Israfest Goals and Objectives

The mission of the Israfest Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 1982, is to introduce American audiences to Israeli Rims, provide an intercultural exchange through the powerful medium of film, and showcase lsrael's growing film industry and rich potential for American-Israeli co-production.

In the past eleven years, the Israel Film Festival has shown more than 220 films to over 300,000 moviegoers on both coasts. It has brought 120 Filmmakers to introduce their films and speak with audience members.

This year's festival promises to provide the same high level of artistic merit and thought provoking entertainment through the presentation of 20 powerful films in 30 days of showings in New York and Los Angeles.

This year, the IsraFest Foundation is adding a third city to the Festival -- Tel Aviv -- where we are launching an important new educational project as part of the Festival. Beginning on February 10, 1996, the Israel Film Festival will hold the first American Film and TV Symposium -- a four day seminar at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque on production, co-production, finance, marketing, advertising, distribution, TV sitcom and dramas and interactive future media. This exciting symposium will feature entertainment industry experts who will travel to Israel to expand the knowledge of a broad cross-section of Israel's film and television industry by sharing their success stories and industry techniques.

For three days in Tel Aviv this symposium will offer a tremendous opportunity for anyone who has ever produced or desires to produce or create film/television product. With the establishment of new co-production funds by the Government of Israel Ministry of Trade and Industry, opportunities are arising that never existed for international film co-production. This symposium will enable all who participate to experience and acquire knowledge that could only be attained by working in the United States.

In the coming years, the Israel Film Festival plans much growth and expansion. In addition to providing the some artistic excellence it is known for, the Festival has outlined a number of goals for its second decade:

• Expand the festival to more films in more major cities in the United States and Canada with stimulating post film discussions between audience and directors.
  

• Promote Israeli films on a worldwide scale, with increased distribution and release outside of Festival showings.
  

• The launch of the festival in the WWW is proof of this commitment
  

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