This talk considers the seminal contribution made by the Israel Defense Forces to the creation of the Israeli Film Industry during the late 1940s and 1950s. Tracing the unknown history of the IDF Film Unit (1948-1954) through recently declassified military documents and oral testimonies, Professor Rachel Harris of Florida Atlantic University explores the ways in which it served as a training facility for a generation of technicians, and as a pipeline to Geva Studios, one of two studios created during the 1950s.
The unit, which brought together trained and experienced filmmakers who had studied or worked in Europe, served as a critical apprenticeship for a new generation of native-born youths and immigrants who had arrived in the immediate aftermath of the country’s establishment. Though it was short-lived, many of the soldiers (and civilian staff) who would pass through it would be instrumental in developing the film industry in Israel during the next two decades through both local and international productions. By the 1970s, many of these pioneers had established their own production companies in Israel and had acclaimed international reputations.
Hybrid event: In-person or webinar. Email Lori Fireman (fireman.2@osu.edu) with any questions.
This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures and the Melton Center for Jewish Studies.
