This program is designed for people who come with a real desire to study and make films, and with the maturity, passion, and commitment to enter a meaningful creative process. It is intended for those looking for a practical, intimate, and serious framework, and who are ready to work, experiment, and deepen over time.
It can also be a good fit for people who are still at the beginning of their path, as long as they bring openness, readiness for work, and genuine curiosity about entering cinema through practice.

You do not need to come with full professional experience in filmmaking, but you should come with curiosity, seriousness, and a real desire to enter a creative process. We are not necessarily looking for formal credentials, but for people who have something to look for here - openness, commitment, and creative spark.

The age range in the program is usually between 25 and 50, with most students around 30–35. There is no formal age limit - students are accepted not according to age, but according to their artistic background, passion, and creative spark.

The atmosphere at Ha’Aruga is intimate, informal, and down-to-earth, while also being serious and committed. It is not a distant or impersonal framework, but a place built around a small group, real familiarity, shared work, and close dialogue with the teachers. There is a great deal of mutual support, participation in classmates’ productions, and guidance that feels personal rather than detached. There are expectations, but there is also a strong sense of warmth and trust.

Each class includes up to 16 students. This allows for an intimate working environment, personal guidance, and real familiarity within the group.

The program focuses on four core areas: directing, writing, cinematography, and editing. Throughout the year, students work on developing a personal idea, translating thought into scene, building a visual language, and engaging with the practical work involved in making a film - from the first idea through shooting and editing.

Yes. During the year, each student creates two short films, each approximately 5–10 minutes long. In addition, students also write another screenplay of around 15 minutes. Under certain conditions, this screenplay may be produced within the framework of Ha’Aruga, though in most cases the actual shoot will take place in the months following the end of the academic year.

​The vast majority of the program is practical. There are screenings of clips or films, sometimes in class and sometimes at home, and these are discussed as part of the work, but there are almost no academic-style theoretical assignments. Most of the learning happens through exercises, writing, shooting, editing, production preparation, and direct work on each student’s personal projects.

Yes, absolutely. Personal guidance is a very meaningful part of the program. In addition to the work done in class, students have one-on-one meetings with teachers at key stages of the process — before shoots, around questions of directing, cinematography, and production, and later during editing and the completion of the films.

Alongside the core courses, the year also includes a sound recording workshop, a production workshop, a festival submission workshop, as well as selected masterclasses and professional sessions. Their purpose is to expand the learning beyond the regular class structure, and to offer both practical tools and exposure to additional professionals and working methods.

​Ha’Aruga strongly encourages the life of each film beyond the creative process itself. During the year there is a festival submission workshop, and in addition there is guidance, consultation, and discussion with the teachers around how to continue with a film or project beyond the framework of the program. Thanks to the professional experience of the faculty and their familiarity with the world of film, festivals, and development processes, the program places emphasis not only on making the film, but also on what can happen with it afterward.

The school has four camera kits and sound recording equipment, which students may borrow in an organized way for their personal films. In addition, students have access to further production equipment through Different, the professional equipment rental house located next to Ha’Aruga’s studio on Yitzhak Sadeh Street - including lighting equipment, a director’s monitor, and additional supporting gear. Each production is given a dedicated budget for equipment rental.

​No. Ha’Aruga is a comprehensive year-long program, and its courses are built as one continuous process. The different areas complement one another, and the work in one area affects the others. For example, in the second semester, the editing course also works with material that was created and shot at the end of the first semester. For that reason, it is not possible to register for only part of the program or to take individual courses separately.

There is an admissions process. Ha’Aruga is a small and intimate framework, so admission is not automatic. We aim to build a carefully chosen group of people who want to enter a serious process of creation, collaboration, and development.

The full tuition is 16,500 NIS, with the option to spread the payment over 8 installments. There is also an early registration discount.

At this stage, Ha’Aruga is not yet an officially recognized academic institution, and the program is in the process of seeking recognition.

The studies take place at the studio of the Ha’Improv Theater, which is used by Ha’Aruga programs from Sunday through Wednesday. The studio is located at 32 Yitzhak Sadeh Street, Tel Aviv, 3rd floor.

Yes. In order to study and work in the program, students need a computer that can comfortably handle video editing. It does not have to be especially expensive, and most reasonably strong laptops today can do the job. In addition, students need a subscription to Premiere. There is a student discount, so the cost is around 60 NIS per month instead of about 100 NIS.

The program works with Adobe Premiere Pro.

Yes. The program can also suit people who have already studied in another framework and want to deepen or complete areas that are missing for them. For example, someone who studied screenwriting and wants to gain production tools, someone who studied only one area of filmmaking such as cinematography or editing, or someone who completed a partial program and is now looking for a more practical and comprehensive framework.

This is not an institution based on academic credit points or formal attendance requirements, so missing a class does not have an institutional consequence. At the same time, students are encouraged to make up what they can whenever possible, and everything is handled through good communication. We ask students in advance not to miss more than three classes in each course.

You’re welcome to come for an introductory meeting, but not for a trial class. We recommend attending an open day and speaking with our graduates to get a better sense of the program.

Yes. Up to two weeks after the beginning of the program, it is possible to cancel, minus a 1,500 NIS cancellation fee. After that, since the place in the class has already been reserved, the tuition can no longer be canceled.

The program requires real involvement beyond class hours. Students are expected to participate in exercises, prepare for shooting days, produce their own films, and assemble crews from within the class or from outside when needed. The more a student invests, deepens, and takes an active part in the process, the more their films will gain from it - and the more meaningful and substantial the learning itself will be.

Ha’Aruga was founded by Boaz Debbi, a teacher and theater and film creator, מתוך a desire to create a film program that is both professional and personal — one that allows students to enter the world of cinema through practice, community, and guidance, without necessarily going through a long institutional track. The first Ha’Aruga cohort opened in 2021. The English-language program opened in 2025. So far, around 70 students have studied at Ha’Aruga across its two active tracks.

Ha’Aruga is currently the only program of its kind in Israel: an intimate, hands-on framework that allows students, within an 8-month format and just two study days a week, to gain practical professional filmmaking tools in a serious and focused way.
It brings together directing, writing, cinematography, and editing through actual making, within a small group and with personal guidance throughout the process.

Yes. For many students, especially English-speaking creators and new immigrants, Ha’Aruga is also a concrete way to begin getting to know the Israeli film industry from the inside. Through the teachers, professional encounters, collaborative productions, and the people students meet along the year, the program offers not only training, but also meaningful access to the local film world.