Abbey Jack Neidik (born 1947) is a Canadian film director, producer, writer and cinematographer.

Early life

Abbey Jack Neidik was born in 1947 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, son of Sarah (Rishikof) and Ben Neidik. He attended Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University) in Montreal.

Career

In 1980, Neidik co-produced and directed ''Dark Lullabies'' about the effects of the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

on the next generations of Jews and Germans. ''Dark Lullabies'' was the inaugural film at the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a repertory theatre organization that operates from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shak ...

Forum, screened at the Berlin Arsenal 70th anniversary of

The Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, the Inconvenient Films: International Human Rights Festival. Neidik next directed ''Between The Solitudes/Entre Solitudes'', about the Anglo community in Quebec., followed by ''The Love Prophet and the Children of God'', a look at a controversial religious cult. ''A Song for Tibet'' about Tibetans in exile; ''The Cola Conquest'', produced by Neidik, is a three-part series about Coca-Cola as a metaphor for American influence worldwide. Neidik co-produced and directed ''The Journey Home: A Romanian Adoption'', a film about Romanian orphans a decade after the fall of Ceausescu. He co-produced and co-directed ''She Got Game'', a behind-the-scenes look at women’s tennis; ''Vendetta Song'', which examines the tradition of honour killings in rural Kurdish tribes in Turkey; co-produced and directed ''Unbreakable Minds'', which aims to de-stigmatize mental illness; co-produced and co-directed ''Inside the Great Magazines'', a three-part series about the inner workings of the magazine industry; and co-produced and directed ''Canadaville, USA'', about billionaire

Frank Stronach Frank Stronach (born 6 September 1932) is an Austro-Canadian billionaire businessman and politician. He is the founder of Magna International, an international automotive parts company based in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, Granite Real Estate ...

's social experiment in rural

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. In 2013, Neidik co-produced and directed ''Beyond Earth: the Beginning of NewSpace''; ''Shekinah: the Intimate Lives of Hasidic Women''; in 2015 ''Big Wind'', about the effects of industrial wind turbines; and, in 2018, the sequel ''Shekinah Rising''. Most recently, Neidik co-directed, wrote and produced '' First to Stand: The Cases and Causes of Irwin Cotler'', a documentary about former Attorney General and Minister of Justice of Canada and international human rights lawyer, Irwin Cotler and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. The film premiered on Human Rights Day, December 10, 2022 at the Cinéma du Musée in Montreal, Quebec. The film was screened for the U.S. Congress on the occasion of Cotler receiving the Lantos Human Rights Award.

Books

Neidik was co-editor in the publication of ''The Aftermath: A Survivor's Odyssey Through War-Torn Europe''.

Awards

* The Love Prophet and the Children of God (1998) * Chicago International Television Competition, Gold Plaque - Best Biography of the Year (1998) * Yorktown Short Film and Video Festival - Golden Sheaf Award (1999) * Hot Docs - Best Biography Nominee (1999) * She Got Game (2003) * Temecula Valley International Film and Music Festival, California - Best Documentary (2003) * Columbus International Film and Video Festival - Chris Statuette (2003) * Sports Movies & TV Milano International FICTS Fest, - Guirlande d'Honneur (2003) participation * Aurora Awards - Gold Awards (2004) * Vendetta Song (2005) * Hot Docs CIDA Prize - Best Canadian Documentary on International Developmen (2005) * Hot Docs - Top Ten Audience Favourites (2005) * Calgary International Film Festival- Best Canadian Documentary (2005) * Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois, Quebec Film Critics Association - Best Medium Length Documentary (2005) * Vendetta Song - Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois – Choix du public (2005) * Female Eye Film Festival - Best Documentary (2005) * International Women’s Film Festival, Torina - Third prize (2006) * Columbus International Film and Video Festival – Humanities – Bronze Plaque (2006) * Unbreakable Minds (2005) * Willpower Board of Directors Grateful Appreciation Award (2005) * Canadaville, USA (2008) * Chicago International Film Festival - Merit Prize for Social Political Documentary (2008) * Shekinah: The Intimate Life of Hasidic Women (2013) * Crown Heights Film Festival – Best Documentary (2013) * Beyond Earth: the Beginning of NewSpace (2013) * Hollywood Independent Documentary Awards - Award Winner (2017) * Beyond Earth Film Festival - Jury’s Special Mention. (2019) * First to Stand: The Cases and Causes of Irwin Cotler (2022) * Mannheim Arts and Film Festival – Honorable Mention (2022) * Gold Star Movie Awards – Best Feature Length Documentary (2023) * Festival de Television de Monte-Carlo Golden Nymph Awards - Official Selection (2023) * Goldstar Movie Awards – Official Recognition (2023) * Indie Vegas Film Festival - Honorable Mention ( 2024)

References

External links