TEL AVIV (Press Release) — Tel Aviv University (TAU) has announced a $10 million donation from philanthropist and Academy Award-winning film producer Steve Tisch that will transform the university’s world-renowned Department of Film and Television. The donation comes amidst a boom in the Israeli film and television industry driven by creative visionaries, including a disproportionate number of TAU alumni, and will help fuel its continued growth across the globe. With the expansion, the prestigious Department will become a full school named “The Steve Tisch School of Film and Television” at Tel Aviv University.
“The ability to tell stories is critical to increasing dialogue and understanding, something the world is certainly in need of,” said Steve Tisch. “Tel Aviv University is at the forefront of nurturing and growing creative, talented and diverse voices from across Israel and the region. I’m very pleased to support their efforts and honored by their recognition.”
“We are now in the midst of major changes in the aesthetics of moving images and in the ways in which films and television programs are made, distributed, and consumed,” said Yaron Bloch, Head of the Department of Film and Television at TAU. “Our students, graduates, and faculty are at the forefront of these trends and are exploring emerging possibilities in their artistic work and academic research. Steve Tisch’s contribution will make it possible to extend their impact and success both locally and internationally.”
“As a graduate of the Tel Aviv University Department of Film and Television, it is an honor to have taken part in this fruitful relationship between Mr. Tisch and TAU,” said Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel in New York. “I consider it a privilege to have been able to introduce Steve Tisch to my alma mater. I wish to express our deep gratitude and appreciation for Mr. Tisch’s generosity. This donation will position the TAU film and television school right where it should be: a world class bastion of creativity.”
Tisch is a partner at Escape Artists Productions and is Co-Owner, Chairman and Executive Vice President of the New York Football Giants, the only person with both an Academy Award and a Super Bowl ring. He received his Academy Award as a producer of Forrest Gump, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1994, and has received two Super Bowl rings as Chairman of the Giants.
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Preceding provided by Tel Aviv University