Cinema of Israel

Cinema of IsraelChaim Topol rehearsing for Sallah Shabati, 1964.No. of screens286 (2011) • Per capita4.4 per 100,000 (2011)Main distributorsUnited KingGlobus GroupForum CinemasNumber of admissions (2011)Total12,462,537 • Per capita1.5 (2012)Gross box office (2012)Total€94.6 million (₪454.8 million) Cinema of Israel (Hebrew: קולנוע ישראלי, romanized: Kolnoa Yisraeli) comprises the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the State of Israel or by Israeli film production companies abroad. Most Israeli films are produced in Hebrew, but there are productions in other languages such as Arabic and English. Israel has been nominated for more Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film than any other country in the Middle East. Israel's first full-length feature film, Hill 24 Doesn't Answer (1955) was directed by Britain's Thorold Dickinson and retells the Establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and the War of Independence. In the 1950s and early 1960s, a number of British and American films were set and filmed in Israel. These included the epic historical drama, Exodus (1960), also about the founding of the State of Israel. The film, directed