Israel Unveils $13m Tax Rebate For Incoming Film And TV Productions

Christopher Vourlias Croatian writer-director Juraj Lerotić’s “Safe Place,” an emotional story of a family reeling in the wake of a suicide attempt, took the top prize at the Sarajevo Film Festival, which wrapped a record-setting 2022 edition in the Bosnian capital on Friday night.The Heart of Sarajevo Award for best feature film was given by a jury headed by Austrian filmmaker Sebastian Meise (“The Great Freedom”), which included French filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilović (“Earwig”), Croatian writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović (“Murina”), Serbian actor Milan Marić (“Dovlatov”) and Israeli producer and consultant Katriel Schory.“Safe Place” plays on Lerotić’s own pained family history, with the Croatian multihyphenate taking on the lead role in his deeply personal story — a performance that also earned him the award for best actor in Sarajevo. Fresh off a triumphant world premiere in Locarno, where the film won three awards including best first feature, “Safe Place” was described by Variety’s Guy Lodge as a “supremely poised and moving first feature” and a “shattering” debut, “with a long trail of further festival bookings surely ahead.”Ukrainian director Maryina Er Gorbach was named best director for “Klondike,” which portrays the brutal realities of the war unfolding in Ukraine’s Donbass region through the lens of a pregnant farmstead owner whose life and home fall apart.

Eight films battled it out in competition at the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival, but Austrian director Sebastian Meise’s jury—including French director Lucile Hadžihalilović , Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, Serbian actor Milan Marić and Israeli producer Katriel Schory—spread the love quite widely.

Israeli network Yes TV has greenlit a second season of Series Mania Award-winning comedy Bloody Murray, we can reveal.

Adrienne Bailon Houghton welcomed a son with her husband, Israel Houghton, via surrogate. The former co-host of The Real took to social media to reveal the secret she had been saving for nine months. “Ever James / For this child we have prayed / Just to hear our baby cry / Skin to skin and face to face / Heart to heart and eye to eye…,” Bailon wrote in a heartwarming post.

Former co-host of "The Real" Adrienne Bailon and her husband Israel Houghton welcomed their baby boy via surrogate and shared their news with a sweet Instagram post on Tuesday.  "Ever James. For this child we have prayed. Just to hear our baby cry.

Adrienne Bailon Houghton is a mom! The 38-year-old former co-host of  and her husband, Israel Houghton, announced that they've welcomed a baby boy via surrogate.The couple took to Instagram on Tuesday and shared a black-and-white photo of Adrienne and Israel gazing at the baby boy they've named Ever James. The caption included a touching poem to commemorate the momentous occasion.«For this child we have prayedJust to hear our baby crySkin to skin and face to faceHeart to heart and eye to eye...»Also in their caption, the couple explained that «our journey to [have a] baby has been very challenging.»«We have quietly prayed while sitting on this most magnificent secret for the last 9 months,» the caption continued.

Surprise! Adrienne Bailon and husband Israel Houghton have welcomed their first child, a baby boy, via surrogate.

Adrienne Bailon and Israel Houghton are parents!

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, MusicThe singer GAYLE, whose “abcdefu” is among the most-consumed songs of 2022, will join Israeli pop star Noa Kirel onstage at her Aug. 24 concert at Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park.Both singers are signed to Atlantic Records.

Naman Ramachandran The Indian government has approved an audiovisual co-production treaty with Australia, designed to promote joint production of films between the two countries.While details are currently scarce, producer contributions from the two countries can vary from 20% to 80% of the final total cost of the jointly produced work.“Australia has emerged as a preferred destination for shooting of Indian films. India is fast emerging as a major content hub for filmmakers looking for new projects.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorThe Match Factory will launch sales on the debut film by Ehab Tarabieh, “The Taste of Apples Is Red,” at the Toronto Film Festival, where the film will be premiering in the Discovery section. Tarabieh’s previous short films have won several prizes, including Best Short Film at Doha Tribeca Festival for “The Forgotten” (2012) and a nomination for a European Academy Award for “Smile and the World Will Smile Back” (2015).

The Toronto International Film Festival announced its second big wave of programming for the 47th edition, a 54 feature title lineup across its Discovery, Midnight Madness and Wavelengths sections.

Joy Behar is opening up about a near-death experience. On Wednesday’s episode of “The View”, during a discussion about abortion rights ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, Behar revealed she had an ectopic pregnancy more than four decades ago.

Joy Behar is opening up about a near-death experience. On Wednesday's episode of , during a discussion about abortion rights ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, Behar revealed she had an ectopic pregnancy more than four decades ago. «In 1979, I had an ectopic pregnancy… I almost died,» Behar, 79, said, before explaining what an ectopic pregnancy is.«The [embryo] is growing in the fallopian tube.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorThe Locarno Film Festival’s artistic director, Giona A. Nazzaro, has rejected calls to ban Leon Prudovsky’s “My Neighbor, Adolf,” which world premieres Aug. 4 in Locarno’s Piazza Grande, after a controversy was sparked regarding its funding.

Naman Ramachandran Israel’s ministries of culture and sports, economy and industry, foreign affairs, finance and tourism have revealed incentives to encourage foreign productions in the country.Over the next two years, the inter-ministry collaboration will grant reimbursement for production expenses of up to 30% to foreign productions of films and TV series shooting in Israel, for an amount up to ILS16.6 million ($4.9 million). The financial aid will be given by the ministries to strengthen Israeli production companies operating in cooperation with foreign production companies in Israel.

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, MusicThe estimated $55 million music market in Israel, like the Middle Eastern country’s comparatively small size, would quantify as the equivalent of a rounding error for a global music company. But its recorded music revenue growth was up 10.2% in 2021, per the IFPI, and the majors are taking notice.In 2021, UMG opened a Tel Aviv office housing a recorded music division and an arm of Universal Music Publishing Group (headed by managing director Yoram Mokady and general manager Itamar Shafrir, respectively).

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. execs headed to the inaugural Scripted Israel event in LA in September can expect to meet 17 prominent Israeli producers and a host of talent and writers.