FILM/SNEAK PEEK : `IMAGINING ISRAEL' AT MEDIA MUSEUM.

Byline: - Bob McCarthy

The creation of Israel has had a profound effect on the latter half of the 20th century, leading to wars, assassinations, uprisings, peace treaties and new geopolitical alliances. This modern-day genesis, as seen through the camera's lens, is the subject of the upcoming film series ``Imagining Israel: American Visions,'' co-sponsored by Skirball Cultural Center and the Museum of Television & Radio.

In Thursday's series debut, Ingrid Bergman gives an Emmy-winning performance in ``A Woman Called Golda.'' The 1982 made-for-television movie about former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir will be followed by a ``60 Minutes'' interview with Meir from 1970. The event at the Museum of Television & Radio, 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, is free with museum admission and to museum or Skirball members. Call [phone] for reservations.

The remaining films move mostly in chronological order, starting with the 1949 ``Sword in the Desert'' about a freight captain who smuggles Jewish refugees into British-occupied Palestine. It will screen May 5 at Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. The series runs through Aug. 18.

Tickets cost $6 general admission, $5 for Skirball members and $4 for students. The series costs $30, $25 and $20, respectively. Call Tickets L.A. at [phone].

Words of wisdom

Screenwriter Richard LaGravenese has the kind of resume that jumps right off the page. With an Oscar nomination for the critically acclaimed ``The Fisher King'' in 1991, the charming 1995 remake of ``The Little Princess'' and ``The Bridges of Madison County,'' based on the book that had everybody talking, it's easy to understand why.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has chosen LaGravenese to speak at the Marvin Borowsky Lecture on Screenwriting, 8 tonight at the academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater, 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. Admission is free to members, $2 for nonmembers. Call [phone], Ext. 111 for information or tickets.

The series brings together established film writers to talk about their experiences - joys and frustrations alike - with their craft. Past lecturers have included Billy Wilder, Nora Ephron and Lawrence Kasdan.

World-class cartoons

From the collection of the Montreal Cinematheque come two nights' worth of the best animated films in the world tonight and Saturday at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Under the late director Louise Beaudet, the Cinematheque built one of the finest libraries of animated works, which not only entertained but provided research material into the genre.

The international slate includes American films ``Felix in Hollywood'' (1923) by Otto Messmer; ``Betty in Blunderland'' (1933) directed by Max and Dave Fleischer; and excerpts from ``Mighty Joe Young'' (1949) and ``Robo Cop 2''; along with works from Canada, Japan, France, Italy, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, Czechoslovakia and Russia.

Tickets are $6 general admission, $4 for museum members, AFI members and students with ID. All films will be screened in the Bing Theater. For information, call LACMA at [phone]. The museum is at 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles.

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Photo

Photo: ``A Woman Called Golda,'' with Ingrid Bergman, is part of ``Imagining Israel.''