Filming Beit Jimal Monastery

Sometimes when I go out scouting for film locations in Israel, I stumble across a location that just ticks all the boxes.  From time to time you find a gem, a place that looks as if it has been designed as a film set; crammed full of character and with the potential to be used for a variety of productions.

Beit Jimal Monastery is one such place. Located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, this atmospheric setting still has areas that are used as a monastery, including a section resided in by nuns, who have taken a vow of silence.

The setting is large, airy and versatile; it could be dressed up for a variety of scenes, both inside and out.

The site itself contains fields, a church, stables, a dormitory, a farmhouse estate and a very large courtyard.   

The monastery is located in a very picturesque area, surrounded by fields and trees.  The setting itself has beautiful, well tendered gardens, with blossomed trees lining the entrance path.

The buildings are made from white stone and fashioned in a very simple style. Inside one building there is a stone floor and a series of columns and archways, which all work well to create a powerful atmosphere, particularly when the light floods in through the semicircular windows.

This area is large and would make a wonderful interior for a feature film.  It has a formal, frugal look which would work well as a setting for a religious building or school. It would also be good in a drama or thriller; being somewhere that has an air of mystery about it and a place in which you could really build up excitement or suspense.

The setting would be wonderfully set off by candlelight or torches; it could be dressed into a sumptuous venue for a feast or the eerie location for a psychological or historical thriller.

Outside the main buildings is a massive courtyard, flagged with white stones and making a perfect setting for the creation of a Middle Eastern bazaar or as a place to re-enact historical scenes.

It is also a wonderful space for external filming, allowing the monastery and other buildings to be used as a backdrop. 

Film companies can hire the whole location for a very reasonable $1,500 a day, plus electricity expenses.

The whole area is massive and the priest I met showed me around so many wonderful places inside the monastery estate.  He unlocked doors that are not open to the public but he assures me that he is happy to use these for filming purposes. 

Some of the places he showed me are like blank canvases and just need the imagination of an art director to transform them into a wonderful film setting.

The whole estate includes farm houses, some with servants’ quarters.  There are around twenty dwellings altogether, each of which has an historic feel and could be dressed up for any period; stemming from ancient times to nineteenth century. 

Beit Jimal Monastery covers a vast area and has a range of buildings and external features that could cater for multiple scenes being shot at the same location.  The priests are welcoming and are used to film crews; understanding the unsociable hours and disruption that accompanies any production.

I would love to say that I, alone, have discovered Beit Jimal as a fantastic film location in Israel, but have to admit that it has already been discovered by others.  Antonio Banderes shot his film ‘The Body’ here in 2001 and I am sure that many others will be following in his footsteps.