Turning Off the Oxygen: The Calculated Gutting of Israel’s State Cultural Prizes
For years, Film Industry Watch has tracked the steady decay of Israel’s cultural infrastructure. We’ve reported on the revolving doors, the concentration of power in a few hands, and the slow erosion of “arms-length” governance. This
Israeli Culture Minister Pulls Funding from Ophir Awards After Palestinian-Themed Film “The Sea” Wins Top Prize
In Israel, the crazy cuts both ways. The Israeli film industry was rocked this morning when Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar announced the government would halt public funding for the Ophir Awards, Israel’s top film honors. The announcement c
Kazakh State Center for the Support of National Cinema: Alleged corruption, favoritism, sexism, censorship & friendship with Russia.
We received the following email from a reader and are posting it as is for the time being. Please note that the content has not yet been independently verified through public records or third-party sources. We are currently working to obtain addition
Rebuttal Regarding the Articles “Armenia’s Cash Rebate Plan for Foreign Films” and “Armenia: Turbulence in the Local Film Industry”
Following the publication of our reader-submitted reports on May 30 and July 7, 2025, regarding Armenia’s new cash rebate scheme and broader developments in the country’s film sector (here and here), the Cinema Foundation of Armenia (CFA) has iss
Jerusalem Film Festival, a Celebration of Discrimination: How Israel’s Film Industry Is Punishing Its Men
An update to this post – Oppressed Voices from Turkey, the US and Israel – is published here. Earlier this month we published a detailed exposé on the gender imbalance and institutional corruption permeating Israel’s publicly funded ci
11 Female Nominees, One Male: Inside Israel’s Ophir Awards, Chaos & Derangement
While The Far Right Clings To Power, The Radical Left Loses Grip On Reality Israeli Cabinet Moves To Dismantle Public Broadcaster’s Newsroom, Deepening Battle Over Press Freedom A related post – An Oppressed Voice from Turkey – is publi
Armenia: Turbulence in the local Film Industry
UPDATE July 31: A response to this article is published here: Film Industry Watch is publishing the following user-submitted investigative report about potential issues in Armenia’s film industry. This material raises questions about transparen
Greece is open for business — just don’t expect to get paid!
How Corruption and Cronyism at EKOMED Threaten to Derail Greece’s Film Renaissance By Eugenio R. Bregman a Film Industry Watch contributor and Greek film industry insider. Update: A response by EKOMED has been made here. Greece’s thriving film in
Armenia’s cash-rebate plan for foreign films faces legal and ethical challenges
UPDATE July 31: A response to this article is published here: The Armenian Government’s new promise to refund up to 35 percent of a producer’s local spending is being greeted at home not as a success story but as a textbook case of how public fil
Greece’s Film Industry Collapse: Missing Millions, Broken Promises, and a Deafening Silence
By Eugenio R. Bergman, Film Industry Watch contributor and Greek film industry insider. The Money’s Gone. The Industry’s Collapsing. And Nobody’s Talking. For the past ten months, the complete shutdown of funding for film and television pr
Politics, Power & the Bonfire of Vanities: The 2027 (!) European Film Academy Event in Athens
By Eugenio R. Bergman, a Film Industry Watch contributor and Greek film industry insider. TL;DR version – The ethical issue at hand is that a committee member involved in voting for the Oscars submission had previously worked for a fee with the
Συνεχίζεται το τέλμα στον ελληνικό κινηματογράφο!
Του Έκτορ Αλεχάντρο Μοράλες, συνεργάτη του Film Industry Watch και γνώστη της ελληνικής βιομηχανίας. (By Hector Alejandro Morales, Film Industry Watch contributor and Greek industry
Decadence & Dysfunction: A Call for Greek Film Reform
By Hector Alejandro Morales, Film Industry Watch contributor and Greek industry insider. Following our publication of the article “Corruption and Decadence in the Greek Film Center”, which exposed the cartel-like operations behind
ISRAEL: The Takeover of Israeli Cinema: Politics, Corruption, and Cultural Erosion
Israeli Cinema Under Siege: Government Reforms, Alleged Corruption, and a Fight for Artistic Survival The Israeli film industry, once celebrated for its groundbreaking work on both local and international stages, now finds itself at a critical crossr
POLAND: A Power Play at the PISF, Filmmakers Claim a Political Takeover
We only recently wrote about the dismissal of the previous head of the Polish Film Institute, only to be forced to write about the PISF again, as it seems that the new government is attempting a hostile take over. In late October, the Polish film com
Καταγγελίες για Διαφθορά και Παρακμή στο Ελληνικό Κέντρο Κινηματογράφου
Καινούργιο σκάνδαλο σύγκρουσης συμφερόντων και οικονομικών ατασθαλιών αποκαλύπτεται μετά από έρευνα – Ο Βασίλης Κεκάτος κα