The first France-Israel audiovisual forum will open today, at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, in the presence of Minister of Culture and Sport Limor Livnat, Mayor of Tel Aviv Ron Huldai, and Christophe Bigot, French Ambassador to Israel. Jérôme Clément, CEO of Arte, and Israeli producer Marek Rosenbaum will be the keynote speakers for the opening event.
Israel and France have cooperated extensively in the audiovisual field; a co-production agreement signed between the two countries in 2002, has encouraged many French-Israeli co-productions in cinema, transmission of French channels in Israel such as TV5 Monde and France 24, and strengthened ties between industry professionals in the two countries.
To further develop these ties and explore the possibilities of future cooperation, the cultural and economic departments of the Embassy of France in Israel have jointly organized the First France-Israel Audiovisual Forum, which will take place from November 28 – 30, 2010. Among the participants will be representatives from France Télévision, Arte, M6, TV5 Monde, CNC, France 24, and Zodiak International. Over the course of the conference, French and Israeli professionals will participate in theme seminars, pitching events, program and technology markets, institutional encounters and visits to companies.
