A. A. KRYUKOV Head of the Representative Office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Israel Key words: Israel, cinema, culture The history of cinema in Israel dates back to the creation of the state in 1948. At first, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, films were produced rather for the purpose of national propaganda. They spoke about the Jewish revival in the "historical homeland", about the difficulties faced by the young state, and about the struggle with them. Inter-communal and religious conflicts, uneasy relations between religious and secular citizens of the country, as well as a complex of problems related to immigration and the entry of new citizens into the life of the country were not ignored. This period of Israeli cinema has been called "Zionist realism"by critics and film historians. Each director tried, first of all, to pay his patriotic duty to the "historical homeland". In 1952, the Cinematography Department was established as part of the General Federation of Israeli Workers (Histadrut - the largest trade union in the country, which also includes family members of employees). At the same time, a unit with similar information and cultural tasks was created in the structure of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. In the middle of the 20th century, Israeli cinema developed such pressing problems for the country as state security and military operations, life in kibbutzim*, development of the Negev desert areas in southern Israel, military service, and immigration problems. As a rule, films were created with funds from governmental or quasi-governmental organizations, such as the National Renaissance Foundation. Since the late 1950s and early 1960s, the situation has changed radically. A new generation of native Israelis has grown up in the country. State support for the film industry has also increased. The government was willing to almost fully reimburse the cost of making any film that was released under the "Made in Israel" label, which attracted a lot of private ... Read more