New Fund for Cinema and Television

New Fund for Cinema and Television
Name	New Fund for Cinema and Television
Established	1990
Headquarters	Tel Aviv
Region served	Israel

New Fund for Cinema and Television.

The New Fund for Cinema and Television is an Israeli film and television funding body associated with independent production, public broadcasting, and cultural policy. It operates within networks of Israeli film festivals, international co-productions, public cultural institutions, and advocacy groups to support narrative film, documentary, and television works. The Fund interacts with broadcasters, foundations, and producers across Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and international markets such as Cannes, Berlin, and Toronto.

Overview

The Fund functions as a grantmaker and co-producer, connecting filmmakers with entities such as Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Jerusalem Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Rotterdam Film Festival, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, SXSW, IDFA, Tribeca Film Festival, BFI, Arte, ZDF, BBC, HBO, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Kan, Keshet, Reshet, Yes (satellite television), Ishai Golan, Gal Gadot, Ari Folman, Joseph Cedar, Amos Gitai, Ronit Elkabetz, Eran Kolirin, Nadav Lapid, Samuel Maoz, Shira Geffen, Rafi Pitts, Yuval Adler, Mati Diop, Wim Wenders, Pedro Almodóvar, Ken Loach, Werner Herzog, Jane Campion.

History and Establishment

The Fund was established during a period marked by cultural debates involving Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yitzhak Shamir, Ehud Olmert, Ariel Sharon, Golda Meir, Levi Eshkol, David Ben-Gurion, and civic actors from Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Sapir Academic College, Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Jerusalem Cinematheque, Haifa Cinematheque, Cinematheque Tel Aviv. Early supporters included cultural figures associated with Israel Film Fund, Ministry of Culture and Sport (Israel), Rabinovich Foundation, Mifal HaPais, Sodruzhestvo, Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, Leonard Nimoy, Tal Brody, Dorit Beinisch. Initial projects received attention alongside controversies involving productions related to Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Oslo Accords, Second Intifada, Gaza Strip, West Bank, and discussions at venues like Knesset committees and panels hosted by Association of Israeli Film Critics.

Objectives and Funding Criteria

The Fund prioritizes projects that engage with social themes connected to Israeli society, Palestinian territories, Druze community, Bedouin, Ethiopian Jews in Israel, Russian-speaking immigrants, Mizrahi Jews, Sephardi Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, Holocaust survivors, Yemenite Jews, and topics tied to events such as Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, Camp David Accords, First Lebanon War, Second Lebanon War, Operation Protective Edge, Operation Cast Lead. Selection criteria reference standards used by institutions like European Film Academy, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, César Awards, BAFTA, Goya Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and practices from organizations such as Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Jerusalem Foundation, Getty Foundation, Prince Claus Fund, Rotary Foundation, Wellcome Trust.

Governance and Administration

The Fund is administered by a board and committees that include representatives from bodies like Israeli Screenwriters Guild, Directors Guild of Israel, Producers Association (Israel), New Israel Fund, Histadrut, Tel Aviv Municipality, Jerusalem Municipality, Ministry of Culture and Sport (Israel), Kan 11, BBC Arabic, European Broadcasting Union, Israel Film Archive. Executive leadership has interacted with figures connected to Oded Galor, Giora Kaplan, Amnon Shamosh, Ruth Diskin, Gadi Taub, Anat Maor, Michal Weits, Dorit Beinisch, while coordination often involves legal counsel referencing statutes like Israeli copyright law and contracts familiar to Rothschild family philanthropy and international co-production treaties such as European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production.

Impact and Recipients

Projects funded by the Fund have screened at Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Rotterdam Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and aired on Kan 11, Keshet 12, Reshet 13, HOT (Israel), Yes (satellite television), Arte, ZDF, BBC, HBO. Recipient filmmakers include alumni of Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Tel Aviv University Department of Film and Television, and notable directors such as Ari Folman, Joseph Cedar, Nadav Lapid, Rafi Pitts, Amos Gitai, Eran Kolirin, Samuel Maoz, Shira Geffen. The Fund's portfolio includes fiction, documentary, short films, and television series that have won prizes like the Palme d'Or, Golden Bear, Golden Lion, Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language, and national awards such as Ophir Award.

Criticism and Controversies

The Fund has faced criticism concerning selections involving politics, freedom of expression, and cultural boycotts tied to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, debates in the Knesset, press coverage in Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, Yedioth Ahronoth, Calcalist, and commentary from NGOs such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, B'Tselem, Gisha, Breaking the Silence. Controversies have arisen over funding of productions addressing Israeli–Palestinian conflict, alleged bias involving parties like Likud, Labor Party (Israel), Meretz, Yisrael Beiteinu, Joint List (Israel), and disputes involving distribution channels such as Kan, Yes, HOT.

Future Directions and Reforms

Proposals for the Fund's future include stronger transparency measures modeled on practices from European Film Academy, increased international co-productions with entities like Eurimages, MEDIA Programme (European Union), and partnerships with streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Studios, Apple TV+, while addressing recommendations from cultural policy analysts at Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, The Aspen Institute, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Category:Film organizations in Israel