The
IsraFest
Foundation,
Inc., a
non-profit
organization
founded
in 1982,
created
the
Israel
Film
Festival
to
showcase
Israel's
thriving
film and
television
industry.
The
annual
event
plays a
vital
educational
role in
today's
world,
providing
an
intercultural
exchange
that
advances
tolerance
and
understanding
and
enriches
America's
vision
of
Israel's
impressive
social
and
cultural
diversity.
We honor
some of
the most
talented
writers,
producers
and
directors
who have
become a
creative
force
throughout
the
world,
winning
awards
at
international
film
festivals
from
Sundance
to
Berlin,
Cannes
to
Copenhagen
and
Tokyo to
Toronto.
Each
year, a
Gala
Awards
Dinner
is held
at the
famed
Beverly
Hilton
where
industry
luminaries
are
recognized
for a
lifetime
of
achievement.
A bright
future
is in
store
for this
cinematic
niche as
evidenced
in the
rise of
Israeli
productions
coming
to the
U.S.
where
audiences
are able
to
appreciate
how this
powerful
medium
has
established
and
elevated
the
Jewish
identity.
About
The
Israel
Film
Festival
The
Israel
Film
Festival
has
shown
more
than 800
features
films,
documentaries,
television
dramas
and
short
films to
roughly
900,000
film
enthusiasts.
What
makes
this
annual
event so
unique
is that
is plays
in Los
Angeles,
New York
and
Miami—a
rarity
on the
film
festival
circuit.
Since
debuting
in 1981
with
just
half a
dozen
movies,
the
festival
has
become
one of
the
nation's
leading
foreign
film
festivals
and the
largest
showcase
for
Israeli
films in
the
United
States
as well
as a
launching
pad for
several
notable
U.S.
premieres.
Our
extraordinary
collection
of
stylish
cinema
verite,
gripping
dramas,
thought-provoking
documentaries
and
offbeat
comedies,
including
all
seven
Israeli
films
that
have
been
nominated
for
Academy
Awards,
appeal
to
everyone
from the
most
discerning
film
critic
to
family
audiences.
Festival-goers
are
treated
to a
bird's
eye view
of
spotlight
premieres
in
post-screening
Q&As
with the
filmmakers.
Opening-night
screenings
have
been
held at
the
world-famous
Grauman's
Chinese
Theatre
and
Cinerama
Dome at
the
ArcLight
Hollywood.
The
festival's
founder,
Meir
Fenigstein,
had
stars in
his eyes
when
he was a student at the Boston College of Music, dreaming one day of
starting
an
Israel
film
festival
in the
U.S. to
showcase
his
beloved
country's
celluloid
heroes
and
filmmaking
talent.
Torn
between
music
and
cinema,
he first
pursued
a career
as the
drummer
for
Kavaret
and
later
channeled
the
popular
Israeli
rock
group's
raw
energy
into the
Israel
Film
Festival
for
which
the Tel
Aviv
native
serves
as
Executive
Director.
Over the
years,
Fenigstein
has been
able to
sustain
the
festival
with the
help of
several
key
organizations
that
play an
indispensable
role in
generously
supporting
the
festival
from one
year to
the
next.
They
include
the
Consulate
General
of
Israel
in Los
Angeles,
government
of
Israel,
the
Israel
Film
Fund,
the
Israeli
film and
television
industry
and
Hollywood
community,
as well
as
numerous
businesses,
foundations
and
individuals.
www.israelfilmfestival.com