Compiled by CJN Staff
Born, raised and educated in Quebec, Oscar-winning film producer Jake Eberts is returning home to introduce his latest project JERUSALEM, filmed in IMAX 3D. JERUSALEM seeks to educate the public about this historic city in order to foster understanding among Jews, Christians and Muslims, and to encourage tourists to visit the city.
The Montreal-born producer will be honoured by the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (CFHU) on Nov. 28, receiving the organization’s inaugural Key of Knowledge Award at the Montreal Science Centre’s IMAX Theatre at the Old Port.
Eberts, 70, will be introduced by multiple award-winning Quebec director Denys Arcand as he is recognized for his “dissemination of knowledge through numerous film productions, in addition to his significant philanthropic contributions.”
Throughout his 35-year film career, Eberts has helped create many Academy Award-winning films, including Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, Driving Miss Daisy and Dances with Wolves, and such notable documentaries as Prisoner of Paradise, Journey to Mecca and Oceans.
Currently in preproduction, JERUSALEM, to be released in 2013, is a not-for-profit film financed by tax deductible donations. Approximately half of the film’s $8-million budget has already been raised, and Canadians can make tax-deductible contributions. Proceeds from the release of the film will fund a variety of projects in Jerusalem through the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
“The Middle East is a region that is often associated with conḀict,” said Eberts, who is not Jewish. “However, there is a place where people of different faiths and cultures coexist in relative harmony: Jerusalem. Our film aims to foster respect and understanding among people of all faiths, by chronicling a day-in-the-life of three teenagers – one Jewish, one Christian and one Muslim.
At the event, Eberts will present a seven minute trailer for JERUSALEM, as well as rare archival footage of the city. Additionally, a big-screen retrospective of his career will be presented, followed by a dessert reception and a question and answer session with Eberts and fellow JERUSALEM producers Taran Davies, George Duffield and Daniel Ferguson. The event will be co-chaired by Matthew Price-Gallagher and Ari Brojde. Since Eberts entered the film business in London in the mid-1970s, he has financed or produced more than 50 films, and won 37 Academy Awards, including four for Best Picture. A resident of London and Paris, Eberts is chair of National Geographic Films (which distributed March of the Penguins) and trustee emeritus of the Sundance Institute. He holds honorary degrees from McGill University, Bishop’s University and Trent University.
Eberts’ longtime friend and collaborator, Kevin Costner, is the honorary chair of the event, but cannot attend because he is shooting a film in Romania. Costner will introduce Eberts via a prerecorded video message.
To view the JERUSALEM trailer, visit:www.jerusalemthemovie.com.