 Haifa Cinematheque was established by Lia Van Leer in the early 1950s together with her husband Wim.Initially the Van Leers held cinema evenings in their home and then opened the Film Club at Rothschild House (now Beit Hecht) on the Carmel.The Cinematheque works on education, promotion, cultivation and exposure of the art of the Cinema and offers a daily program including repertory, education a book series and Lectures in cinema.