Sam Spiegel Film and Television School

The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School is a film school in Jerusalem, Israel, headed by executive director Dana Blankstein Cohen.

Founded by Renen Schorr in 1989 as the Jerusalem School of Film, it was renamed in honor of Hollywood producer Sam Spiegel in 1996 with the acquisition of his estate. In September 2022 the school moved from its previous location in the Talpiot neighborhood to the Gerard Behar Center in Nachlaot. The school has a student body of 180.

In August 2023 the school was listed on the Hollywood Reporter’s list of 15 best global film schools, the only Israeli film school on the list.

History

In 1988, a student protest took place in the film department of the Beit Zvi School of Art in Ramat Gan, then the sole film school supported by the Israeli government. Charging that Beit Zvi gave preference to the acting course, the film students demanded independence. Yitzhak Navon, then the Minister of Education and Culture, established a public inquiry that supported their claims. He then decided to create a new independent, well-funded school for film and television, the first of its kind in Israel. In July 1989, Ruth Cheshin, then President of the Jerusalem Foundation, charged film director Renen Schorr with the task of making this new school a reality in four months’ time. The Jerusalem School of Film opened in the neighborhood of Talpiot in November 1989. In 1996 the school acquired the estate of producer Sam Spiegel and renamed the school after him.

Schorr served as the founding director of the school until November 2019. Succeeding him since is Dana Blankstein Cohen. In June 2021 Shir Shoshani was appointed Deputy School Director & head of the film and television department.

Courses
The school offers three courses: the "Main track" and the "Screenwriting track". Main track students study direction, screenwriting, and production over a four-year course while Screenwriting track students focus exclusively on screenwriting over two years.

Film Lab and other programs 
In December 2011, the school launched a program called the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab, with the goal of fostering the development and production of full-length feature films by young talents. The program offers financial and creative support for creatives within the Israeli entertainment industry. The Lab became the third film lab of its kind in the world, along with the Sundance Institute and the Torino Film Lab. The Academy Award-winning film Son of Saul by László Nemes was developed at the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab in 2015.

In February 2022, the school announced the expansion of the Film lab program into serialized television with the Series Lab using financial backing from Netflix and Paramount.

The school also operates the Sam Spiegel Alumni Film Fund, launched in 2014, with the aim of supporting alumni as they make their first feature film.

References

External links
 The Sam Spiegel School Film and Television Homepage
 The Sam Spiegel School Film and Television Youtube Channel

 Cinephil- sales agent for the Sam Spiegel School's films
 20th Anniversary Video Clip
 Renen Schorr Are You Pleased With The Sam Spiegel School's Accomplishments- Haaretz
 Tracing Jerusalem's Footsteps Around the World - Haaretz 10.12.2013

Buildings and structures in Jerusalem
Film schools in Israel
Education in Jerusalem
Schools in Israel
Art schools in Israel
1989 establishments in Israel
Educational institutions established in 1989