Got Arak? This year the Israel Film Festival hits 21—drinking age. With Hamas' recent showing at the Palestinian polls, some festival-goers may indeed want to hit the sauce. Not IFF Founder and Executive Director Meir Fenigstein, who's plenty intoxicated by the spike in Israeli film releases. The former Israeli rock star spoke about the 2006 New York lineup (February 23–March 9) before leaving his Los Angeles home for Clearview's 62nd & Broadway.

Q: Why is this Israel Film Festival different from all other Israel Film Festivals?

MF: More special events. We're having three events at the Directors Guild, which is something unusual. Director Haim Bouzaglo has two films and we're honoring him with a Cinematic Achievement Award. Aaron Sigelman, who's been a friend of the festival for many years, will be there--we're making him a centerpiece. We're also showing "Attash," which was winner of the Jerusalem International Film Festival. It's a beautiful Palestinian film in Arabic. This year producer David Brown will get the Visionary Award. For closing night we're showing "Hill 24 Doesn't Answer," which was released 50 years ago; it's an amazing film set in Israel's 1948 War of Independence. The star will be there.

"Distortion" by Haim Bouzaglo. Photo: Smadar Kilchisnky. 21st Israel Film Festival.

Q: How many filmmakers will be in attendance?

MF: We're flying in 25 Israeli filmmakers to New York. Some of them are first time filmmakers. Imagine you're brought to New York for the first film you ever did, you have to stand before a full house, speak in English, you're jetlagged—it's very exciting. Very emotional. They won't forget it ever.

Q: Sounds traumatic. Come to think of it, is trauma a theme in this year's festival?

MF: The opening night film, "Out of Sight," deals with it. It's a very touching film, winner of Israel's Ofir Award. "Distortion" is about trauma. That's one of Bouzaglo's films. Another theme that comes up is foreign workers--"Janem Janem," Bouzaglo's other film. But we also laugh. "The Schwartz Dynasty" is a tragicomedy about immigrants. I'd say overall this year's theme is Jewish identity. There's a program called "Jewish Identity Through Israeli Film" and a panel. It's something we've never done before, which is exciting.

Q: As your festival nears its 21st birthday, what are its goals?

MF: To get drunk! To celebrate the success of the Israeli film industry in the past couple of years, which is an industry that's coming of age.

Q: What's behind this success?

MF: A few things, but we can talk about the new sources of support. Two foundations, the Israel Film Fund and Rabinovitch Fund, give money to feature films. The New Foundation for Cinema and TV funds documentaries. Makor Film Foundation is relatively small and it gives to television, some features.

Q: How much credit can the 2001 Israeli Film Law claim in the recent growth spurt?

MF: There's no question that it's been a big help. It created more business and brought more establishment to the industry. Producers are now more organized and have more financial security. So many new professionals came into the industry. A producer that used to do a film in two years now does a mini-series and has one or two films in development. He has the confidence of knowing money will come in. Used to be more local, more lazy. Used to be that you're starving. Now you've got mini-studios. People are working hard. Now a producer flies to Europe three times a year.

Q: So co-production's up…

MF: You have more important major co-production, French, Italian, American Canadian, German. An Israeli producer will get, let's say, US $400K and then has to match funds and come with a package that meets the new official criteria. Producers have a stronger chance of getting government money if they come with money from co-production.

Q: "The Syrian Bride" premiered at your festival last year, and Koch Lorber Films picked it up. How important is distribution to your mission?

MF: Very, very important, and something I'd like to continue to do as the festival keeps growing--to use the festival as a springboard for theatrical release. I'd love to see a film picked up and then help market it. I'm trying to convince the distributor of "The Syrian Bride" to open it in Miami immediately after our festival there.

Q: How are distributors involved in this year's New York edition?

MF: Take "39 Pounds." HBO came to us and they're sponsoring the screening--and they'll show it through Cinemax in March. They're taking advantage of the festival as another platform to promote the film, and I think that's great. It's a real relationship; it's not that HBO is supporting a cultural event, but that we have a business relationship, and we're helping to market the film.

Q: Beyond HBO and Koch, Picturehouse, Wellspring, Samuel Goldwyn and Magnolia are among the U.S. distributors handling Israeli films. How are these releases playing here? How many people went to see Israeli films in 2005?

MF: I can't speak for North America alone, but in the world this year, according to the Israel Film Fund, two million people worldwide saw Israeli films. The fund invested roughly US $10 million, and the films made more than US $20 million. So that's a nice profit for Israel. Actually, I'm talking about film product from 2004. This year wasn't so hot, but what's coming is going to be phenomenal.