“Bridging The Borders with 88 Keys (52 White and 36 Black)” Israeli pianist/keyboardist,composer, producer, and vocalist, Idan Raichel, dreams of uniting nations by building bridges made out of 88 Keys across to Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine with the hopes of allowing world musicians the freedom to unite, join forces, and perform together without conflict, mistrust, and political red tape, while respecting one another’s cultural diversifications. The musician places importance on the fa...

The saga of early Israeli cinema is the saga of selfless heroes building a nation, both onscreen and off. Glimpse these mythical creatures in A History of Israeli Cinema, a look back at the country’s 70 plus years of moviemaking. Raphaël Nadjari’s two-part documentary will have its American premiere at the Israel Film Festival (December 5-13 in New York), which has overlapped with 24 of those years.As if to underscore how far the national film culture has come from since its birth, 2009 IFF...

By Maria Esteves - November 23, 2009 The 24th Israel Film Festival 2009 in New York (NYIFF09) will be held at the SVA Theatre (333 West 23 St.), December 5 - 13, 2009. The festival presented by IsraFest Foundation, Inc., in association with the Consulate General of Israel in New York, annually showcase the largest of Israeli cinema. This year's festival lineup includes over 28 Israeli Academy Award winning and nominee features, documentaries, and student shorts, along with panel discussions...

The 24th Israel Film Festival, the largest showcase of Israeli films in the United States will open on Saturday, December 5, 2009 and continue through December 13 at the SVA Theater (333 W. 23rd St.).   Opening night will find celebrated actor Elliott Gould on hand to receive the 2009 IFF Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his tremendous achievements and body of work.  This Academy Award® Nominee has over 200 film and television credits to his name, and is easily re...

By Maria Esteves - February 12, 2009 The 13th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival (NYSJFF) 2009, Opening Night NY Premiere of ZRUBAVEL, directed by Shmuel Beru was held at the Center For Jewish History, Thursday, February 5, 7:00 PM.  A special performance by Israeli actress/singer "Meskie" and Q&A session with director Shmuel Beru preceded the Opening Night Reception. Presented by the American Sephardi Federation/Sephardic House and Yeshiva University Museum; sponsored by...

Concluding on January 29th after a two week run at Lincoln's Center Walter Read Theater and other venues, the 18th annual Jewish Film Festival presented 32 features and shorts from 17 countries. Covering aspects of past and present Jewish (and Israeli) experience, most of these productions had their New York premiere. Among the about 60 Jewish Film Festivals in the United States, the New York festival is rather influential and trend setting given its location and a captive Jewish audience. T...

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) today announced its film selections and schedule for the ninth annual celebration of Jewish life and culture through film. The festival, running from January 14-25, 2009 features 48 visually-stunning and evocative Jewish films that would otherwise not be available on the big screen in Atlanta. The films represent 20 nations and deliver the broad human relations mission of the American Jewish Committee, presenter of the AJFF. From Argentina to Spain, from I...

By Maria Esteves - November 22, 2008 The 23rd Israel Film Festival (IFF) in New York celebrating Israel's 60th Anniversary New York Premiere of THE LITTLE TRAITOR written/directed/produced by Lynn Roth was held at the Clearview Cinema, Saturday, November 1, 7:45 PM. 2008 IFF celebrating Israel's 60th Anniversary historical selection of THE LITTLE TRAITOR is an outstanding, heartfelt, and genuine family film based on the relationship between Proffi (Ido Port) a young Polish Jew and ...

The round-table discussion “Division and Unity: Cinema in the Middle East” took place on Tuesday, November 18th at Stavros Tornes theatre, as part of the 49th Thessaloniki’s International Film Festival spotlight on Middle Eastern cinema. According to Dr. Hassan Βadawy, professor of History and Archeology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Middle East is a land of extremities, of faith in faithlessness, of being dogmatic about being non-dogmatic. ‘The major question for filmmakers ...

The 23rd Israel Film Festival closed its most successful engagement in its history of presenting events in New York, Los Angeles and Miami on Thursday, November 13th in New York with the announcement by Meir Fenigstein, Founder and Executive Director of the IFF, of the winner of the coveted PANAVISION AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD to THE SECRETS, written and directed by Avi Nesher and produced by Nesher and David Silber. THE SECRETS, the Festival’s Closing Night film, will be released in NY by Monter...

The 23rd Israel Film Festival closed its most successful engagement in its history of presenting events in New York, Los Angeles and Miami on Thursday, November 13th in New York with the announcement by Meir Fenigstein, Founder and Executive Director of the IFF, of the winner of the coveted PANAVISION AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD to THE SECRETS, written and directed by Avi Nesher and produced by Nesher and David Silber. THE SECRETS, the Festival’s Closing Night film, will be released in NY by Monter...

By Maria Esteves  The 20th Israel Film Festival (IFF) held at the Clearview Cinema in New York, October 14-28, 2004, successfully celebrated 20 years presenting the best films and filmmakers from Israel. Attendees in record numbers gathered daily to purchase IFF tickets. Israel Film Festival Founder/Executive Director Meir Fenigstein was interviewed in New York on Sunday, October 31, 2004. Q: What inspired you to move from music to film? MF: I was born in Tel Aviv, Decemb...

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.Danny DeVito, Irwin Winkler and Edward Zwick will be honored at the 23rd edition of the festival at New Yo...

Opening November 5 and continuing through November 16, the 20th annual Boston Jewish Film Festival reveals a new era of directors – from Generation X. These directors explore age-old issues surrounding the worldwide Jewish community, from the Holocaust to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – and offer surprising and fresh insights and angles.“Gen X had its childhood in the 1980’s, a time of relative peace and affluence. Gen X grew up with the Cold War drawing to a close, Israel raising it...

Lemon Tree  Thursday, October 16-----The Hamptons International Film Festival, which kicked off its five-day cinema celebration last evening, will toast the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel with a program focusing on contemporary films and filmmakers from the Holy Land. LEMON TREE (Israel, East Coast Premiere) directed by Eran Riklis, will be the Opening Night Film of the Israel at 60 Program, and East Hampton's Vered Gallery will host a Isr...

The Hamptons International Film Festival, which kicked off its five-day cinema celebration last evening, will toast the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel with a program focusing on contemporary films and filmmakers from the Holy Land. LEMON TREE (Israel, East Coast Premiere) directed by Eran Riklis, will be the Opening Night Film of the Israel at 60 Program, and East Hampton's Vered Gallery will host a Israel at 60 Reception following the film. Other films in the program in...

The 23rd Israel Film Festival will kick off in New York on October 29th at the Ziegfeld Theatre and run through November 13th at the Clearview’s 62nd & Broadway Cinema. Meir Fenigstein, Founder and Executive Director, announced today the full lineup of films for this year’s Festival which showcases more than 30 new feature films, provocative documentaries, ground-breaking TV dramas, and innovative student films celebrating Israeli life and culture. List of films to follow. The Israel Film F...