For the last three years the Tel-Aviv Cinematheque has presented an unusual approach to festivals. The Festival of Creative Filmmaking stresses creativity instead of holding a competition or a trade show. Most of what was shown was independent animation that had not been seen in Israel. This year's selection included outstanding recent works from Europe and North America plus programs of classics and a selection of work honoring animators from Israel. Creative Filmmaking '97 was for anyone who wanted to learn more about animation and/or live action filmmaking, and who finds pleasure in exploring a wide variety of approaches to filmmaking. The event was attended by professionals, students and the general public and while the programming was fascinating the historic city offers just as much.

The festival's guests of honor were picked for their ability to communicate and for their contributions to cinematic creativity. The guests included: Clare Kitson, who commissions animated work for Channel 4 TV in England, Thomas Meyer-Herman and Manuela Lumb from Studio Film Bilder in Stuttgart, Germany, Jonathan Amitay, who worked for almost 20 years as a designer for the CBC in Toronto and myself, an animation scholar from San Francisco. I showed work in 16mm from my archive and new works from the Bay Area. John Coates and Norman D. Kauffman from TVC in London were also special guests to present a sampling of works from their company including Where the Wind Blows, Yellow Submarine, Father Xmas and The Snowman.

Clare Kitson and John Coates visited Tel-Aviv from England.

Special Guests
The greatest treat at the festival for me was hearing John Coates and Norm Kauffman discuss the making of The Yellow Submarine. They discussed the production's history, techniques used and what it was like working with the Beatles (the guys thought the feature was going to be Disneyesque!). When John Coates produced the feature he was so naive that he didn't ask for a percentage of the gross or profits. TVC, however, went over budget and lost money making the feature. The Yellow Submarine will be 30 years old next year but seeing it again was a fresh and exciting experience. Part of the excitement was seeing the "Hey Bulldog" sequence for the first time which was cut from prints shown in the USA.

TVC also presented several other programs from their past. One honored their late director Dianne Jackson and another honored the late director George Dunning. Coates and Kauffman presented a master class where they talked about the company's 40 years of productions. They showed sample reels of commercials and other work. Coates, a convivial gentleman, is about to retire and the future of the company will be left in the hands of Kauffman and his associates. The TVC productions were delightful. They showed Famous Fred directed by Joanna Quinn, 1997, 25 min; The Tale of Mr. Todd: The Further Adventures of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny, 1996, 25 min; The Willows in Winter, 1996, 70 min; The Wind in the Willows, 1995, 70 min; Father Xmas, 1991, 26 min; The Man Who Moved the Beatles, 1991, 40 min; Grandpa, 1989, 26 min; Snowman, 1982, 26 min and Yellow Submarine, 1967, 85 min. directed by George Dunning and designed by Heinz Edelmann. Other works were also screened.