Pre-State Israel Films | Israeli Film Database

Rutenberg (2003)

Ish HaHashmal

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Cohen takes an elliptical approach in telling the story of Pinchas Rutenberg, a visionary, complex, and larger-than-life figure, who, amongst other things, brought electricity to Jewish Palestine in..

Kedma (2002)

Kedma

Directed by: Amos Gitai

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Set seven days before the creation of the state of Israel in May 1948, a small rusted ship, carrying a group of concentration camp survivors, is met in Palestine by aggressive British troops. The to..

Yossele, How Did It Happen? (1989)

Yossele, Ech Ze Karah?

Directed by: Tal Ron

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On the Eve of the War of Independence, a girl loses her way and ends up at a small strategic outpost by the Dead Sea. Populated by youths who just finished their army service in the Palmach of..

The True Story of Palestine (1962)

Etz O Palestina

Directed by: Nathan Axelrod, Joel Silberg, Uri Zohar

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Hundreds of hours of raw material shot by Nathan Axelrod, a pioneer of Israeli filmmaking before the State of Israel who documented the building of the Jewish Yishuv in Palestine - are the building ..

The Little Traitor (2007)

Ha'boged Hakatan

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Based on the novel "Panther in the Basement" by the world renowned author, Amos Oz, the movie takes place in Palestine in 1947, just a few months before Israel becomes a state. Proffy Liebowitz, a a..

32 Minutes (2009)

32

Directed by: Avi Weissblei

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A journey behind the scenes of Israel's Declaration of Independence. Participants and documenters of the historical moment shake the dust off the past.

Achziv - A Place of Love (2009)

Directed by: Etty Weiseltier, Guy Michael

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Eli Avivi, now 77 years old and sick, was once the head of state of "Achzivland", a coastal refuge for Israel's bohemia.

Cross Fire (1988)

Esh Tzolevet

Directed by: Gidon Ganani

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In 1948, romance ignites between a Jewish woman from Tel Aviv and an Arab man. They are threatened by the approaching war between Israelis and Palestinians. Defying the wishes of their families, the..

1948 (1998)

1948

Directed by: Mohammad Bakri

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The film 1948 is a record of memories of a group of elderly Arabs. The director, Mohammad Bakri, employs poems Mahmoud Darwish. In their own words, the Palestinians interviewed describe the moments..

Zahara (2009)

Zahara

Directed by: Mohammad Bakri

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With touching personal style and breathtaking cinematography, Director Mohammad Bakri tells the story of his 78 year old aunt Zahara, from the times of pre-state Palestine to present, leading the of..

Rage and Glory (1984)

Za'am V'Tehilah

Directed by: Avi Nesher

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The ostensible focus of this film by Avi Nesher is the Jewish resistance movement in Palestine in 1942 when the Brits still held colonial power in the region. A "Stern Gang" (Jewish resistance) cell..

Dreamers (1987)

Ha-Holmim

Directed by: Uri Barbash

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Set in the Middle East in 1919, a group of European Jews, who are planning on settling in the Sinai Desert, are attacked by Bedouin tribesmen. As they fight for their lives they realize that they a..

Hide and Seek (1980)

Machboim

Directed by: Dan Wolman

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Engaging and controversial in its own way, this personal look at a little boy's life and times undoubtedly relies on director Dan Wolman's own experiences. The setting is just before Israel gained a..

Every Time We Say Goodbye (1986)

Directed by: Moshe Mizrahi

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An American flyer who joined the RAF before his country was in the war is recovering from a leg injury in Jerusalem. Through an English friend he meets a quiet Jewish girl whose close-knit family to..

What a Gang (1963)

Havura Shekazot

Directed by: Zeev Havatzelet

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A House in Jerusalem (1998)

Bayit be Yerushalayim

Directed by: Amos Gitai

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Can a house be a metaphor for Arab-Jewish relations in Israel? Amos Gitai returns to the house in West Jerusalery?m he profiled in 1980. He interviews members of the Jewish families who live there,..

The First Film of Palestine

Ha'Seret Ha'Rishon Shel Palestin

Directed by: Murray Rosenberg

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Life of the Jews of Palestine

Chayey Ha'Yehudim Be'eretz Israel

Directed by: Noah Sokolovshy

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Made in 1913, this Russian documentary was assumed lost until 1997, when it was found stored away in France's National Film Archives. Completely restored, it presents the viewer with a portrait of..

Eretz Yisrael Hameshukhreret (1919)

Eretz Yisrael Hameshukhreret

Directed by: Ya'ackov Ben-Dov

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Return to Zion (1920)

Shivat Zion

Directed by: Ya'ackov Ben-Dov

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Rebirth of a Nation (1923)

Eretz Yisrael Hamithadeshet

Directed by: Ya'ackov Ben-Dov

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Banim Bonim (1924)

Banim Bonim

Directed by: Ya'ackov Ben-Dov

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Aviv B'Eretz Yisrael (1928)

Aviv B'Eretz Yisrael

Directed by: Ya'ackov Ben-Dov, Joseph Gal-Ezer, Y. Glaser

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Once Upon a Time (1932)

Va'Yehi Be'May

Directed by: Chaim Halachmi

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Yoman Eretz Yisrael (1932)

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Oded the Wanderer (1933)

Oded Hanoded

Directed by: Chaim Halachmi

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The film is based on a children's story by Zvi Liebermann. It describes the adventures of Oded, a dreamer, who gets lost on a class outing. After a search, he is found and returns home safely. Its..

Aviva (1933)

Aviva

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Land of Promise (1935)

L'Chayim Hadashim

Directed by: Judah Leman

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This is one of Palestine's earliest sound films and part of a larger campaign to encourage settlement and investment in "the Jewish homeland." Land of Promise emphasizes secular accomplishments and..

The Pioneers (1934)

Halutzim

Directed by: Aleksander Ford

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A powerful, beautifully photographed story about the trials and tribulations of Jewish pioneers, featuring an indomitable heroine who fights for the group's survival and success--in the face of hard..

Dream of My People (1934)

Halome Ami

Directed by: A.J. Bloome

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An early travelogue on Palestine, focusing on Jews living and working in the Holy Land. Places shown include Jerusalem, the Judean Hills, Rehovot, Tiberias, Tel Aviv, Jaffa Beach, etc.

This Is the Land (1935)

Zot Hi Ha'aretz

Directed by: Baruch Agadati

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Propaganda of the development of the Jewish community in Palestine. Considered the first Hebrew "talkie" and depicts fifty years of settlement in Eretz Israel with the beginning of the first the..

Avodah (1935)

Directed by: Helmar Lerski

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This landmark documentary celebrates the pioneering labors of early Jewish settlers in Palestine. With striking visuals and a remarkable soundtrack by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, the film the a..

Over the Ruins (1938)

M'al Hahuravot

Directed by: Nathan Axelrod, Alfred Wolf

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The Illegals (1947)

Lo Tafhidenu

Directed by: Meyer Levin

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During the British rule of Palestine, Holocaust survivors arrived from Europe by the boatful--only to find themselves refused entry. The "Aliyah Bet" movement was recorded by author and Meyer Levin,..

The Man Who Loves Hebrew (1994)

Ish She'Ahav B'Ivrit

Directed by: Eli Cohen

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At the beginning of the 20th century, a language war raged in Palestine. The contenders were Yiddish, Russian, French, German, English - and Hebrew, a language barely spoken for two thousand years...

Exodus - The True Story (2009)

Exodus - Hasipur Haamiti

Directed by: Uri Borreda, Itzik Lerner

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No one of the 4500 holocaust survivors who embarked the ship Exodus in Sete south of France could in his wildest dream imagine the unforgettable journey in high seas will end up back in the land of..

Waves of Freedom (2008)

Becheshkhat Ha'galim

Directed by: Alan Rosenthal

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Interviewees, supported by authentic documentary footage, reminisce about defying the British blockade to bring Jewish refugees into the future state of Israel.

Dreamers and Builders (1996)

Directed by: Ya'akov Gross

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Spectacular rare archival film footage of Palestine in the tumultuous 1920s forms the heart of this documentary by Israeli filmmaker and scholar Ya’akov Gross. Considered lost for more than 70..

The Vision of Chaim Weizmann (1963)

Directed by: Lazar Dunner

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This is a biography of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, the first President of Israel, incorporating film footage, sketches, and still photographs. The film begins with Dr. Weizmann's inauguration as President a..

The Wordmaker (1991)

Ish She'Ahav B'Ivrit

Directed by: Eli Cohen

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At the beginning of the twentieth century, a language war raged in Palestine. The contenders: Yiddish, Russian, French, German, English and Hebrew, a language barely spoken for 2000 years. At stake:..

Zion, Auto-Emancipation (1998)

Directed by: Amos Gitai

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Noted Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai directs this documentary about the history of Zionism, focusing particularly on the life and work of Theodor Herzl, who founded the movement in 1897. Gitai not a a..

They Were Ten (1960)

Hem Hayu Asarah

Directed by: Baruch Dienar

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The recreation of the establishment of a nineteenth century settlement in Palestine by ten Russian Jews. They had to build the land and also contend with the Arab resentment and the Turkish..

Tales of the Defeated (2009)

Directed by: Yael Reuveny

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A missed meeting in 1945 splits a family in two. The director's grandmother leaves for the new Jewish state while her brother changes his name and stays behind. Trying to find this lost relative the..

The Lives and Times of Abraham Kahn (2009)

Directed by: Yaron Dahan

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Abraham Kahn was born on the side of a dirt road in a nameless Silesian town. A wandering Jew, Abraham lives the History of 20th century Europe. He joins the Red Baron, fights in the International A..

Agadati: Screen of an Artist (1997)

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Baruch Agadati-dancer, painter and filmmaker- is best known for having captured on film the flavor and excitement of life in Tel Aviv of the 1930's. As film technology improved, Agadati's AGA film..

The Films of Yaacov Ben Dov: Father of the Hebrew Cinema (1993)

Directed by: Yaacov Gross

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A chronicle of the intertwined history of the early days of Zionism and filmmaking in Palestine as shown through the telling portrait of filmmaker Yaakov Ben Dov. The helmer was the first Jewish in..

Valley of Strength (2010)

Gei Oni

Directed by: Dan Wolman

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The story of "Gei Oni" is an historical epic which interweaves the story of the first wave of Jewish European migration to Palestine, at the end of the 19th century, with an unusual love story a and..

Ben Gurion Hosting (2011)

Ben Gurion Meurach

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The viewers meet David Ben-Gurion in his desert home in Sde-Boker as his guests and hear his animated character, describing the main events in his life, from his childhood in Plonsk through the of..

A State Behind the Scene (2010)

Medina be-Yom Echad

Directed by: Avi Weissblei

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A documentary journey to the backstage of the Declaration of the State of Israel. The last living witnesses to the historical moment and the makers of the myth explore what really happened in the 32..

The Underground in the Tunnel of Time (2010)

Ha-Machtarot be-Minheret ha-Zman

Directed by: Benny Ori

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In October 2009, a delegation of nine men and their families travel to the village of Gilgi in Kenya, Africa to locate former British internment camps, and to find the secret tunnels through which,..

Hanan Porat: Settled in Faith (2012)

Directed by: Gil Mezuman

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Winter, 1975. Hanan Porat is carried on the shoulders of dozens of men in Sebastia, in the heart of Samaria. Rabin's government caves to the pressure of the settlers and authorizes the establishment..