Eithan Weitz

As ominous projects for cities such as Rio and Shanghai are being put together, it looks like Jerusalem, I Love You is taking shape with the confirmation of three signed directors in Oscar nominated Joseph Cedar (Beaufort), Cannes Golden Camera winner Etgar Keret (Jellyfish), and renowned director Amos Gitai (Kadosh, Kippur). There is a rumour that Ari Folman might also be a part of the project which is entirely possible as his next project The Congress will necessitate a longer working timeframe than most productions.

Rama Burstein is a graduate from the Sam Spiegel Film School in Jerusalem, but a few months after she graduated, she turned to religion, and left the cinema world behind her. Now, 20 years later, she felt the need to tell it like it really is.

Even though 2010 wasn't considered a good year in Israeli cinema, as its presence on the international front was rather modest, it certainly wasn't as bad that one might think, and by comparison, 2011 is looking at least as good, if not better: There are already two Israeli films that will be launched at the upcoming Berlin Film Festival, and just before that, Sundance's World Dramatic Competition will include a title that I mention below.

Looking back on the year of Israeli cinema we first notice that there weren't any standouts such as Waltz with Bashir or Beaufort, meaning none of the films unveiled were exceptional in quality, however Israeli cinema did produce several strong and moving dramas, while the industry choose this year to test out the viability of new genre films.

The first Golden Bear competing titles for the upcoming Berlin Film Festival were announced today, and among the 8, we find the Israeli film Lipstikka by director Jonathan Segal.