PRIDE TV ISRAELI SHORT FILMS COMPETITION
Romas Zabarauskas
From the Berlinale debut of his short “Porno Melodrama” (2011) to his third feature “The Lawyer” (2020) – selected for 30+ festivals, including 7 opening, centerpiece or closing ceremonies – Romas Zabarauskas is an inspiring queer success from the New East. This Baltic enfant terrible introduced diversity to Lithuanian screens, delivering genre-bending films and reflecting on the (im)possibility of meaningful political action.
Based in Vilnius with his boyfriend Kornelijus, Romas gives back to the LGBT+ community through his activism, recognized with the Harvey Milk Foundation’s LGBTQ Champion Award in 2021.
Oshri Zeituni
A screenplay writer, director and entrepreneur in the field of cinema – one of the most promising voices of the local industry. Her films have participated in prestigious festivals as she promotes new feminine POV in her films, also through lectures and initiatives in culture and education. Alongside her work on her new film “American Ice Cream”, Zeituni also lecturing, advising and coaching actors .
Yiftach (Iffy) Mizrahi
Stage and screen actor, stage director, and writer.
Stage: Legally Blonde, Kind Of (Ofira Henig), Hairspray, West Side Story (Cameri Theatre), Cabaret (Cameri Theatre), From Here to Eternity (original west end cast)
TV: The Store That Has Everything (Kan), My Nephew Bentz (Kan), The Greenhouse Academy (Netflix), Very Important Person (S2)
Cinema: “Antarctica” (Yair Hochner), “Keep Breathing” (Orr Sigoli)
Official Competition: Narrative
Nitzan Gilady
An Israeli filmmaker. His first feature film “Wedding Doll” received the best debut film award at the Jerusalem film festival, premiered at TIFF and was nominated for 9 Israeli academy awards. His documentary films “Jerusalem is Proud to Present”, “Family Time”, “The Last Enemy” and “In Stamar Custody” received numerous awards and participated in festivals all over the world.
Moshe Rosenthal
Writer, Director. His first feature film, “Karaoke”, starring Sasson Gabay and Lior Ashkenazi is set to come out next year. Amongst his short films, “Shabaton” winner of Best Director award at the Jerusalem film festival and “Our Way Back” which was nominated for the Israeli Academy Award. His web-series “Confess” won several awards and was sold for an American TV adaptation by AMC network.
Erga Yaari
The first Intimacy Coordinator in Israel and a director and producer of experimental films focused on sexuality and gender. Her projects have been screened in galleries, museums and festivals in Israel and abroad. Certified by the global IPA and founder of IPA Israel, she is devoted to promoting and implementing the Intimacy Coordination field in the local industry. She lectures, runs workshops in film and acting schools and speaks at local and international conferences and panels on this topic.
OFFICIAL COMPETITION: DOCUMENTARY
Liat Daudi
Liat Daudi (born 1979) is a queer feminist Mizrahi filmmaker (“When I Measure the Distance”, Israel, 2016), a film and media teacher, a Video therapy group facilitator, and an environmental and societal researcher: Ph.D Candidate, Anthropology and Sociology Department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Zvi Landsman
Graduated from the Sam Spiegel Film School with honors.
His film “The Therapy” received the Sundance institute production grant and the jury award at DocAviv.
His short “After All” received honorable mentions in Tel Aviv and Munich student film festivals, and has over 12 million YouTube views. Cinematographer of the Oscar shortlisted film “The Mute’s House”.
Rachel Ben-Zaken
A filmmaker. Her films “Who Told You You’re Strange?” (2010) and “Know Her” (2011) have been screened at the TLVFest and at many festivals around the world. Her film “Simplicity” won Best Editing at DocAviv festival 2010. Her stop motion films “Playground” and “eve & eve” have also been screened at the TLVFest. Her new film (and first feature) “Fuck Off”, which is soon to be released, is considered a bold project of its kind.
OFFICIAL COMPETITION: INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS
Alon Reter
26 years old film-director, actor and drag-queen. His documentary “Johnita” won in the TLVFest short film competition 2020, and took part in “Iris Prize” festival in 2021. Recently acted in several short films and TV roles. These days he’s working on a new fiction film project.
Lior Soroka
A journalist in Haaretz, a theater and film director and actor. Graduate of the Tel Aviv University Film and Television School, and graduate of Nissan Nativ acting studio. Directed the play “The Normal Heart” at the LGBT Center. Directed and wrote two short films (“Boys”, “Three”), screened at the TLVfest and other LGBT festivals in Israel and around the world. Acted in “The Director’s Angst”, and “An Israeli Love Story”.
Netta Lev Tov (Shalev)
Lives in Tel Aviv with her wife. Chief producer at Brief Advertising Studio – content productions in the field of art and culture. Poet and graduate of the Poetry Place School, holds a bachelor’s degree from Sapir Film Department. Have previously screened two films at the TLVfest, “QueerIT” and “Sparks”, the latter has been screened at over 20 LGBT+ film festivals around the world. Currently working on producing another short film.
Narrative film pitch in associasion with Gesher Film Fund
Itamar Alcalay
Independent Filmmaker, Scriptwriter, Director and Producer. Winner of the International film lab in Jerusalem, 24/7 Berlin lab and Nipkow Berlin. Among his films: “Stefan Braun” winner of the Israeli docu forum and Jerusalem film festival, “Four Years of Night” Winner of the Egean film festival, “Pomegranate Flower” Winner of Haifa film festival.
Guy Ofran
Screenwriter and Artistic Advisor for Gesher Film Fund. His debut feature film, “Sharqiya” premiered at the Berlin film festival, screened at Cannes and won Best Picture at the Jerusalem film festival. He is the creator and screenwriter of the new drama series “Dead Sea”, scheduled to premiere at Kan 11 during 2022.
Dana Morag
Lives in Givatayim with her 6-year-old son, who already loves the movies like his mom. In March this year took position as Artistic Director of the Tel-Aviv Cinematheque, after 16 years at the TV platform yesDBS as VP of movie acquisitions. Further back was head programmer of the MGM movie channels worldwide. Graduate cum-laude of the Tel-Aviv School of Film and Television (BA) and of the Film and Television department at Warwick University in the UK (MA).
Young Filmmakers Competition
Yair Peri
Graduated from TAU and The Screenwriting School, Yair Peri is the creator and writer of the High school drama “Milan High” and writer on various TV shows. His short films participated at the TLVFest and other international festival. He worked at the content division at HOT and as a journalist and film and TV critic.
Avner Bernheimer
Avner Bernheimer is one of the most acclaimed writers and show runners in Israel whose work includes successful movies and TV shows like: “Yossi and Jagger”, “Florentine”, “Blue Natalie”, “Mom and Dads”, “Bar Noar”, “Iron Dome”, “She’s got it”, “Shakshuka” and “Milan High”, the groundbreaking personal column “Queen Size Bed” and novel “You Love Me”.
Noy Carmel
Noy Carmel is a screenwriter and documentary creator. He contributed to the creation of a variety of projects, besides being a creator of the YA series “Milan High”, and a creator of the documentary series “Who shot the Youth Club kids?”. Noy grew up in a family of theater creators and worked in education and social organizations for many years until he transited to television creation.
Documentary film project in memory of Chen Langer
Ofer Langer
Ofer Langer, Chen’s brother, has been in the field of marketing for the past decade.
“Chen left us right in the month when LGBT community celebrated the Pride events. My brother has always seen the cinematic media as a mouthpiece for marginalized groups. And I… I perceived our crowdfunding as a tool to grow out of my personal struggle – to take a crisis and turn it into something that will help me be engaged in positive action: both to commemorate my brother in a beautiful way and to continue his path by contributing to the community.”