A new animation studio in Jerusalem, a branch of the Jaffa-based “PitchiPoy,” is attempting to succeed where many have failed – producing full-length Israeli animated films. Three are already in the works, including a film about King Solomon and "The Bald-Headed Village," with another film planned based on the paintings of Nahum Gutman.
The great hope of Israel's animated film industry is now concentrated in the heart of Jerusalem, in a rather small room on Shivtei Israel Street. The studio consists of only four computers, one editing station, a light table, and an impressive model of a sculpted and designed sandcastle. For many years, numerous attempts to produce a full-length Israeli animated film ended in failure, one after another. Ari Folman was the exception, managing to overcome the system with endless determination and compelling charisma, and now, in Jerusalem, there is hope that they will succeed in following his path. With a new studio, support for a series of animated films, and plans to bring large international projects that will provide income and professional development in animation – fans of the medium can start biting their nails in anticipation.
The new Jerusalem studio is actually a branch of PitchiPoy, Israel’s oldest animation studio based in Jaffa, and it was established with the initiative and support of the Jerusalem Film and Television Fund. Currently, they are working on two features. The first, "Sandcastle," directed by Noam Meshulam in 3D animation, tells the story of what happens inside sandcastles on the beach after the children who built them leave the shore and go home. The second, "Being Solomon," is an Israeli-Hungarian co-production directed by Hanan Kaminski (produced by Eden Productions), a 2D animated film that follows the adventures of the young King Solomon, the Arab princess Naama, and the Queen of Sheba as they join forces to fight against the demon king who is trying to take over their kingdoms.
Within a few weeks, the studio will also begin working on another film: "Baldy Heights," also directed by Noam Meshulam. This film is a loose adaptation of Ephraim Sidon's children's book, following the adventures of a girl with a lush mane from the city of "Tel Teltalim" who arrives in the rival city of "Baldy Heights," where baldness is the sole culture and an unbreakable state law. Another project by Meshulam, which the studio will soon begin working on, is a short animated film titled "Between Sands and a Trail of Shells," based on the stories and illustrations of Nahum Gutman. This short film is intended to help Meshulam and PitchiPoy secure funding for a full-length feature. If the plan goes forward, work on the feature-length film will begin next year.
Director Noam Meshulam: "There is an advantage to being a poor studio."
"This won't just create employment opportunities for animators in Jerusalem, but also give us experience in working on large animation projects," says Honig.
On paper, it seems quite simple, but when looking at Israel's particularly sparse animation history, it becomes clear that this task is ambitious and fraught with risks. Back in the early 1960s, Yoram Gross directed the animated film "Joseph the Dreamer" here. Ari Folman managed to produce "Waltz with Bashir" and "The Congress" (which was largely an American film), and Tatia Rosenthal directed "$9.99," which was mostly made in Australia. But that’s about it. Several other attempts to produce full-length animated films in Israel have failed one after another, most notably two major projects from the past decade that employed dozens of workers and aimed to produce Hollywood-quality animation with large budgets: DPSI in Beit Shemesh and JVP's animation lab in Jerusalem—both collapsed before they could complete the films they were working on.
Despite this, Meshulam from PitchiPoy tries to remain optimistic. "People greater than me have tried and failed, but I always said that because I come from within the industry and have been part of it for so many years, I approach this task differently from them," he explains. "Unlike large companies like DPSI and JVP, I come from the ground up, from the field, and I can work with different budgets.
They tried to do it with big money, but I want to do original Israeli things and reach the European and American markets. JVP talked about a budget of about $12 million per film, while I'm starting with a budget of $1.5 million and hope that in the end, we'll have about $3 million per project. But you have to remember, they were businessmen, for them it was a business project, while for me, if my considerations were purely business, I should have closed shop a long time ago. Because this is what I love to do, I don't give up so easily."
Meshulam admits that the relatively low budget of his films requires compromises and does not allow for the meticulous and rich animation known from major Hollywood studios, but he also sees a positive side in this. "Although we work on a small scale, with tight finances, and cannot compete with the products of a large studio, our great advantage is that we are completely free. That’s the advantage of being poor. No producer is breathing down our necks, and we can do whatever we want. For example, who in the world would agree to make a film based on a story by Nahum Gutman? You won't see such films in Europe or the United States, but I believe it's important to do things like this that belong to this place," he says.
Indeed, when he runs a scene from the film "Between Sands and a Trail of Shells" on one of the screens at the Jerusalem studio, the effort seems justified. There's something moving about seeing Gutman's so-familiar drawing style come to life, watching the landscapes, characters, and situations so connected to this place start to frolic on the screen after decades of dormancy. It’s unclear whether this beauty will resonate with those who aren't from here, and it’s uncertain whether it will be enough to raise the significant funds needed for such a project, but it’s certainly worth a try. Another co-production that Meshulam is very hopeful will come to fruition at his studio is a French-origin project based on "The Second Generation: Things I Didn’t Tell My Father," an excellent autobiographical comic book by Michel Kichka.
Alongside PitchiPoy, the credit for establishing the Jerusalem studio goes to the Jerusalem Film and Television Fund. In recent years, the fund has supported dozens of films and television shows to improve Jerusalem's image on screen and develop the city's film and television industry. They decided that establishing an animation industry in Jerusalem could capitalize on a relative advantage that the city has not yet utilized— the many talented graduates of Bezalel Academy, who leave the city each year after completing their studies. The fund’s leaders undertook a series of consultations, both in Israel and abroad, and eventually issued a call for proposals to establish an animation studio in the city.
Meshulam from PitchiPoy tries to remain optimistic. "People greater than me have tried and failed, but I always said that because I come from within the industry and have been part of it for so many years, I approach this task differently from them."
Yoram Honig, the fund's director, explains that they also put a lot of thought into avoiding the same grim fate that befell previous animation projects in Israel. To this end, he says, they decided not to put all their eggs in one basket but to spread the investment across three projects ("The Sandcastle," "Baldy Heights," and "Being Solomon"). Additionally, they decided to support the establishment of a studio in Jerusalem with a grant of 500,000 shekels, where not only these films will be produced but also animation services will be provided for projects coming from abroad (PitchiPoy won the tender to establish this studio).
Moreover, the fund plans to offer financial support to international film or television projects that decide to produce their animation, in whole or in part, at the Jerusalem studio. "This won't just create employment opportunities for animators in Jerusalem, but also give us experience in working on large animation projects," says Honig. To this end, the fund issued a call for international animation productions in January.
Three companies submitted proposals for projects they are interested in bringing here, and according to Honig, the company that receives the fund's support—an announcement is expected this summer—will spend 14 million shekels in Jerusalem and receive a 4 million shekel rebate from the fund. "This will provide work for a team of about 40 people for two years," he says. Among the companies that submitted proposals is Disney, which is exploring the possibility of producing an animated series here in collaboration with Israeli Snowball Studios.
The Jerusalem Film and Television Fund is determined to act simultaneously on different fronts to establish an animation industry in Jerusalem. "We want to release at least one feature film a year in Israel and bring a major animation project worth 15 million shekels to Jerusalem each year," says Honig. The intentions are good, the plans are impressive; now we just have to wait and see if reality will allow them to come to fruition and if the golden age of Israeli animation will begin, of all places, in Jerusalem.
