Culture minister announces review of Israeli film funding model amid dispute with industry
Israel’s Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar announced the creation of a professional committee to reexamine the state funding model for Israel’s film industry, amid an ongoing clash with filmmakers.
The committee, which will include economists and industry professionals, will assess whether continued government support is justified, including the possibility of ending public funding altogether. Its recommendations are due within 45 days.
Even before the review is completed, Zohar ordered immediate budget cuts, including canceling 2026 funding for filmmakers’, actors’, and editors’ unions, and limiting the next funding call to NIS 40 million, down from NIS 100 million in 2025.
The move follows backlash over the Ophir Awards, particularly the selection of a film about a Palestinian boy from Gaza, and a boycott by industry figures of a government-backed alternative awards ceremony.
Kan.org.il is the Hebrew news website of the The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation
