Jerusalem Cinematheque-Israel Film Archive

What Jerusalem Cinematheque-Israel Film Archive does

The Jerusalem Cinematheque–Israel Film Archive is a registered Israeli nonprofit association (ע"ר, registration 58-005-927-7) founded in 1973 and headquartered at 11 Hebron Road, Jerusalem. The organization operates a year-round cinematheque with four screens (Codes A–D) and complementary venues including the Lev Smadar cinema and Sultan's Pool for gala events. It produces the annual Jerusalem Film Festival, a 10-day event screening over 200 films each July and recognized as Israel's most important cinema gathering since its 1984 founding, alongside the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival focused on Jewish-themed cinema. The organization also stewards the Israel Film Archive, preserving Israeli cinema heritage, and runs the Jerusalem Pitch Point industry program (since 2005) connecting Israeli filmmakers with international industry figures.

The revenue model combines individual ticket sales (49 NIS per regular screening, ~$13 USD), annual membership subscriptions with discounted or free entry, multi-entry festival passes (4-, 6-, and 10-entry tiers priced 144–410 NIS), corporate sponsorships and donations from government bodies and foundations, hall rentals, and educational courses. Distribution spans physical venues in Jerusalem, an online ticketing platform (jff.org.il), and a streaming service called Cinematheque Online (jfc.org.il) that offers paid digital access to festival films with a 5-day/30-hour-per-film viewing window. The organization also broadcasts Metropolitan Opera Live and National Theatre Live performances from New York and London as part of its annual programming. Core institutional funders include the Ministry of Culture and Sports, Israel Film Council, Jerusalem Municipality, Jerusalem Foundation, Van Leer Foundation, and Ostrovsky Family Fund.

Customer-facing segments include film enthusiasts and the general public (primary), Israeli filmmakers (competition participants and Pitch Point pitchers), international filmmakers and industry professionals, students (discounted tickets and the Wim van Leer high school competition), and corporate sponsors. Leadership includes founder Lia van Leer (1984) and Artistic Director Elad Samorzik, supported by a staff of 51–100. Strategic partnerships with post-production houses (Edit Studios, DB Studios), international cultural organizations, and the Norwegian Embassy for cultural exchange underpin the festival's industry footprint. Since 1989, over $3 million in prize money has been distributed to Israeli filmmakers through the festival's competitive sections.

Name

Jerusalem Cinematheque-Israel Film Archive

Legal name

Jerusalem Cinematheque - Israel Film Archive (Registered Association 58-005-927-7)

Website

https://jer-cin.org.il

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Jerusalem Cinematheque–Israel Film Archive is a Jerusalem-based Israeli nonprofit association operating a year-round cinematheque, the annual Jerusalem Film Festival (since 1984, screening 200+ films in 10 days), the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival, the Israel Film Archive, and an online streaming platform, serving Israeli and international filmmakers, film audiences, students, and institutional sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Cinema Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional) (MPADAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera) (MPADAKAG), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Film exhibition services
• Film festival programming
• Cinema venue operations
• Film archive preservation
• Cultural event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Jerusalem

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from individual film screenings at the cinematheque and during festival periods
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership program offering discounted tickets and free entry to members
3. Festival Passes: Multi-entry passes for the Jerusalem Film Festival with 6, 10, or 4 entries for students
4. Corporate Sponsorships and Donations: Support from government bodies, foundations, and corporate sponsors

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Jerusalem Cinematheque-Israel Film Archive operates a cinematheque venue in Jerusalem providing regular film screenings, exhibitions, and cultural events. It also runs the annual Jerusalem Film Festival (200+ films over 10 days), the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival, Cinematheque Online streaming platform, membership programs, film courses, and industry events such as Jerusalem Pitch Point. The organization preserves Israeli cinema heritage through its Israel Film Archive.

Product overview

Jerusalem Cinematheque-Israel Film Archive is a cultural institution operating a cinematheque venue in Jerusalem offering regular film screenings, exhibitions, and cultural programs. The organization manages the annual Jerusalem Film Festival (JFF), one of Israel's most important film events featuring over 200 films across multiple competitive sections. It also operates Cinematheque Online, a streaming platform for festival films, along with membership programs, box office services, hall rentals, and educational courses. Additional programming includes live Met Opera and National Theatre screenings, the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival, and the Jerusalem Pitch Point industry conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cinematheque Online (סינמטק אונליין): Online cinema platform offering digital screenings
• Met Opera Live
• National Theatre Live

Products and services

• Jerusalem Cinematheque Venue Operations A cinematheque and film archive in Jerusalem offering regular film screenings, exhibitions, and cultural events at its venue located at 11 Hebron Road, serving film enthusiasts and the general public.
• Jerusalem Film Festival Annual international film festival held in July, featuring over 200 films, filmmaker meetings, industry workshops, and competitive sections including Israeli Cinema, International Competition, Debuts, and In the Spirit of Freedom.
• Cinematheque Online Streaming Service

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ministry of Culture and SportscoreOthersGovernment ministry providing support and funding for cultural activities and the film industry in Israel
• Israel Film CouncilcoreOthersNational body supporting and regulating Israeli cinema and film industry activities
• Jerusalem MunicipalitycoreOthersCity government providing support for cultural activities in Jerusalem
• Jerusalem FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-profit organization supporting cultural and educational initiatives in Jerusalem, provides funding for festival awards including Haggiag Award for Best Feature
• Van Leer FoundationsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerFoundation supporting cultural and educational projects in Jerusalem
• Norwegian EmbassysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerEmbassy supporting cultural exchange through film
• Edit StudiossupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPost-production services for Pitch Point award winners
• DB StudiossupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPost-production services for Pitch Point award winners

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Deutsche Kinemathek: Germany's national film museum and cinematheque in Berlin, combining archive function with repertory screenings. Mirrors Jerusalem Cinematheque's archive-plus-cinema hybrid and its public-funder backing model.
• BFI Southbank (BFI National Film Theatre): Operated by the British Film Institute, this is London's primary repertory cinema venue plus the BFI London Film Festival. It mirrors Jerusalem Cinematheque's combination of repertory screenings, a national archive mission, festival curation, and educational programming.
• Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI): A New York institution dedicated to the art, history, and technology of film, television, and digital media. Comparable to Jerusalem Cinematheque as a year-round exhibition venue for film heritage with a strong cultural-programming mandate rather than a commercial multiplex model.
• Anthology Film Archives: An independent nonprofit New York cinematheque dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of avant-garde, experimental, and independent cinema. Comparable mission and nonprofit structure, though more narrowly curated than Jerusalem Cinematheque.
• Film at Lincoln Center: Operates the New York Film Festival plus year-round repertory cinema and filmmaker events. Directly comparable on the festival + cinematheque programming hybrid, member-based ticketing, and curatorial brand-building.
• Cinémathèque Française: France's national cinematheque and film archive — the archetypal film archive + exhibition institution. Directly comparable to Jerusalem Cinematheque in combining year-round repertory cinema programming, a national film archive, educational courses, and a flagship film festival.

Emerging players

• Telluride Film Festival: A boutique, curated film festival in Colorado with strong international filmmaker relationships. Comparable to the Jerusalem Film Festival in scale, curatorial prestige, and filmmaker-discovery role — though Telluride is purely festival-focused, without an accompanying permanent cinematheque or archive.

Broad incumbents

• Sundance Institute: Runs the Sundance Film Festival and year-round filmmaker support programs in Utah. Comparable to Jerusalem Cinematheque through Pitch Point–style filmmaker development, festival curation, and an integrated nonprofit mission supporting independent cinema.
• TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival): Toronto International Film Festival and its year-round TIFF Bell Lightbox programming. Comparable in operating a major international festival plus a year-round cinematheque venue, but at much larger scale and with broader industry-market ambitions.

Regional players

• Cinematheque Tel Aviv: Israel's other major repertory cinematheque, located in Tel Aviv. Most direct regional peer — also nonprofit, also exhibiting classic and art-house cinema with educational programs — but operating in a different city and competing for overlapping Israeli film audiences and sponsor budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsf1t5lntLUAnSKvBbHNxxQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/cinematheque.jerusalem
• Instagraminstagram.com/jerus_cin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jerusalem Cinematheque-Israel Film Archive