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Hard work pays off with 130 films produced in the last 10 years and more than 100 prizes received
Interview with Katriel Shory - Executive Director, Israel Film Fund
04 02 2010
Since 1999 you have been managing the Israel Film Fund. In only ten years time, could we say that the Fund has become a real success story with a 130 films produced and 40 films winning together 100 prizes?
It is true that in1998, the worst year for the Fund, created in 1979, the Israeli audience turned their back on the Israeli cinema and out of 10 million tickets sold in Israel that year, only 36 thousand, which means 0,3% of all box office receipts, were attributable to Israeli films. We totally disappeared from the world scene and there was no one Israeli film in all the festivals around the world.
So, you were asked to come in by the industry to try and set up a vigorous recovery plan to see the film industry going again
Yes. As I was coming from the private sector, I decided to make some major changes in the way we read, we select, we finance feature films taking into consideration some basic principles. We decided to go for a holistic approach.
Photo: Mr Dudi Zilber, producer and Mr Katriel Schory, Israel Film Fund
What do you mean by a “holistic” approach?
I mean that the Fund supports, mentors and assists the filmmakers from the 5-page synopsis stage through to development, investing in development, then investing in the production, overseeing the production, investing an additional amount in the marketing, distribution and release of the film in Israel and then also supporting the film to venture forth into the rest of the world. This is what we call a holistic approach.
As Executive Director of the Israel Film Fund, could you tell us how the Fund operates?
We invest in the film, but as we are not a money making operation, our primary goal is to promote the Israeli films. We give up 80% of our investment in order to encourage the filmmakers and the producers to recuparete faster if the film makes any money. Once they recuperate their full investment we go up to half of our investment. With the percentages that remain in their pockets they can look around and see if he they get any equity investors into the film. Of this 80% of the investment we give up on, two thirds go to the producer and one third is divided between the writer and the director. Contractually, the film belongs to the producer. As a policy we are involved but do not interfere.
In terms of selection and reading we have artistic consultants, between 3 to 5 people, all coming from the film business. They have six rounds of reading. Each consultant has 15 scripts, which means that they read 90 scripts. We do not have deadlines. The Fund operates the whole year round. Every year we receive 140 fully developped scripts. I have money to invest in 14 films per year, practically we can accomodate 10% of all the submissions. This is a very simple and transparent system.
How do you arrive to the final selection?
The final selection is based on the whole package. The script is only one element. We want to know who is the writer, the director, the producer. If we have a great script but we feel that the director will not be able to deliver, then we will have a big question. If, on the other hand, we have a mediocre script with a very experienced director, we also will face a difficult decision. Before making the final decision, we meet all of them and then we decide.
As for the sources of finances, we are the first door to knock on, then the broadcasters who are committed by law to invest in the Israeli feature films. But our major change, which goes beyond any expectations, is the coproduction money coming into the Israeli feature films. If I look back to the last two years I can say that more than 35% of all the money invested in the feature films came from oversease in the form of coproductions.
How many coproductions did you sign?
From 2001 till today we had 28 coproductions with France, about 17 with Germany, 4 with Belgium and 4 with Canada, one with Australia. We do have coproduction treaties with these countries which makes things a little bit easier. But I also devote a lot of time to act as a machmaker to facilitate Israeli producers and filmmakers to attend all the pitch points in Europe, create pitcing meetings in Israel and create networking opportunities. And the resluts are there.
But what is the secret of this success?
The reason of this success is the result of three elements: good stories, the great talent of our directors, but not less important the professionalism of our producers, with the assurance they can give in delivering the film in time and within the budget.
