About the project
The Sam Spiegel Film & Television School was founded as a joint venture between the Ministry of Education & Culture and the Jerusalem Foundation in 1989. It was originally called the Jerusalem National Film & Television School but was rededicated as the Sam Spiegel Film & Television School when legendary Hollywood producer Sam Spiegel bequeathed a substantial portion of his estate to the city of Jerusalem. The royalties from Spiegel’s films, including The African Queen, On the Waterfront, and Lawrence of Arabia support the school. The school is dedicated to providing practical training in all facets of cinematic production: producing, directing, scriptwriting, cinematography and editing. Over the years, the school has gained international recognition as one of the best in the field and its films represent Israel at dozens of international festivals each year, including those in Cannes, Berlin, Venice and New York. The school is located in an industrial building converted for use as an arts complex which was established and supported by the Jerusalem Foundation. The complex also includes the School for Visual Theater. The Jerusalem Foundation has supported the creation of the Sunny & Abe Rosenberg Library, general operation of the school, purchase of equipment, and scholarships and prizes, including the Magda Pastor Mayer Award, the Edward G. Robinson Scholarship, the Michael Solomon Prize and the Yosef and Tirza Gadish Scholarship.
