Cannes: CoPro Foundation Launches Film Sales Outfit for Israeli Documentaries

Israel’s CoPro Foundation, the group behind Tel Aviv’s annual CoPro film and television market, is moving into film sales. The company, which will celebrate the 25th anniversary of CoPro in June this year, has set up its own film sales division to support the international distribution of Israeli titles.

CoPro is launching the new company at the Cannes Film Market with the timely documentary The Consultant. Directed by Eado Zuckmernan, the film delves into the enigmatic life of Arthur J. Finkelstein, an influential American political consultant who played a key role in shaping the careers of such right-wing figures as Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Jesse Helms, Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While championing conservative ideologies Finkelstein privately lived as a gay man. The documentary promises a rare glimpse into this complex persona through never-before-seen home videos, interviews with Finkelstein’s daughter, her husband Donald Curiale and exclusive access to Finkelstein’s own words.

A non-profit organization devoted to helping boost the production and distribution of Israeli films, CoPro has, over the past two and a half decades, helped facilitate more than $40 million in international investment in Israeli documentary projects. Over the same period, some 750 co-production agreements have been signed between Israeli and international production companies and broadcasters for the production of high-end documentaries.

This year’s Israeli Coproduction Market will include a series of in-person events including pitches, rough cut screenings, and meetings from June 5-7 in Tel Aviv, followed by a series of film tributes, running June 8-10.