Eyal Sivan ( he, אייל סיון) is an Israeli documentary filmmaker, theoretician and scholar based in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, France.

Early life

Eyal Sivan is a

Filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

Writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, pla ...

and

theoretician Theoretician may refer to: * A person associated with the theory (as opposed to practical aspects) of a subject * A social theorist, a theoretician in the social sciences * Theoretician (Marxism), term used in Marxism * Theoretician (chess) ...

born in 1964 in

Haifa, Israel Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropoli ...

; raised in Jerusalem; and based in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

since 1985. As a teenager, Sivan abandoned formal education to dedicate himself to his hobbies, which were photography and political activism.

Career

After working as a professional commercial photographer in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, he left Israel in 1985 and settled in Paris. He now splits his time between Europe and Israel. Known for his controversial films, Sivan has produced and directed more than a dozen political documentaries. ''Common State'' (2012), ''Jaffa'' (2009) and ''Route 181'' (2003) won awards at various festivals. Sivan's films are regularly exhibited in art exhibitions including

Documenta ''documenta'' is an exhibition of contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. The ''documenta'' was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultura ...

Manifesta Manifesta, also known as the European Nomadic Biennial, is a European pan-regional contemporary cultural biennale. History Manifesta was founded in 1994 by Dutch art historian Hedwig Fijen. The first edition took place in Rotterdam. One of ...

and ICP New York. His work touches on such themes as the representation of political crime; the political use of memory; the ethics of documentary filmmaking; and the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict Israelis ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵלִים‎, translit=Yīśrāʾēlīm; ar, الإسرائيليين, translit=al-ʾIsrāʾīliyyin) are the citizens and nationals of the State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Je ...

. He is the founder and artistic director of the Paris-based documentary film company Momento ! and of the film distribution agency Scalpel. He created ''South Cinema Notebooks'', a journal of cinema criticism published by the Sapir Academic College in

Ashkelon Ashkelon or Ashqelon (; Hebrew: , , ; Philistine: ), also known as Ascalon (; Ancient Greek: , ; Arabic: , ), is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border ...

. In response to a question by ''Aljazeera'' as to why so many "progressive and anti-Zionist academics, activists, and artists" are fleeing Israel, Sivan responded: "The veil of democracy is being ripped from Israeli faces."

Academic postings

*Professor, Amsterdam University of the Arts, Nederlands Film Academy, Nederlands *Associate Professor, Media Production,

University of East London , mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows , established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...

, School of Arts and Digital Industries,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

*Honorary Fellow, European Centre for Palestinian Studies,

University of Exeter , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...

, United Kingdom *Visiting Professor, Netherlands Film Academy,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Nether ...

*Visiting Professor,

Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti The Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, "New Academy of Fine Arts", also known as NABA, is a private academy of fine art in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It has approximately 3000 students, some of whom are from abroad; it participates in th ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

*Visiting Professor, Sapir Academic College, School of Sound and Visual Arts,

, Israel

Filmography

* 2012 ''Common State, Potential Conversation '' * 2009 ''Jaffa, the Orange's Clockwork'' * 2007 ''Citizens K, the Twin Brothers'' * 2005 ''Faces of the Fallen'' * 2004 ''I Love You All / Aus Liebe Zum Volk'' (co-directed with Audrey Maurion) * 2003 ''Route 181, Fragments of a Journey in Palestine-Israel'' (co-directed with

Michel Khleifi Michel Khleifi ( ar, ميشيل خليفي}, born in 1950 in Nazareth, is a Palestinian of Israeli citizenship film writer, director and producer, presently based in Belgium. Khleifi emigrated to Belgium in 1970, where he studied television and the ...

) * 2001 ''On the Top of the Descent'' * 1999 ''The Specialist, Portrait of a Modern Criminal'' * 1997 ''Burundi, under Terror'' * 1996 ''Itsembatsemba, Rwanda One Genocide Later'' * 1995 ''Aqabat-Jaber, Peace with no Return?'' * 1994 ''Jerusalem(s), Borderline Syndrome'' * 1993 ''Itgaber, He Will Overcome - Conversations with Yeshayahou Lebowitz'' * 1991 ''Israland'' * 1990 ''Izkor, Slaves of Memory'' * 1987 ''Aqabat-Jaber, Passing Through''

Other visual works

* 2012 ''Towards a common archive, testimonies of Zionist veterans of 1948. Multi screens video show.'' * 2012 ''Montage Interdit.

Berlin Documentary Forum The Berlin Documentary Forum (BDF) was a biennale held at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin. Interdisciplinary in orientation, it engaged with the 'documentary’ across the fields of film, photography, contemporary art, performance, a ...

2 New practices across disciplines. Haus der Kulturen der Welt ww.hkw.de' * 2010 ''Documentary moments 1 : Renaissance. Berlin Documentary Forum 1 New practices across disciplines. Haus der Kulturen der Welt'' * 2009 ''Fragmented memory of spectatorship. Top 10 documentary programme IDFA Amsterdam '' * 2008 ''Happy birthdays, towards a common archive - fragment 1. Multi screens video Installation'' * 2001 ''Scalpel / Skalpel. (concept & artistic director) TV magazine for ARTE'' * 1994 ''Jerusalem, Jerusalems. Conception and direction of a Theme evening for ARTE'' * 1988 ''Progressive list for Peace. TV spots''

References

External links

* * Eyal Sivan on culture bas
www.culturbase.net
*The Barber Trial: Sivan vs. Finkielkraut Cabinet Magazine Thomas Keenan and Eyal Weizma
www.cabinetmagazine.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sivan, Eyal 1964 births Living people Israeli documentary film directors People from Haifa