The Silver Screen

Omer Yaniv

In 2008, The Jerusalem Film & Television Fund set up operations in the city, tasked with promoting the production of audio-visual works with Jerusalem as their focus, and also expanding employment possibilities for Jerusalemites in the film industry.

The Fund's staff assists local and international filmmakers to produce works for film and television in the city, in the same way that funding bodies and film foundations do in other cities and countries around the world, where they have learned that the production of films and TV series, with their support, contributes to the image of a place, augments the development of a creative society, and positions the locale as a tourist destination. Furthermore, the production of films and TV series in Jerusalem also provides employment for a second circle, comprised of drivers, catering services, hotels, and more.

Between the years 2010 and 2016 the Fund supported the production of eight television series and 48 films, among them international productions (such as A Tale of Love and Darkness, directed by Natalie Portman, and Norman, starring Richard Gere) and animated films, produced at an animation studio that was opened in the city several years ago.

The Fund assists filmmakers by covering some of the production costs, providing guidance and assistance in dealing with bureaucracy, identifying possible locations for filming, and providing connections to industry people who work in the city.

According to statistics based on Israeli filmgoers, the following are among the most successful films from those produced with the support of the Jerusalem Film & Television Fund during the years 2010 to 2016: Footnote, directed by Joseph Cedar, in 2011, viewed by approximately 290,000 people in Israel, with an income of 10.3 million shekels from screenings at cinemas (Footnote was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film); Bethlehem, directed by Yuval Adler in 2013, viewed by 165,000 people in Israel, with an income of 6.3 million shekels; Hunting Elephants, directed by Reshef Levy in 2013, viewed by 164,000 people in Israel, with an income of 4.9 million shekels; and The Kind Words, directed by Shemi Zarhin in 2015, viewed by 150,000 people in Israel, with an income of 4.4 million shekels.

Translation: Gilah Kahn

I Love the Cinema

Alon Kupererd

Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, www.jiis.org

Who doesn’t love the cinema? The massive silver screen, the exciting movies, the dark, the smell of popcorn, and … the accessibility? In the past there were plenty of movie theaters throughout Israel’s city centers and local neighborhoods. There were theaters near one’s home, and one could easily and quickly reach them. With the decline of city centers and emergence of shopping malls during the 1990s, city cinemas also declined, to be transformed into multi-screen complexes located within these malls. During the 2000s movie theaters underwent another evolution, turning into multiplex cinemas with dozens of screens, alongside various other forms of commerce – usually near the outskirts or actually outside of the city. A romantic stroll to the movie theater is no longer practical; rather, one must get into the car or board the bus and take a journey to the massive complex.  

Let us illustrate this trend using the example of the Gush Dan region. Cinema Industry Association data show that a decade or so ago Tel Aviv had 47 movie screens. Today 18 remain. The demand for the cinema has not disappeared, but it has been redirected by movie theater chains to the outer layers of the metropolis. The cities that now welcome moviegoers are Ramat Gan, Ramat HaSharon, and Rishon LeZion. The country’s first multiplex cinema was built in Ramat HaSharon (at the Glilot Junction), and by 2005 it already had 19 screens, which became 30 within a decade. In Ramat Gan, where the second multiplex cinema was built, the number of screens grew from 8 in 2005 to 17 in 2015. In Rishon LeZion the number of screens increased from 12 to 47, the largest number of screens in an Israeli city. Most of the new theaters are located in the outskirts of these cities (in Ramat HaSharon – Glilot Junction; in Ramat Gan – Ayalon Mall; and on the western edge of Rishon LeZion).

In other cities, too, multiplex cinemas resulted in movie theaters vanishing from the city center. In Haifa the number of screens declined from 29 in 2005 to 23 in 2015. All are concentrated in the multiplex near the Check Post Junction on the outskirts of the city (it should be noted that in 2016 Haifa will again have a movie theater inside the city, when a complex with 17 screens will be opened within a shopping mall). In Jerusalem the opening of two new multiplexes during the past two years – which, in contrast to other cities are actually rather centrally located (Givat Ram and Hebron Road) – increased the number of screens from 16 in 2005 to 29 in 2015.

As to the number of moviegoers, the decrease in number of screens in Tel Aviv resulted, as expected, in a sharp decrease in the number of moviegoers, from about 1.2 million in 2005 to only about 818,000 in 2015. In contrast, in Haifa and Jerusalem the emergence of multiplexes resulted in a significant increase in the number of moviegoers. The opening of Jerusalem’s first multiplex in 2014 sparked an increase in the number of the city’s moviegoers, from some 497,000 in 2013 to about 1.04 million in 2014, and rising further to 1.23 million in 2015. 

In sum, it seems the People of the Book are not afraid of a long trek for a good movie.

Source: Cinema Industry Association in Israel

How Do Jerusalemites Spend Their Leisure Time?

Aviel Yelinek

This year the annual social survey published by the Central Bureau of Statistics included questions that address the culture of recreation among Israel’s residents. Survey participants were asked whether they had attended theater plays, entertainment shows, or children’s plays during the past year, among other questions. The data reveal that only 28% of Jerusalem’s residents attended one of the types of shows listed above during the past year. This figure is much lower than the percentage among residents of Tel Aviv-Jaffa (63%), Rishon LeZion and Petach Tikva (59%), and Haifa (52%).

The low rate of attendance is a function of the composition of the city’s population. For example, within the Jewish sector, only 9% of Jerusalemites who define themselves as ultra-orthodox (haredi) attended cultural events of the sort listed above, as compared to 46% of religious residents and 68% of secular residents. Rates of attendance differ between Jerusalem’s Jewish and Arab residents as well. Among Jews the rate of attendance was 38%, whereas among Arabs it was only 7%.

Likewise, the percentage of Jerusalem’s moviegoers is influenced by the composition of the city’s population. The percentage of moviegoers among Jerusalem’s residents was 25%, lower than the rate in Tel Aviv (66%), Rishon LeZion (55%), Haifa (50%), or Petach Tikva (49%).

And what about book reading? A total of 63% of Jerusalemites said that they had read books during their leisure time over the previous year, lower than the figure for Petach Tikva (64%), Rishon LeZion (65%), Haifa (67%), or Tel Aviv-Jaffa (72%). The extent of religious observance among Jews does not especially influence the percentage of book readers, which is similar across the various groups. In contrast, there is a significant difference between Jerusalem’s Jews and Arabs on this question: the percentage of Jews who had read books during the previous year was 72%, higher than the figure for Arabs, which was 43%.

It is interesting to note that among Jerusalemites who reported reading books, 40% devoted two hours per week to book reading, 29% devoted between two and five hours weekly, 12% devoted between five and ten hours, and 10% spent ten or more hours per week reading books. An additional 9% reported that they do not read books on a regular basis. 

Source: Analysis of data from the Central Bureau of Statistics’ 2011 social survey