Yaacov Ben-Dov

Born in a Ukrainian shtetl near Kiev, Yaacov Ben-Dov (b. Lasutra) was a pioneer of both still photography and motion pictures in the Land of Israel. He moved to Palestine in 1907 and continued his studies at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, where he later taught photography. He began filming key historical events in 1917 and made nine films between 1918 and 1932, which the Zionist movement used worldwide to garner support. He retired from filmmaking in the early 1930s as a result of his inability to adjust to the introduction of sound.