In 1988, a student protest took place at the film department of the
Beit Zvi School of Art in
Ramat Gan, then the sole film school supported by the state. Charging that
Beit Zvi School of Art gave preference to the acting track, the film students demanded independence. The Education and Culture Minister at the time, President
Yitzhak Navon established a
public inquiry that supported their claims. He then decided to create a new independent school for film and television, the first of its kind in
Israel. The first teachers of the school included:
Moti Kirschenbaum,
Dan Wolman,
Eli Cohen,
Daniel Wachsmann, ,
Ayelet Menahemi, and
Renen Schorr — teachers directing and acting;
Doron Nesher,
Batya Gur, ,
Meir Shalev and
David Schütz teachers of scriptwriting; teacher of photography;
Asher Tlalim editing; , , and teachers of reviewing and theory. It was renamed in honor of Hollywood producer
Sam Spiegel in 1996, with the support of the Sam Spiegel Estate. In November 2019 the board of directors appointed
Dana Blankstein Cohen to head the school. In June 2021
Shir Shoshani was appointed deputy school director & head of the film and television department. The school’s alumni include
Rama Burshtein,
Nadav Lapid,
Talya Lavie,
Tom Shoval,
Nir Bergman,
Noah Stollman,
Yehonatan Indursky,
Amichai Chasson,
Elad Keidan and
Ra'anan Alexandrowicz. The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School has been a member of international film and television association
CILECT since 2001. In September 2022 the school moved from its historic location in the Talpiot neighborhood to the new Jerusalem Arts Campus in central Jerusalem. The new building is a seven-story state-of-the-art building that includes a sound stage, 21 editing suites and three cinemas that are open to the public. ==Accolades==