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Jerusalem, Israel – Renen Schorr-Heller, the visionary filmmaker and founder of the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film School (JSFS), has passed away at the age of 72, a representative of the institution announced on Wednesday.
Schorr-Heller, who led JSFS for three decades following its establishment in 1989, played a pivotal role in shaping Israeli cinema.
His leadership elevated the school to international prominence, making it a hub for emerging filmmakers and a launching pad for many celebrated directors.
Under his stewardship, JSFS graduates went on to win hundreds of awards and shape the industry both in Israel and beyond.
Notable alumni of JSFS include renowned directors such as Nadav Lapid, Rama Burshtein, Talya Lavie, and Nir Bergman, among others.
The institution’s impact was widely recognized, with over 190 tributes and retrospectives dedicated to it at prestigious film festivals and cultural institutions in 55 countries, including a 1996 showcase at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
In addition to fostering Israeli talent, Schorr-Heller expanded the school’s influence globally by founding the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab in 2011.
The lab provided a platform for promising directors worldwide, and one of its most successful projects was Son of Saul by László Nemes, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2016.
A Filmmaker of Distinction
Beyond his contributions to education and mentorship, Schorr-Heller was an accomplished director. His 1987 film Late Summer Blues depicted the experiences of high school students in the summer of 1970, while The Loners (2009) explored the lives of two Russian soldiers entangled in a controversial arms-smuggling case.
His final film, Wake Up, Grandson – Letters to My Rebellious Rabbi, released in 2024, was a deeply personal documentary about his grandfather, Rabbi Avraham Heller. In honor of his grandfather’s legacy, he adopted the name Heller later in life.
Tributes from the Film Community
Schorr-Heller’s passing has left a deep void in the Israeli and global film community. Dana Blankstein Cohen, CEO of JSFS, expressed her sorrow, stating, “The Sam Spiegel community is heartbroken by the news of the death of our teacher Renen Schorr, the founder of the school, who established it as his life’s work in Jerusalem, an accomplishment that changed Israeli cinema and Israeli culture beyond recognition.”
Asaf Wittman, chairman of the Board of Directors of JSFS, described him as “larger than life. A tireless and uncompromising entrepreneur and creator who educated generations of filmmakers and raised Israeli culture and cinema to heights of quality and originality.”
In recognition of his lifelong dedication to cinema and education, Schorr-Heller was recently awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Israeli Culture Ministry.
In a 2019 interview with The Jerusalem Post upon his retirement, Schorr-Heller reflected on his legacy, saying, “I knew I was opening a school for storytellers… By telling the most Israeli stories, filmmakers touch a truth and can tell the most universal stories.”
His influence on Israeli and international cinema will endure through the generations of filmmakers he nurtured and the stories they continue to tell.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members