When artists make movies: Free screenings in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
Festival of artist-made short films, July 9-12, is a collaboration between Artport and Anna Ticho House
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Israel’s two largest cities will host the Artist Film Festival, organized by Tel Aviv’s Artport organization and the Israel Museum’s Anna Ticho House in Jerusalem on July 9-12.
The festival presents films created by artists that will be screened for free in the two locations.
The festival was first held in 2022 at Artport under the artistic direction of Gilad Reich, and takes place this year in collaboration between Artport and the Israel Museum.
The first part of the festival will be held as outdoor screenings at Ticho House in downtown Jerusalem, with the second part at Artport in Tel Aviv.
The festival will include premieres of works by local artists, including Yael Bartana, Ilit Azoulay, Nir Evron, Zion Abraham Hazan and others.
There will also be international films and encounters with artists, researchers, and curators in the field of video art.
The films vary in length — from two minutes to half an hour — and are located at the intersection of art and cinema, adopting various cinematic styles, incorporating historical materials or imagery, transitioning between truth and fiction, and including nontraditional uses of evolving technologies.
The festival was created as a local platform to support productions of this sort, mimicking similar festivals in other cities.
Alongside the festival, Artport will host the video installation “White Land: On Geography and Extraction” by artist Rosell Meseguer. This is the first time her works are exhibited in Israel.
Artport, established by the Ted Arison Family Foundation, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and nurturing contemporary art in Israel. Artport includes a yearlong residency program in which six Israeli artists receive a studio, a monthly stipend, and support for project development. International artists and curators join the Israeli artists for shorter residencies.
The event will open on July 9 at Ticho House in Jerusalem, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., through July 10 at Ticho House. On Friday, July 11, the event will continue at Artport Tel Aviv, 7:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. and again on Saturday at Artport, 11 a.m. until midnight.
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