Sam Spiegel Film and Television School explained

Sam Spiegel Film and Television School
Native Name:בית הספר סם שפיגל לקולנוע ולטלוויזיה
Address:Menora St. 3, Jerusalem, Israel
Established:1989
Years:4
Campus Type:Urban
Website:https://www.eng.jsfs.co.il/

The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School (Hebrew: בית הספר סם שפיגל לקולנוע ולטלוויזיה) is a film and television school in Jerusalem, Israel that was founded in 1989 as the Jerusalem School of Film. it was renamed in honor of Hollywood producer Sam Spiegel in 1996 with the acquisition of his estate.

The school’s current executive director is Dana Blankstein Cohen.[1]

In September 2022 the school moved from its historic location in the Talpiot neighborhood to the new Jerusalem Arts Campus[2] in central Jerusalem.

Educational tracks

The school currently has 180 students studying in two tracks. The "full track"[3] refers to a comprehensive four-year curriculum covering all aspects of filmmaking such as directing, editing, producing, and cinematography, in addition to theoretical studies.

In 1999, the school began a two-year track[4] for screenwriters, with the aim of creating a model for cooperation between screenwriters and directors, and with a specialization in writing for television.

Around 40 student films are produced at the school each year.

In February 2022 a preparatory program for Arabic speakers from East Jerusalem was opened. The curriculum includes Hebrew language, general art and cultural concepts as well as introductory film classes. The second edition of the program began in June 2023.

Milestones

History

In 1988, a student protest took place at the film department of the Beit Zvi School of Art in Ramat Gan, then the sole film school supported by the state. Charging that Beit Zvi School of Art gave preference to the acting track, the film students demanded independence. The Education and Culture Minister at the time, President Yitzhak Navon established a public inquiry that supported their claims. He then decided to create a new independent school for film and television, the first of its kind in Israel.

The mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek, and Ruth Cheshin, president of the Jerusalem Foundation, committed to match government funding. In July 1989, Ruth Cheshin charged film director Renen Schorr with the task of making this new school a reality. The school opened in Jerusalem in November 1989.

It was renamed in honor of Hollywood producer Sam Spiegel in 1996, with the support of the Sam Spiegel Estate.

In November 2019 the board of directors appointed Dana Blankstein Cohen to head the school.

In June 2021 Shir Shoshani was appointed deputy school director & head of the film and television department.

The school has been the subject of some 190 tributes and retrospectives in 55 countries at international festivals, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1996), the Rotterdam Festival (1997), the Havana Festival (1999), the Moscow Festival (1999), the Valladolid Film Festival (Spain, 2000), FIPA Festival - Biarritz (France, 2004) the Berlin International Film Festival (2004, 2019), the Hamptons Festival (2005) and the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France (2005), and Sarajevo Film Festival (2008). In 2016 the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at University of Cambridge held a tribute to the school.[9]

The school's films have won 420 international and local prizes,[10] including twice the First Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.[11] In 2008 Anthem, by Elad Keidan was awarded First Prize in the Student Film competition at the Cinéfondation section. This marked the first ever such win by an Israeli student film in Cannes, and in 2015 Or Sinai won for her film Anna[12] .[13]

Among the school’s most prominent alumni are Rama Burshtein, Nadav Lapid, Talya Lavie, Tom Shoval, Nir Bergman, Noah Stollman, Yehonatan Indursky, Amichai Chasson, Elad Keidan and Ra'anan Alexandrowicz.

The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School has been a member of [14] CILECT since 2001.

In 2023 the documentary “Before Bedtime” took first place in the CILECT Prize.

In August 2023 the school was listed on the Hollywood Reporter’s list of 15 best global film schools,[15] the only Israeli film school on the list.[1]

References

  1. Web site: Sam Spiegel Film & Television School - . 2023-05-13 . en-US.
  2. Web site: Baltimore Jewish Life Jerusalem's Sam Spiegel School Grand Opening (photo essay) . 2023-12-25 . www.baltimorejewishlife.com.
  3. Web site: About Sam Spiegel Film School . 2023-12-25 . JSFS english . en.
  4. Web site: About Sam Spiegel Film School . 2023-12-25 . JSFS english . en.
  5. [Sam Spiegel Film and Television School#cite ref-8|'''^''']
  6. [Sam Spiegel Film and Television School#cite ref-10|'''^''']
  7. [Sam Spiegel Film and Television School#cite ref-9|'''^''']
  8. News: STEINBERG . JESSICA . 13 June 2023 . Netflix, Jerusalem film school Sam Spiegel launch round two of Series Lab . 1 . The Times of Israel . live . 13 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231113083357/https://www.timesofisrael.com/netflix-jerusalem-film-school-launch-round-two-of-series-lab/ . 13 November 2023.
  9. [Sam Spiegel Film and Television School#cite ref-3|'''^''']
  10. [Sam Spiegel Film and Television School#cite ref-7|'''^''']
  11. [Sam Spiegel Film and Television School#cite ref-5|'''^''']
  12. [Sam Spiegel Film and Television School#cite ref-6|'''^''']
  13. [Sam Spiegel Film and Television School#cite ref-4|'''^''']
  14. "CILECT". www.cilect.org. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  15. Web site: About Sam Spiegel Film School . 2023-12-25 . JSFS english . en.

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External links