The Hollywood Reporter has selected the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem as one of the 15 best international film schools for the eighth year. The annual list includes leading film schools from around the world.
In naming Sam Spiegel on the list again, The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “The country’s premier film school continued with its program for Palestinians and Arabic-speaking students, now in its fourth year, ensuring Sam Spiegel remains one of the only institutions in the region where Jewish, Muslim, and Christian students – both Israeli and Palestinian – study, live, and create side by side.”
Statements by the school's directors
The executive director of the school, Dana Blankstein Cohen, responded: “In this very challenging time, we are honored and do not take for granted that the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School has merited international recognition. We at Sam Spiegel believe in the power of cinema to create a better future. That is why, now more than ever, we occupy a unique space for joint living that is open to a variety of voices, while initiating creative partnerships between Israeli and Palestinian students.
“The determined and principled work of our community is an expression of our excellence in the field of cinema, and all of us are committed to nurturing the next generation of groundbreaking filmmakers.”
The Sam Spiegel Film School was founded in 1989 by director Renen Schorr, who stepped down in 2019. Its graduates include many of Israel’s leading filmmakers, among them Nadav Lapid, Rama Burshtein, Nir Bergman, Talya Lavie, Noah Stollman, and Tom Shoval.