As it does every year, the festival will present a rich and comprehensive artistic program featuring more than 200 films from 50 countries, dozens of festive premieres of the year’s most notable Israeli films, as well as acclaimed films that have won awards at leading festivals around the world, including Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Sundance, and others. The festival was founded in 1984 by Israel Prize laureate and founder of the Jerusalem Cinematheque, Lia van Leer, and over the years has become Israel’s most important and leading film festival.
Around 70,000 film and culture lovers from Israel and around the world are expected to attend the festival, along with film industry professionals from Israel and abroad, including actors, directors, producers, festival directors, film fund managers, and more. During the festival, festive premieres will be held, prize-winning film competitions will take place with international jury panels, and audiences will be able to enjoy meetings with filmmakers from Israel and around the world. Over the years, leading film figures have attended the festival in Jerusalem and become friends of the festival and meaningful ambassadors for Israel abroad, including Wim Wenders, Robert De Niro, Roberto Benigni, Laurie Anderson, Park Chan-wook, Quentin Tarantino, the Dardenne brothers, Oliver Stone, Helen Mirren, Claire Denis, and many others.
