Renen Schorr
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Renen Schorr (
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
: רנן שור; born
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
,
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, July 6th 1952) is a
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
,
screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...
,
film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
and Israeli film activist. In 1989, he founded Israel's first independent, national school for film and television, the
Sam Spiegel Film and Television School The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School is a film and television school in Israel that was founded in 1989. It was renamed in honor of Sam Spiegel in 1996, with the support of the Sam Spiegel Estate. The school has been the subject of some 19 ...
– Jerusalem, and has served as its director since that time.Mike Leigh cancels Israel visit over loyalty oath bill
- Ben Child - guardian.co.uk During the last 40 years he founded or co-founded the infrastructure of Israeli film funds and cinematheques. In December 2016 he was awarded the ''Chevalier des arts et lettres'' by the French government.


Accomplishments

In 1978, Schorr founded the ''Israel Film Fund'' together with Judd Ne'eman and Yeud Levanon. The Fund revolutionized the industry by shifting public support from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to the Ministry of Education and Culture, an act that recognized the cultural value of a film over its mere commercial worth. In addition, the Fund gave unprecedented power to the director over the producer. Schorr was the co-director of the
Beit Zvi Beit Zvi School for the Performing Arts, and a Theater ( he, בית צבי) is an acting school, and a theater located in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel, established in 1950. History Beit Zvi is the country's first theater school ...
Film School from 1982–1985, and in In July 1989, was chosen to found a new film school in Jerusalem, now the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film and Television School. He remains its director to this day. Schorr saw to it that Israeli film schools,
Steve Tisch Steven Elliot Tisch (born February 14, 1949) is an American film producer and businessman. He is the chairman, co-owner and executive vice president of the New York Giants, the NFL team co-owned by his family, as well as a film and television pr ...
School of Film and Television at
Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
and the
Sam Spiegel Film and Television School The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School is a film and television school in Israel that was founded in 1989. It was renamed in honor of Sam Spiegel in 1996, with the support of the Sam Spiegel Estate. The school has been the subject of some 19 ...
, became members of GEECT, the European union of film schools. In 2000, he was chosen by 70 of his fellow school directors to serve as president of
CILECT The International Association of Film and Television Schools (French: ''Centre international de liaison des écoles de cinéma et de télévision'', CILECT) is the association of the world's major film and television schools.European Film Academy The European Film Academy is an initiative of a group of European filmmakers who came together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988. The Academy—under the name of European Cinema Soc ...
under the presidency of German director
Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...
and championed the inclusion of Israel as a member of the Academy. In 1992, Schorr devised the creation of another fund, the New Fund for Film and Television, which spearheaded a revolution in independent documentary filmmaking in Israel. The establishment of such a fund resulted in the flourishing of the documentary, which had previously been an underserved and underdeveloped product of public television. In 2001, Renen Schorr initiated and edited the prize-winning dramatic series ''Voices from the Heartland'' for Israeli commercial TV. The enterprise served as an incubator for select young talents, graduates of various Israeli film schools. At a point where opportunities to work in the creative dramatic field were few and far between, Schorr created a supportive platform for these individuals to create their first dramatic efforts, paving the way for their entrance to the foreground of Israeli television and cinema. ''Voices From the Heartland'' went on to win six prizes in the
Jerusalem Film Festival The Jerusalem Film Festival ( he, פסטיבל הקולנוע ירושלים, ar, مهرجان القدس السينمائي) is an international film festival held annually in Jerusalem, It was established in 1984 by the Director of the Jerusal ...
, 2001 and 2002. Two of the films from the series,
James' Journey to Jerusalem ''James' Journey to Jerusalem'' ( he, מסעות ג'יימס בארץ הקודש) is a 2003 Israeli film directed by Ra'anan Alexandrowicz and produced by Renen Schorr.Scott, A.O"FILM REVIEW; For One Earnest Pilgrim, No Land of Milk and Honey" ''T ...
, directed by
Ra'anan Alexandrowicz Ra'anan Alexandrowicz ( he, רענן אלכסנדרוביץ', born August 29, 1969, Jerusalem, Israel) is a director, screenwriter and editor. He is known for the documentary ''The Law in These Parts'' (2011), for which received the Grand Jury Awa ...
, and ''Slaves of the Lord'' by Hadar Friedlich were screened at Cannes Director's Fortnight 2001. In 2008, Schorr led the formation of Israel's first municipal film fund, the Jerusalem Film and Television Fund. Among the 60 films and television shows that the Fund has supported are
A Tale of Love and Darkness ''A Tale of Love and Darkness'' ( he, סיפור על אהבה וחושך ''Sipur al ahava ve choshech'') is a memoir by the Israeli author Amos Oz, first published in Hebrew in 2002. The book has been translated into 28 languages and over a m ...
by
Natalie Portman Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...
, “The Policeman” by
Nadav Lapid Nadav Lapid () is an Israeli screenwriter and film director. Film critics consider him to be among the most internationally acclaimed filmmakers from Israel. Biography Lapid was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to a family of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. ...
and “Dig” by Gideon Raff. Renen Schorr serves as chairperson of the board of directors at the Fund. In 2008 he set up the Herzeliya Cinematheque and the Holon Cinematheque. This was part of his vision to expand the audience for both Israeli and independent films as an alternative to commercial chains. Schorr has served as a juror for numerous international competitions and festivals including
Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
(2011), the
Sarajevo Film Festival The Sarajevo Film Festival is the premier and largest film festival in Southeast Europe, and is one of the largest film festivals in Europe. It was founded in Sarajevo in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, and brings internation ...
(2016), DocAviv (2009) and the
Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
(2004). He has conducted masterclasses about the methodology of the Sam Spiegel Film School at various film schools such as Sarajevo, Istanbul, Berlin, New York and San Jose, Costa Rica.


The Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film School

The school works on a triangular model and offers three tracks: the ''Full Track'' – Training students in directing,
screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, devel ...
,
cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...
,
editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...
and
production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...
. In 1999, the school began a two-year track for
screenwriters A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...
, with the aim of creating a model for cooperation between screenwriters and directors, and with a specialization in writing for television. In 2004, the school inaugurated a four-year track for entrepreneur producers, the first of its kind in Israel. Since the first crop of films in 1993, the school has become recognized as one of the leading film schools in the world, winning over 290 international prizes, among them 15 awards as the World's Best School, as well as recognition at over 160 international festivals, museums and film schools in 55 countries. The Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
has held a tribute to the school two years in a row, 2016 and 2017. The school's films have twice won the First Prize at the Cannes Film Festival (2008, 2016). Under the direction of Renen Schorr, The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab was launched in December 2011, with the goal of fostering the development and production of full-length feature films by some of the world's most promising talents. The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab became the third film lab of its kind in the world, along with The Sundance Institute and The Torino Film Lab in Italy. The Academy Award-winning film
Son of Saul ''Son of Saul'' ( hu, Saul fia) is a 2015 Hungarian historical drama film directed by László Nemes, in his feature directorial debut, and co-written by Nemes and Clara Royer. It is set in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, a ...
, by László Nemes was developed at the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab in 2014. In October 2014, as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations for the school, Schorr initiated a fifth film fund. The Sam Spiegel Alumni Fund for First Features was set up with the aim of supporting alumni as they make their first feature film.


Major films as director

Schorr's 1985 short film, ''A Wedding in Jerusalem'', told for the first time, the story of two of Israel's leading cultural figures; director
Uri Zohar Uri Zohar ( he, אורי זוהר; 4 November 1935 – 2 June 2022) was an Israeli film director, actor and comedian who left the entertainment world to become an Orthodox rabbi. Biography Uri Zohar was born in Tel Aviv. His parents were Polis ...
and singer
Arik Einstein Arieh Lieb "Arik" Einstein ( he, אָרִיק אַייְנְשְׁטֵייְן, ; 3 January 1939 – 26 November 2013) was an Israeli singer, actor, comedian and screenwriter. He was a pioneer of Israeli rock music and was named "the voice of Is ...
, on the occasion of the Orthodox wedding of their children. Unprecedented, ''A Wedding in Jerusalem'' was screened in cinemas across the country as the film before the Coen Brother's ''Blood Simple''. The film was restored in 2016 and was the opening film at the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival, at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. ''
Late Summer Blues ''Late Summer Blues'' is an Israeli feature film directed by Renen Schorr, written by Doron Nesher and produced by Ilan de Vries. Initially released in 1987, the film was a box office hit and went on to become an Israeli classic. In 2016, after ...
'' (1987) is Schorr's most prominent film. It won the Silver Menorah award (Israel Academy Award) for best film, best screenplay and best original score, as well as the prize for outstanding film in the Israel Film Festivals in New York and Los Angeles. /sup> The film opened the
Jerusalem Film Festival The Jerusalem Film Festival ( he, פסטיבל הקולנוע ירושלים, ar, مهرجان القدس السينمائي) is an international film festival held annually in Jerusalem, It was established in 1984 by the Director of the Jerusal ...
in 1987 to rave reviews and became a commercial success seen by 20,000 people, It was screened in 30 international festivals including,
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, Moscow,
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, Los Angeles,
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
,
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
,
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. The film was released in the United States and Canada. Over the years, the movie has become a cultural icon. After undergoing digital restoration, ''Late Summer Blues'' was released for screenings around Israel in honor of its 30th anniversary in 2016. ''The Loners'' (HaBodedim) debuted in November 2009. Inspired by true events that took place in an Israeli military prison in 1997, the film explores the plight of two young Russian immigrant soldiers who are falsely accused of treason. ''The Loners'' was nominated for 11 Ophir Prizes (Israeli Academy Awards), and was named winner of the Best Actor Award (Sasha Agronov) and Best Film Award at The South Festival. It was chosen Winner of the Best Film Award, Open Doek Festival in Belgium, and participated in such festivals such as the Pusan Film Festival, South Korea, Cape Town Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Cottbus Film Festival Germany, Tirana International Film Festival Albania, London Jewish Film Festival, Toronto Jewish Film Festival, the Boston Jewish Film Festival, and IsraFest L.A. Despite all of this, the film did not gain commercial success. As a screenwriter and
script editor A script editor is a member of the production team of scripted television and radio programmes, usually dramas and comedies. The script editor has many responsibilities including finding new script writers, developing storyline and series ideas wi ...
, Schorr wrote the screenplays for his own short films, served as a script consultant-as well as assistant director to both Uri Zohar, and to Judd Ne’eman on his film ''
Paratroopers A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...
'' (1977). He edited the screenplay for the international award-winning film ''Broken Wings'' (2002) directed by Nir Bergman.


Background

Son of a
physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
, Prof. Sam Schorr, grandson of historian Dr. Alexander Schorr, descendant of
Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
Joseph Bechor Schorr, a 12th-century
Talmudic The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
commentator from
Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and
Safed Safed (known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardi Hebrew, Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation, Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), i ...
. Schorr, who grew up in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, was attracted to the
theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...
from a young age. He played the role of
Artful Dodger Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist''. The Dodger is a pickpocket, so called for his skill and cunning in that occupation. He is the leader of the gang of child criminals ...
in Habima's national production of ''
Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before op ...
'' and the Crown Prince in Giora Godik's troupe production of ''The King and I''. During his compulsory military service he served as a journalist for the IDF magazine BaMahaneh. In 1974 he was nominated for the Sokolov Journalism Prize (akin to the Pulitzer Prize) – for a series of articles about battles for the
Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...
in the
Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...
. /sup> Once out of the army, Schorr studied filmmaking at Tel Aviv University, department of film, while also working as assistant director to Judd Neeman and Uri Zohar. In 1979 he won a scholarship from the Israel America Culture Foundation and went to the US where, among other things, was on the sets of filmmakers such as
John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes ( ; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as a television and film actor, Cassavetes also helped pioneer American independent cinema, writing and dire ...
, Paul Mazursky and worked in Los Angeles with Oscar-nominated screenwriter Steve Shagan on the first draft of his film Late Summer Blues.


Films directed

*'' After Duty'' (1977) (short film) *'' The Battle of Fort Williams'' (1981) (short film) *'' Wedding in Jerusalem'' (1985) (short film) *''
Late Summer Blues ''Late Summer Blues'' is an Israeli feature film directed by Renen Schorr, written by Doron Nesher and produced by Ilan de Vries. Initially released in 1987, the film was a box office hit and went on to become an Israeli classic. In 2016, after ...
'' (1987) *'' HaBodedim'' (2009)


Films produced

*''
Off the Air In the broadcasting industry, a dark television station or silent radio station is one that has gone off the air for an indefinite period of time. Usually unlike dead air (broadcasting only silence), a station that is dark or silent does not eve ...
'' (Yeud Levanon, 1981) *''
Late Summer Blues ''Late Summer Blues'' is an Israeli feature film directed by Renen Schorr, written by Doron Nesher and produced by Ilan de Vries. Initially released in 1987, the film was a box office hit and went on to become an Israeli classic. In 2016, after ...
'' (1987) *'' Black to the Promised Land'' (Madeleine Ali, 1992) *'' Miss Entebbe'' (Omri Levy, 2003) *''
James' Journey to Jerusalem ''James' Journey to Jerusalem'' ( he, מסעות ג'יימס בארץ הקודש) is a 2003 Israeli film directed by Ra'anan Alexandrowicz and produced by Renen Schorr.Scott, A.O"FILM REVIEW; For One Earnest Pilgrim, No Land of Milk and Honey" ''T ...
'' (Ra'anan Alexandrovitch, 2003) *'' Voices from the Heartland'' - dramatic series (2001, 2002


References


External links

*
The Sam Spiegel School Film and Television, JerusalemSoldiers"- An interview with Renen Schorr, Jerusalem Post, 7/1/2010We Brought Israelis Back to the MoviesThe Sam Spiegel Film SchoolThe Sam Spiegel International Film LabAn Oscar for Sam SpiegelHead to Head Director Renen Schorr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schorr, Renen Israeli film producers Israeli film directors 1952 births Living people