Not Just Food

“Not Just Food: Shaping National Identity through the Kitchen” is a new compilation created by the Israel Film Archive that will be exhibited in the Jewish Film Festival, combining special film screenings and displays. The archival film materials, chosen by journalist and researcher of food culture, Ronit Vered (Ha’aretz Supplement), will be displayed in several open spaces throughout the Jerusalem Cinematheque and will be accompanied by still photographs and historical collector’s items.

Rare footage, stored at the Israel Film Archive, include newsreels, informational films, and advertisements, dating back to the 1920s through the 1970s. The film materials tell the story of the local cuisine and serve as proof for the contribution the kitchen made in shaping the Israeli national identity.

During the years prior to the establishment of the State of Israel and in the first decades of its existence, no one spoke much about eating for pleasure or as food as an integral part of “high” culture. And yet, the local infatuation with food never ceased.  Food, consumer trends, and eating played a major role in the attempt to define and shape the new national identity.

Guided tours of the exhibit will be held during two of the festival evenings. Tours will be conducted under the guidance of Ronit Vered, and with the participation of researchers, chefs, confectioners, and food manufacturers, who will offer tastes inspired by the past, present, and future.

The exhibit will be open to the public between December 17-22, from 16:00-23:00. Admission is free of charge.

Guided tours and tastings will be held on December 19-20, at 19:00.

Advanced registration and payment on the Cinematheque website.

About the Israel Film Archive and the Collections

Two years ago, the Israel Film Archive at the Jerusalem Cinematheque launched a digital website providing worldwide access to hundreds of feature films and documentaries produced in Israel, and thousands of historical archival materials capturing local scenes from the end of the 19th century up until the end of the 20th century. The rare materials, captured on film, were digitized and preserved in the archives. The website is now open to the public at large, with search options according to topics, places, and people.

The Archive Collections are made up of selections of films and archival clips on various topics, selected and curated by experts in their fields, who also added historical-cultural background and personal interpretations.

Commentaries about the online collections were provided by Ran Levi (cinema newsreels), David Lifshitz (Israeli sports), Anat Rivlin (urban Jerusalem nature), Amir Kaminer (on the works of Amos Guttman and Amos Gitai), Lior Dayan (on the works of his father, Asi Dayan), and more.