In 1973, Pinsk-born, Rio-based businessman/philanthropist, George Ostrovsky initiated the establishment of a facility exclusively for the Jerusalem Cinematheque and Israel Film Archive. These two institutions comprise the Jerusalem Film Center (JFC) which opened at its current site in October 1981.
For over thirty years the Ostrovsky Family Fund (OFF) continued to commit significant annual support for the JFC. In addition to contributing major funding for the collections, programs, festivals, equipment, staff enrichment and development consultants, OFF has also contributed and initiated the drive for a comprehensive renovation and expansion of the JFC building (completed in 2008) and the upgrading and expanding of its archive. OFF was developed in 1987 to consolidate the various philanthropic contributions that respond to the passions and priorities of George Ostrovsky (1901-1980) and his family. To date, the JFC and the Film Forum in New York City have been the principal beneficiaries of its operational and capital support, in addition to an array of other international cultural and human rights initiatives in Brazil, the USA and Israel.
Projects underwritten by OFF typically enlist innovative, experimental and avant-garde approaches to enhance the preservation, accessibility and impact of the moving-image arts, or to raise awareness about cultural, social and political issues.
OFF salutes the JFC staff, constituency and filmmakers who give this special place its year-round dynamic program and year after year make the Jerusalem International Film Festival a highlight of the Israeli summer.
