter with an eccentric professor changes her life.

Set in Jerusalem in the beginning of the 1980's. Yakov Cohen is a simple religious man that decides to lift his head and fight the discrimination he encounters being a religious "Mizrahi" jew. Against all odds he manages to establish a political party, his life changes as well as the whole political and social reality in Israel.

Three teenagers from Jerusalem decide to sell their kidneys to pay for cosmetic surgery and prom dresses. As a secret uncovers they realize nothing is as it seems. A new film directed by Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit who collaborated and directed the award winning “The Farewell Party”.

Katriel Schory, Executive-Director of the Israel Film Fund will step down from his position by the end of this year after 20 years. He notified the Fund's board of directors early November. During the time Schory has been Executive-Director of the Israel Film Fund more than 300 full-length feature films were approved for production. Schory said that he is stepping down with a sense of accomplishment due to having managed to contribute in a variety of actions to the successful journey Israeli Cinema has taken during his time. He said that among others he is proud of the fact that he managed to promote young and new filmmakers; to green light films that express Israel's cultural diversity; and to have regained Israeli audience trust in Israeli films.

Sameh Zoabi's "Tel Aviv Fire" points a complex, funny and original spotlight on the Israeli Palestinian reality. The Film Premiered at the 2018 Venice Film festival where lead actor Kais Nashif received Best Actor award and has since been screened in leading international film festivals.

A new film for youth and the whole family out now. 13-year-old Yotam is obsessed with flying, but his overprotective mother won’t let him anywhere near planes. When Yotam and his classmate Noa find a rare antique plane in the local junkyard, they team up with Morris, an 80-year-old grumpy loner who used to be a pilot. Together they try to bring the plane back to life, just in time for the annual Air Show.  Lior Cheftez screenwriter and director writes: “I grew up on the films and Tv series of the 80s: Karate Kid, The Goonies, The A – Team, Iron Eagle and Airwolf. These are unrealistic action films with a huge soul that remain sketched in the heart of a child forever. Sky Raiders combines on the one hand the world of flying: a symbolic image of dream fulfillment, braking boundaries and an expression of ultimate freedom and on the other hand the personal journey of the heroes, the challenges and struggles of their adolescence.” “Sky Raiders” is an uplifting adventure feature film for the entire family.

Films From Israel - Israel Focus, Black Nights Film Festival, Tallinn 2022