Our film programmes help connect new audiences in Israel with the best of British filmmaking, and through film, with life in contemporary Britain and beyond. We work with film professionals in Israel, the UK and internationally to support and develop the film industry. Opportunities for professionals to meet and exchange ideas help generate new collaborations, greater creativity and foster the next generation of filmmakers.
There is lots happening in Spring 2009 in Israeli cinema and through BIARTS film specialists from the UK are participating in the following:
Filmmaker Sean McAllister will present his film "Japan: A Story of Love and Hate" within the international competition. After the screenings, Mr. McAllister will talk about the film and take questions from the audience.
The BBC's "It's not easy being Green", presenter Dick Strawbridge will be the special guest of the festival and will be involved in a panel discussion.
This year’s event will focus on Cross Platform Documentaries. Aaqil Ahmed, Commissioning Editor of Religion for Channel 4 Television is coming to Israel to participate in this event and be presented with dozens of Israeli documentaries open for co-production.
For details of dates and venues, visit our events calendar.
As part of our British Season 2009 , we presented a programme of some of the best of the UK’s new films, as well as a retrospective of Harold Pinter and Joseph Losey’s acclaimed productions.
We developed a special programme of archive material from the British Mandate period in Palestine as part of our British Film Festival 2008 to mark the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the State of Israel. In 2009, we developed this with partners to present Mandatory, a unique screening with new live music from British and Israeli musicians.
For the last ten years we have worked with partners in Israel to bring some of the UK’s finest professional filmmakers to Israel for workshops with the Israeli industry and film students. Guests in 2008 included the director Peter Greenaway and the actor Joseph Fiennes at the 24th international Haifa Film Festival, and the director Michael Winterbottom at the 25th Jerusalem Film Festival. Producer Sandy Lieberson developed an intensive 3 day workshop for students at Sam Spiegel Film and Television School as part of our British Season 2009 [link]. A new initiative with the Israel Film Fund will develop a professional network of filmmakers from Israel, Turkey, Serbia and the UK as part of our Creative Collaboration programme
We also work with Israeli partners to help raise awareness of Israel’s achievements in film. In 2008, we supported a delegation of Israeli filmmakers at the UK Jewish Film Festival through our BI ARTS programme. This provided a unique forum for Israeli and UK film professionals to meet and discuss exhibition and distribution opportunities for Israeli films in the UK.
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