Procedures

Procedure for requesting investment from the Foundation

Filmmakers, producers, directors, and scriptwriters are eligible to submit a request to the Foundation if the support is not requested for a project produced at an educational institution. All applications to the Foundation in the genre of documentary films, short films, animation, and new technology, whether for production or for development, must be submitted on-line, exclusively through the Foundation’s website, upon publication of a “call for submissions” or via application for “fast-track” support for projects as appropriate according to the instructions on the submission form, unless explicitly announced otherwise. A link to the submission form for documentary films and short films appears on the site, and the form includes the inclusion of a short synopsis, long synopsis, treatment / characters / script, declaration of intent, cinematic language, sources of funding, budget as an Excel file, CVs of the filmmakers, and links to filmed material and previous works. The submission form appears as an appendix below (A2, A3, A4)(*).

All submissions are passed in anonymous form to the readers. For clarity’s sake, note that as of 2019, in accordance with the “New Criteria for Allocation of Financial Support from the Ministry of Culture and Sport to Public Institutions in the Field of Cinema,” applications are passed without names to the readers. All the names of those involved in the project, and their CVs, are removed by the Makor Foundation from the submission form, and that information is kept at the Foundation.

Filmed material: It is helpful, and recommended, to include filmed material, edited as a sequence of scenes or as a promo, teaser, or the like and not exceeding 12 minutes. In addition, previous works may be cited, with a link and password, on the submission form. Inclusion of previous works does not constitute a substitute for filmed material belonging to the project itself.

Filmed material, promos, scenes, teasers, and the like must be presented without any identifying details regarding the filmmakers or production company, namely no names and no logos that would identify the filmmakers applying, other than the name of the project being presented. The materials must be uploaded, in keeping with the guidance at the top of the online form, directly to the Vimeo channel of the Makor Foundation, and with no attribution to any personal channel, in order that the applicants remain anonymous.

Links to previous works from the applicants will be saved at the Foundation, to be revealed to the readers, if necessary at all, only in the final round of decision-making and, in that case, at the discretion of the Foundation’s CEO.

Support will be granted to a film defined as an “Israeli film.” For details see the link to the Film Regulations (Recognition of a Film as Israeli) Law, 5765/2005, which sets out the criteria for considering a film to be an Israeli film. The Regulations appear as appendix A1 below.

If the project is based on a previous work (book / research / etc.) then, when an agreement is to be signed with the producer or filmmaker for support from the Foundation, a document is required showing permission, agreement, or optioning regarding the procurement of rights from the original owners of the rights, as appropriate to the type of support (development or production). Guidelines for submission of a project are published on the Foundation’s website for each round of applications and each framework of support.

Language: Applications for support must be submitted in Hebrew.

An applicant who is the producer but not the principal director may simultaneously submit up to 3 requests during the application period for production of a documentary film and up to 3 requests during the application period for development and production of a short narrative film, and may receive simultaneously from the Foundation support for up to 2 projects per year in each genre. However, the Foundation’s CEO is entitled to condition the support for one of the two projects on receipt of information demonstrating proper management of the first of the two projects to enter production, and on finding that information satisfactory.

An applicant who is both the producer and the director may submit up to 2 requests during each application period for development and production of a documentary film and for development and production of a short narrative film, and may receive support form the Foundation for no more than one project in each genre per year.

Support for a filmmaker’s first film (maiden film) must not be requested by the filmmaker under the framework of documentary film production without a producer with proven experience of producing at least one film of at least 50 minutes, screened on television or in theaters (and not a graduation project). For the framework of short film production, a producer is required who brings experience of producing at least one independent short film and not as part of a study program.

A filmmaker may apply 3 times to the Foundation regarding the same proposal, on 3 different occasions. Each round of requests will be assessed by a different team of readers. Having supported the development of a film, the Foundation is not obliged to support the film’s production or completion.

The Foundation will not invest in a project if most of the readers assessing the application for support have advised against investing in it.

Deadlines for Submitting Projects

The Foundation will set three (3) deadlines per calendar year for each of the two genres that it invests in — short films and documentaries. The Foundation reserves the right to hold rounds of submissions that are unrestricted with respect to topic, or restricted according to criteria that it may set from time to time. A “call for submissions” inviting requests for development support and production support regarding short narrative films and documentaries will be published at least 45 days before the deadline. The decisions regarding projects to be supported following each “call for submissions” will be announced within four (4) months of the deadline for submissions in each genre and framework.

The Foundation will consider — on an exceptional basis, at its sole discretion, and depending on its budgetary capacity — supporting “fast-track” projects. Such applications are to be made according the format shown in section 19 below. Answers on the fast track will be provided within 45 days of the application date.

The Foundation’s Support for Projects

The Foundation does not provide funding for projects that are supported by other film foundations that are funded through the Cinema Law annual budget, except in special cases where the other foundations support the project under an “earmarked” budget for development and production, and in any case only after written confirmation and approval from the Foundation’s CEO. The level of support will be set individually, in accordance with the proposed budget of the project, the Foundation’s budget, and the Foundation’s annual financial plan.

Note, for clarity’s sake, that at its own discretion the Foundation may at any time, and likely will, change the procedures, objectives, sectors, scope, and methods for its allocation of support as detailed in this document, provided that such changes meet the criteria of the Culture Administration’s Israel Film Council and the changes are brought to the notice of those who apply to the Foundation.

The Foundation’s CEO, Artistic Director, and Management

The Foundation’s CEO must bring proven experience in the realm of cinema, including at least two of the following fields: production, directing, writing and editing content, teaching, and professional guidance and instruction at the academic level. The CEO must have a bachelor’s degree at least. On the basis of the experience mentioned above, the CEO may also function as artistic director of the Foundation.

The Foundation’s CEO and artistic director will use the services of external artistic advisors (“readers”) for the purpose of compiling a recommended list of projects eligible for support. Specific readers must not serve for consecutive rounds of submissions, and may be employed again only after two years have passed since the end of their last employment. The readers’ identities will be published only after the conclusion of their work, in order to protect them from external influence. In certain cases, in consideration of the Foundation’s budget, the artistic director may serve as a reader like the others. The Foundation’s page of guidelines for the readers, the Foundation’s work agreement with them, and declarations on preserving and protecting confidentiality and avoiding conflicts of interest are in appendixes A5 and A6.

Each time applications are submitted, the Foundation’s CEO will make use of a total number of readers befitting the quantity of submissions. Each project submitted to the Foundation will be assessed by at least three readers. The readers will write out a detailed assessment for each application according to a format to be prescribed by the Foundation (see the “assessment form” that appears as appendixes A7, A8, and A9 of this document). The readers will recommend candidates for support according to a quota to be set by the CEO with attention to factors including the quality of the proposal, the Foundation’s budget and the body of films supported by the Foundation on previous occasions.

The CEO and the readers will formulate the list of recommended projects for investment with the intent of giving expression to a broad variety of topics, opinions, styles of work, tastes, and approaches in films produced by young, experienced, and veteran filmmakers alike who work in the urban centers and in the periphery of the country.

The recommendations formulated by the professional team are passed onward for the approval of the Foundation’s program committee, which is made up of members of the Foundation’s public board plus the CEO. The program committee is chaired by a board member chosen by the committee’s plenum. Board members are invited onto the program committee by instruction of the committee chair in coordination with the CEO.

The CEO may inform the program committee of objections to any project included on the list of candidates for investment. The committee is authorized to accept the objections and cancel the project’s candidacy, and it may itself object to the candidacy of any project even if the CEO supports it, all in accordance with considerations to be detailed and recorded in a written protocol. The program committee’s decisions are made by simple majority, and the CEO has one vote on the committee. If a vote is tied, the committee chair may cast a deciding vote.

The program committee’s decisions have the force of recommendations and are passed to the rest of the board, who are not program committee members, for final approval.

Term of the CEO, artistic director, and board — The Foundation will limit the tenure of the institution’s CEO, artistic director, and board members to 4 years, with the option of extending the term of each of them for a further 4 years, and then for a further 2 years, so that the maximum tenure will not exceed 10 consecutive years.

Standards for Assessing Films

Short films:

The added value of the project from many standpoints of ideas and of cinematic style. The originality and uniqueness of the project in giving expression to the multiculturalism of Israeli society and how multiculturalism contributes to the advancement of creative storytelling in Israel.
The degree of the submitter’s involvement in the project, and the submitter’s commitment to telling the proposed story, as expressed in the statement of intent.
The level of scriptwriting — the originality of the topic, the complexity of the characters, the development of the plot, and the dialogues.
The practicability of the project, from the standpoint of professionalism and budget.
The experience and professional capabilities of the project’s producers and creators.
And above all — the potential of the project to serve as the basis for a creation that will make its mark, expand awareness, and significantly contribute to creative cinema in Israel.

Documentary shorts, features, and series:

The added value of the project from many standpoints of ideas and of cinematic style, but from other standpoints as well. The originality and uniqueness of the project in giving expression to the multiculturalism of Israeli society.
The degree of the submitter’s involvement in the project, and the submitter’s commitment to telling the proposed story, as expressed in the statement of intent.
The dramatic, narrative, emotional, and visual potential of the project and its degree of complexity, in order (among other things) to meet the length requirements for the proposed project.
The level of the participants being photographed for the film, including, but not restricted to, their presence in front of the camera – their expressiveness, the ability of the people to serve as characters in a film that meets the requirements as described above and below. For this criterion, the Foundation may require illustration by means of sample footage.
The approach to filmmaking — the cinematic language, structure, point of view, and style of cinematography and editing.
The practicability of the project, from the standpoint of professionalism and budget.
The experience and professional capabilities of the project’s producers and creators.
And above all — the potential of the project to serve as the basis for a creation that will make its mark, expand awareness, and significantly contribute to documentary film production in Israel.

Principles of Funding for the Projects

The scope of funding awarded will befit the Foundation’s judgment, to the extent possible, with attention to the production requirements, the Foundation’s constraints, and the specific value of the project. The scope will be set on the following basis:

Development:

For a narrative script of up to 30 minutes — up to ₪ 12,000.
For a documentary of 45 minutes or more — up to ₪ 15,000.

Production:

For documentary films of 45 minutes or more, the basic unit of funding per production is ₪ 200,000. For documentary shorts of 15–30 minutes, the investment is prorated by length and depends on the proposed submitted budget. However, the Foundation may provide a higher sum of support in recognition of the film’s complexity, or a lower sum, all in accordance with the requirements of the film and the state of the Foundation’s budget.

The Foundation will support documentary series in accordance with its abilities and its decisions. Let it be clear that the funding will not be a multiple of the number of episodes but rather a set nominal sum (generally ₪100,000 – ₪200,000) according to the Foundation’s judgment and its budget.

For short films, whether classed as narrative, animated, or works in new technology, the basic unit of funding is calculated at ₪10,000 per minute. However, the Foundation may provide a higher sum of support in recognition of the film’s complexity, or a lower sum, all in accordance with the requirements of the film and the state of the Foundation’s budget.

The Foundation assists films at all stages of their creation.

In no case will the Foundation’s support deriving from the Cinema Law exceed the maximum support specified by the Israel Film Council (up to 80%, or any other level that may be specified) for any project. In cases where the Foundation participates in funding a project that was previously funded by one of the other foundations in the framework of “earmarked” support for development or production, support from the two foundations together will not exceed 80% of the budget.

Note, for clarity’s sake, that at its own discretion the Foundation may at any time, and likely will, change the procedures, objectives, sectors, scope, and methods for its allocation of support as detailed in this document, provided that such changes meet the criteria of the Ministry of Culture & Sports and that the changes are brought to the notice of those who apply to the Foundation.

Providing Filmmakers and Productions with Suitable Conditions

The Foundation’s board will strive, to the full extent of its abilities and its budget, to ensure that the projects it supports receive reasonable and suitable conditions, as customary in the Israeli film industry, enabling the projects to be carried out at a proper level and quality with a fair and practical recompense to the various creators and participants, all subject to the policy of the Council and with attention to the Foundation’s abilities.

Accordingly, the Foundation’s board will require, among other things, that production for such projects respect, to the extent possible, the guidelines for providing proper conditions as detailed in appendix A (A6) of this document as well as any relevant additional guidelines and requirements that may be set by the Foundation from time to time. Despite the above, with respect to proper conditions the budgetary constraints will be taken into account, as will any technological developments that have occurred in production tools and that may enable production to be carried out in different conditions.

Guidelines for providing filmmakers and productions with suitable conditions (link for downloading)

Agreement

Support by the Foundation for projects is given on the conditions of a written agreement between the filmmaker and the Foundation, phrased as determined by the Foundation. The signed agreement will be binding upon the parties and will supersede any presentation, commitment, declaration, or understanding whatsoever that preceded the signing.

Without detracting from anything included in the agreements, the following must be clearly understood:

Support from the Foundation is dependent on final and binding approval for support, by the Ministry of Culture, of the Foundation with respect to the given fiscal year and genre; and on the final and binding sums of support that are approved for the Foundation regarding that fiscal year.

If no agreement is signed with the filmmaker within three months after the Foundation announces its approval of support, the Foundation will be entitled to cancel the support by means of written notice to the filmmaker. If the filmmaker violates the signed agreement, including violation by failure to adhere to the schedule for carrying out the project, the Foundation will be entitled to cancel the agreement in accordance with the agreement’s provisions.

The Foundation will see strictly to the suitability of the production and to the receipt of a work plan and budget as required for ensuring its completion (appendix A10). The project’s budget must be sufficient for its production. The Foundation will support projects after confirmation that the budgetary sources will cover the production costs. However, in cases where the full production budget has yet to be obtained, the Foundation is authorized to support a project if special reasons are set out in writing and if the Foundation’s board approves. In such cases, though, the producer must be committed to presenting to the Foundation, on the occasion of the second payment (commencement of shooting), sources of funding that eliminate any shortfalls in the budget — sources such as a broadcasting organization and/or other private or public sources — to the Foundation’s satisfaction. The producer will have 9 months in which to present the Foundation with such complementary funding. If the producer fails to complete the funding of the budget, the Foundation will be entitled to halt support of the film.

The Foundation’s support of the project is an investment for all intents and purposes. The Foundation’s financial investment will be given in installments, in parallel with the progress of production and in keeping with the provisions of the agreement between the filmmaker and the Foundation. If the sum paid is subject to any tax or levy, including value-added tax and including changes in the rates of existing taxes, the tax will be paid by the filmmaker.

The filmmaker must provide financial reports as required by the contract, including a report on usage of the budget as audited by the filmmaker’s accountant and an annual report on the film’s distribution, broadcasting, screenings, and sales. The Foundation is entitled to receive a portion of the project’s revenues as specified in the agreement. The Foundation’s revenues from the projects will serve as investments in further projects.

The Foundation will have no share in monetary prizes that the filmmaker may receive for the project.

The filmmaker will provide the Foundation with the following documents to substantiate the application:

Production Insurance
Up-to-date budget
Certification of tax deduction
Up-to-date schedule
2 guarantors, in the case of a corporation or of a licensed trader
A photocopy of the agreement between the producer and director
A photocopy of the agreement between the producer and a broadcasting organization
A photocopy of the agreement with each of the project’s additional contributors and investors
A photocopy of a distribution agreement with a distributor or sales representative

Consultancy for the projects will be performed by the Foundation’s artistic director; and, if necessary in the judgment of the artistic director, the Foundation will fund professional advisors or mentors in specific professional disciplines — scriptwriting, cinematography, editing, marketing, and distribution.

Employment agreement for a reader (link for downloading)

Declarations regarding preserving and protecting confidentiality and avoiding conflicts of interest

Completing the Project — Credits and a Copy of the Film

The producer must undertake to include in the film, at the start and at the end, the animated logo of the Makor Foundation in its entirety as detailed here: The Makor Foundation’s dynamic logo exists in three languages — Hebrew, English, and Arabic. The producer undertakes to insert the logo appropriate for the language version of the film being broadcast or projected (Hebrew, English, or Arabic). Immediately before the Foundation’s animated logo, and adjacent to it, both at the film’s start and at its end, the static logo of the Israel Film Council and of the Ministry of Culture and Sport must appear together in a single frame.

Inclusion of those logos is compulsory so that the film will be projected, broadcast, and identified in every context as an Israeli film. The animated logo of the Foundation must appear in its entirety (image and sound, lasting 7 seconds) as furnished by the Foundation.

End of film, credits following the primary creators of the film:

אחראים מטעם קרן מקור לסרטי קולנוע וטלוויזיה

עמית גורן

אבלין קלוגר-קדיש

End of film, credits following the primary creators of the film:

On behalf of Makor Foundation for Israeli Films

Amit Goren

Eveline Kluger-Kadish

The static logo of the Film Council and of the Ministry of Culture and Sport must appear alongside the Foundation’s static logo in all publicity materials of all kinds regarding the film, including posters, brochures, trailers, advertisements, packaging for copies of the film, etc. The language version of the logo must match the language of the publicity material.

If the film is broadcast by a foreign broadcasting organization, then the logo must be used in its English-language version or in a version translated into the local language. (Translation of the credit text will be prepared by the filmmaker and requires approval from the Foundation.)

The producer enables the Foundation to manage public relations with respect to the film (although the Foundation is not obliged to do so) in all media, in coordination with the producer and with other parties involved in financing the film.

Immediately upon finishing the film, and before receiving the last payment due according to the agreement — and as a precondition for that payment — the producer must supply the Foundation with a report on the usage of the budget, scanned and signed by an accountant; plus 2 copies of the master files, 1 in Hebrew and 1 in English, at the maximum quality of the finished film, and no lower than what the consensus from time to time deems broadcast quality; plus files of any existing trailers, promos, and Making Of for the purpose of archival storage at the Foundation and for duplication and backup; plus 2 such copies for the Israel Film Archive at the Jerusalem Cinematheque, or for any other archive approved by the Foundation. The producer must provide the Foundation with written confirmation of the film’s delivery to the archive as above, as a precondition to the final payment.

Support for the Project — The Investment

The Foundation’s support for projects is to be considered as an investment giving the Foundation the right to have its investment returned and to share in the profits that result from selling broadcast rights and screening rights in Israel and abroad, from ticket sales, and from all other revenues other than prizes and grants that may be awarded to the project’s producer and filmmakers. Revenues must be shared with the Foundation once the production expenses, as approved by the Foundation, have been covered; and the Foundation’s share is to be calculated after deduction of expenses and distribution fees as customary in the sector.

The Foundation’s share in the revenues (for documentaries and short films) shall be calculated according to the percentage of the final, audited budget contributed by the Foundation, times 50%.

Irrespective of the above, the Foundation reserves the right to change its share of the revenues in recognition of the circumstances of production, by notice to be conveyed to the producer at the time the agreement with the Foundation is signed.

Appealing the Foundation’s Decisions

The submitter of a project is entitled to lodge an appeal regarding the opinion of the readers and of the artistic director as received by the submitter. Appeals must be submitted to the Foundation’s email address: office@keremakor.org.il.

Only a reasoned appeal will be discussed and adjudged by the Foundation’s CEO, and a reasoned response will be delivered to the appellant. If necessary, the project will be passed, for further assessment, to a person chosen by the Foundation’s CEO.

As stated in the procedures above, a filmmaker is entitled to submit a project to the Foundation two more times in order that it be assessed each time by a different panel of readers.

Submitting “Fast Track” Projects

The Foundation reserves the right to decide, for valid reasons, that particular projects should be “fast-tracked”; that is, discussed on an individual basis and not in the rounds of assessment described above, so that their production will not suffer and in consideration of their quality and uniqueness.

Projects eligible for “fast-tracking” could be, although not necessarily, films at an advanced state of rough cut, films that must be completed quickly for a television broadcast event or festival, documentary films of a follow-up nature that require a quick decision in order not to miss any steps in the follow-up, and short films that are in an advanced state of readiness for production or post production. In addition, the Foundation reserves the right to decide that a specific project, even though it meets the conditions for the “fast track,” will be passed onward for discussion in comparison with other projects that have accumulated. The CEO will read “fast track” projects, view the visual materials or edited version of the film, and present a recommendation. In parallel, an opinion will be requested from at least two artistic advisors (readers). If the three opinions differ with respect to supporting or not supporting the project, then the project will be passed onward for viewing by an additional advisor who will provide an opinion.

Approving Support for a “Fast Track” Project

When the readers and artistic director have approved a project on the “fast track,” the project goes to the members of the program committee, whose approval is required just as it is for a project in an ordinary framework. The CEO of the Foundation will have one vote on the program committee, and the chairperson of the program committee will have an extra vote for tie-breaking, if necessary, regarding approval or rejection of the project. After the program committee’s approval, written notice is sent to the other board members. If within 48 hours no objection to the recommendation comes from those board members who are not program committee members, then the recommendation takes force. Receipt of recommendations will be acknowledged in writing on behalf of the Foundation’s CEO, who will summarize the decision.

The Foundation’s support for projects is conditioned on the signing of an agreement between the filmmaker and the Foundation, phrased as determined by the Foundation. The signed agreement will be binding on the parties and will supersede any presentation, commitment, declaration, or understanding whatsoever that preceded the signing.

Principles for Preventing Conflicts of Interest

The board members, members of the nonprofit organization, employees of the Foundation, readers, and advisors will perform their duties impartially, with fairness to all and with no personal interests that may interfere, even ostensibly, in their decisions and activities, and will avoid any situation presenting a conflict of interest between their duties for the Foundation and any other activity of theirs, or of any person close to them, in the field of cinema, including any involvement in a project submitted to the Foundation, during the period of those duties. Holders of such positions shall not receive any reward related to the performance of their duties (other than payment from the Foundation). Each of the readers will sign a confirmation of the nonexistence of conflict of interest before beginning to read the projects (Appendix 6A).

Without derogating from the comprehensiveness of the above, the Foundation will refrain from discussing applications submitted by directors, members of the nonprofit organization, employees of the Foundation, readers, and advisors during the term of their duties.

If board members, members of the nonprofit organization, or employees of the Foundation find that they face a conflict of interest with respect to an application submitted to the Foundation, because of a connection either to the application or to the people involved in it, then they must immediately notify the Foundation’s board. The notification will be recorded in a protocol and the particular board member, member of the nonprofit organization, or employee of the Foundation will not participate in discussions touching upon that application and will not deal with the application on the Foundation’s behalf.

Each reader must sign the declarations on preserving and protecting confidentiality and avoiding conflicts of interest. If any of the Foundation’s readers or advisors find that they face a conflict of interest with respect to an application submitted to the Foundation and passed to them for handling, they must notify the Foundation’s board and refrain from participating in discussions relating to that application, refrain from advising the Foundation regarding it, and refrain from handling it on the Foundation’s behalf.

Former board members and former steady employees of the Foundation must refrain, until the end of six months from the time they ceased to fill that role or until the end of the last fiscal year during which they filled it — whichever is later — from submitting any request for the Foundation’s support, and if they do submit such a request, the Foundation will not accept it and will not discuss it.

During the term of their duties at the Foundation, neither the CEO of the Foundation nor any steady employees of the Foundation shall work (whether for payment or without payment) for any private party that may be assumed on any reasonable grounds to be likely to apply to the Foundation for support. In any case, additional work by the Foundation’s CEO in the field of cinema and television requires the permission of the board. The Foundation’s board is entitled to approve an exception to one of the rules above in special circumstances and will explain any such approval in writing. The Foundation’s board will bring the above rules to the attention of its members, the members of the nonprofit organization, and the employees of the Foundation.

From the staff of the Makor Foundation for Israeli Films to all the filmmakers: May your creative work be fruitful!

Forms

Submission form for a documentary feature or series
Submission form for a narrative short
Submission form for an animated film or a film with new technologies
Assessment form for a production support request — Documentary film
Assessment form for a production support request – Narrative short
Assessment form for production support request — Animated film or film with new technologies
Confidentiality and conflict-of-interests agreement
Film Regulations — Recognition of a Film as Israeli

Data

Data on the Foundation’s investments this year and over the previous five years — Documentaries and shorts (link for downloading, opens in new tab)
Readers for 2020 and for the previous five years (link for downloading)