A film is a storyteller, a messenger of culture and ethos. That is what Meir Fenigstein, the executive director and founder of the Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles had in mind from the get-go. His 33 years of devotion and labor of love has introduced Israel to the world through the movie screen.
On June 13, the Israel Film Festival held its annual midyear sponsors' luncheon, this year at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. At the luncheon, director, producer, and actor Roger Corman was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award; Israeli television executive, academic, entrepreneur, writer, producer and CEO of Keshet Media Group Avi Nir was awarded the Visionary Award and Academy-Award-winning Israeli filmmaker Guy Nattiv was given the Achievement in Film Award.
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Over the years, the Israel Film Festival, produced by the nonprofit IsraFest Foundation, has presented more than 1,000 feature films, documentaries, television dramas and short films to close to 1 million filmgoers. It has brought hundreds of Israeli filmmakers to the U.S. to share their art.
The sponsors of the 33rd Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles include Millennium Films, the Adelson Family Foundation, The Hollywood Reporter, the Israel Film Fund, Pacific Holdings, the Annenberg Foundation, Variety, the Rabinovich Foundation, LOT Polish Airlines, INSYNC Plus, Screen International, Bank Leumi, the Orlando Hotel and the Consulate General of Israel, Los Angeles; and the list goes on.
From 12,000 kilometers away, the festival acts as a cultural ambassador for Israel's diverse society, introducing the country's colorful social fabric to a wide audience.
The opening night gala for this year's festival will be on November 12, 2019. The festival will feature more than 30 new Israeli film and TV premiers, industry-focused panels, centerpiece events, spotlight and tribute screenings, Q&A sessions with Israeli filmmakers and a booth at the American Film Market.
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