Lia van Leer ^People

Lia moved to Jerusalem in 1943 to attend the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1952, she married Wim Van Leer, a Dutch engineer, pilot, playwright and film pro-ducer, and settled in Haifa.They founded the country's first film club in 1955. In 1973, a Brazilian business-man, George Ostrovsky, who dreamt of creating a cinematheque in Israel, approached the van Leers and persuaded them and Teddy Kollek to share his dream. Ostrovskydonated the necessary funds to build the Jerusalem Film Center (comprising the Israel Film Archives and the Jerusalem Cinematheque) in the Hinnom Valley below the Old City walls. Teddy Kollek and the Jerusalem Foundation mobilized more funding from friends in Hollywood and around the world.The Jerusalem Cinematheque opened in 1981, and Lia van Leer was named its first director. After the death of her husband in 1991, she inaugurated the Wim Van Leer Award for High School Students to encourage young filmmakers. In its first year, eight films were submitted, in 2008, 90 films contended for the prize. In 1995, she headed the jury at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival. In 2004, Lia van Leer was awarded the Israel Prize for her lifetime achievement & special contributionto society and the State of Israel. She won a prize for her volunteer work from Israeli president Chaim Herzog in 1988.