About three years ago, a “Samaria Film Fund” was established in Samaria with the aim of encouraging local cinema, and soon, after the expansion of the film industry in Samaria, a “Samaria Film Festival” will be held for the first time.
As part of the festival, 25 films will be screened over four days, in a traveling festival throughout Samaria, while on the festive opening night that will take place on July 3, the “Samaritan Oscar” will be awarded to the best feature film director and best documentary. The award will be presented by Minister of Culture Hili Trooper and will be given by the owner of Cinema City and the largest production company in Israel, United King, Moshe Edri, in an award named after him and his brother Leon, who died about 4 years ago and was a partner in the film business for 44 years. .
The event will be moderated by stand-up comedian and filmmaker Shalom Asaig, who will also previously conduct a comic writing workshop for filmmakers from Judea and Samaria.
The event will feature, among other things, the international film “Luxury on the Way to Hollywood” by director Vanessa Lafa, which tells the story of Hitler’s favorite architect, who tried to clear his name after the war by producing a sympathetic Hollywood film about his life.
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council and founder of the festival: “Our goal is not only to accept culture but also to export culture. The Judea and Samaria region has reached the important stage where not only construction will determine but also culture and spirit.” “We are here. We will continue to work to strengthen the culture and cinema in Samaria and throughout the country for the sake of filmmakers and cinematic creation.”
The festival is directed by Esther Silem Alush, who is also the director of the Samaria Film Fund and the artistic director of the festival is Yoad Ben Yosef. The organizers decided to call the festival “Tamuz” – an acronym for Identity Heritage Culture, the theme of the festival.
Esther Alush, Festival Director: “Our goal is to make this festival a tradition and home for filmmakers in Samaria in Israel and around the world. The work is the lifeblood of every company and we are proud to strengthen our creators throughout the space.”
The main event will take place on Sunday, July 3, during which a festive opening cocktail and screening of the film “The Picture of Victory” will be held as a tribute to director and creator Avi Nesher.
As mentioned, the Samaria Film Fund was established about three years ago, since then it has managed to support more than 70 feature films, short documentaries and development. The foundation was established with the aim of encouraging cinematic work by artists from Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley. The films are shot in the Judea, Samaria and Jordan Valley areas and they get to work with major film bodies, alongside the participation of leading actors in the film industry.