For centuries, until the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492, the Iberian Peninsula ("Sefarad" in Hebrew) was the religious, cultural, economic, and political heart of the Jewish world.

In a region contested by Christian and Islamic kingdoms, the Sephardic Jewish communities thrived amidst complex yet fruitful cultural and inter-religious exchanges. These communities produced masterpieces in theology, philosophy, science, poetry, and music that stands at the foundations of contemporary Jewish culture.

The Sephardic legacy of multicultural coexistence and interfaith dialogue remains a vital heritage, offering valuable lessons for fostering intercultural, dialog and cooperation in today's (European) society.

 

Project Overview

The CineLab - Barcelona Multicultural film & Audio-Visual Laboratory is an innovative initiative born from the collaboration between the "Festival Cinema Jueu, Barcelona" and the Institut d'Estudis Jueus de Barcelona (EJB).

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The Barcelona CineLab aims to enrich the Multicultural landscape of cinema and Audiovisual creation and foster intercultural, artistic, and professional, collaborations in Barcelona and beyond.

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By offering cutting-edge training programs that push the boundaries of conventional filmmaking and open new perspectives of audiovisual creation, and by forging partnerships with the Barcelona film and audiovisual industries, as well as with cultural film stakeholders on a European and global scale, the Cine Lab Barcelona aims to be a significant professional and creative hub, promoting multicultural creation and interfaith dialogue. through the powerful medium of film.

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CineLab Steering committee:

Daniela Rosenfeld - Festival Cinema Jueu, Barcelona

Ze`ev Maor - Institut d'Estudis Jueus de Barcelona (EJB) - Chairman

Roee Messinger - EJB, - CineLab Project manager

Paula Kuffer - Festival Cinema Jueu, Barcelona

Nathalie Kertesz - LABA Barcelona

 

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Barcelona CineLab fellowship program 2025

Starting in October 2025, CineLab Barcelona will offer an annual fellowship program, both in Fiction and Documentary tracks, designated for Film and Audiovisual students, artists and professionals who wish to create, develop, and perfect their work in the field of multicultural cinema.

Barcelona CineLab fellowship program offers a tailored professional support for fiction and documentary projects at different stages of the creative and production processes.

CineLab Fellows will present their projects in development to the local film industry stakeholders in a culminated final pitch event held at the end of the Barcelona Jewish Film Festival.

Barcelona CineLab aims to support feature-length projects, though innovative episodic projects will also be considered.

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