According to Israeli press, Nadav Lpaid, an Israeli citizen, had moved his permanent residency to Paris (source). One of the reasons for this move might be that him and his producers are seeking funding from the CNC for his next feature, as a French resident. Legally, however, a person cannot be a permanent resident of two countries.

Despite this, and despite the fact that according to the mandate of the Israeli Film Funds, allowing funding only for Israeli full time residents, Lapid has recently received full production (not co-production) funding for his next feature.

The funding was awarded to only five projects, one of which as reported elsewhere on our site, to Yona Rozenkier, thanks to his connection between the head of the fund and his Cannes Producer, Dominique Welinski. In the highly competitive scene of the Israeli film industry, when so many talented filmmakers are competing for funding, this is another example for the problematic ways in which the Israeli scene operates, in a fashion resembling that of a revolving door, or a syndicate, with the head of the Producers Association Adar Shafran receiving funding as a director, and other such cases proving the validity of every claim made on this website.

To be clear, while we have no confirmation (yet) that Lapid received funding from the CNC, it is likely the case. The Israeli funding in question is NOT co-production funding but rather a “full” 2,000,000 NIS “production grant” reserved for Israeli residents. If Lapid is not a resident of Israel and does not spend more than 180 days in the country – awarding a full production grant for his next feature is completely against the rules. If he receives this type of funding twice, once in Israel and once in France, this is doubly problematic.

For context, keep in mind that these grants are worth millions of Euros in total, of public money, that ends up in the hands of the same people, over and over again and again. Also keep in mind the number of young filmmakers that don’t get a chance to make a feature, or even a short, just because they are not part of the “syndicate.”

We would like to highlight another interesting observation regarding the selection of films chosen to be funded. Among the five films that received funding, two are being produced by the same person, Kobi Mizrahi. Mr. Mizrahi is notably the producer for Yona Rozenkier, working alongside Dominique Welinski. Given the extensive pool of talented producers and diverse projects in Israel, it is quite remarkable that Kobi Mizrahi (who has a noted connection with Dominique Welinski, a figure well-recognized in the industry as per the information on this site) has been granted funding for two separate projects simultaneously.

Furthermore, we are curious about the specifics of the fund’s guidelines in this context. It raises a question as to whether the fund’s rules permit the submission, and subsequent awarding, of two films by the same producer concurrently. This observation is particularly interesting in light of the discussions on this website, which frequently touch upon the dynamics of industry networks and the applicability of favoritism to different groups within the industry, with the same people being selected or funded over and over.

This further strengthens our argument that the European Film Industry, and the Israeli one being a prime example, is structured like a syndicate more than a healthy thriving industry.

On a side note, our readers might not be aware that Lapid’s late mother was a famous Israeli film editor and his father, a respected author. In other words, part of his success can be attributed to his family contacts. These biographical facts match our reporting about the reasons for how and why filmmakers make it in this industry as demonstrated in our pyramid of considerations.

In an unrelated but very similar case, we will soon publish a report detailing how a father and daughter, Avi Nesher and his daughter Tom Nesher, received funding for feature films from the Rabinovitz fund, at the same time. Avi Nesher is said to have a carte blanche from the fund which is plagued with gossip of decades long conflict of interests. More to come on this subject in an upcoming expose. This is again a clear case of shameless nepotism and alleged corruption.

We once again remind our readers that the European film industry is financed by public funding worth hundreds of millions of Euros per year, all circulating to the same people (syndicate members), year after year.

Film Industry Watch has asked the Israeli Film Fund to comment, the request has been ignored.

SOURCES:

https://www.screendaily.com/news/nadav-lapid-project-yes-among-five-israel-film-fund-winners-exclusive/5182483.article

https://presspectiva.org.il/%D7%9C%D7%90-%D7%91%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%96-%D7%94%D7%99%D7%99%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A9-%D7%9C%D7%90-%D7%99%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%A8-%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%97/

https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/panim/2021-08-12/ty-article-face/.highlight/0000017f-e84a-dc91-a17f-fccf165f0000

https://mo.ralc.co.il/%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8-2139,1933-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A7-%D7%9C%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%93%D7%95%D7%93-%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%A7-%D7%A1%D7%A8%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C.aspx

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