The festival is a production of IsraFest Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles whose mission is to enrich the American vision of Israeli life and culture through the medium of film, and to foster an intercultural dialogue through conversations with visiting Israeli artists.
The festival is credited with helping Israeli films get Hollywood exposure.
[1] Each year, the festival hosts a Gala Awards Dinner at the Beverly Hilton with a Hollywood Salute to Israel and bestows coveted IFF Awards to individuals for Acting, Producing, Visionary and Lifetime Achievements.
[2] The Israel Film Festival has distinguished itself from other festivals by being a traveling event that has been held in four major American cities: New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.
[3] At the 2018 Israel Film Festival in Beverly Hills, Yossi Dina stepped on stage and tried to physically remove film producer Jason Blum while delivering his speech.