Ori Sivan ( Hebrew: אורי סיון) (born July 30, 1963 in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

) is an Israeli film and television director and screenwriter. In a career spanning over two decades, he covered feature films, TV drama, TV movies, and documentaries. Sivan and his work won 11

Israeli Film Academy Awards The Ophir Awards ( he, פרס אופיר), colloquially known as the Israeli Oscars or the Israeli Academy Awards, are film awards for excellence in the Israeli film industry awarded by the Israeli Academy of Film and Television. The award, named ...

, as well as international film awards, across all the above fields of film making. Sivan is the co-creator of ''

In Treatment ''In Treatment'' is an American drama television series for HBO, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, based on the Israeli series '' BeTipul'' ( he, בטיפול), created by Hagai Levi, Ori Sivan and Nir Bergman. The series is about ...

'', the first Israeli TV drama series to ever be sold for re-make in the US (to

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

), followed by re-make in over 20 countries. In parallel to his film making career, Sivan teaches film in the Israeli and US academia since 1996, and engages in writing for the Israeli written and online press. He is married to Galit Sivan, has 5 children, and live in community village South of

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 ...

, Israel.

Early life

Ori Sivan was born on July 30, 1963 in

to an Israeli family, while his parents were PhD and Bachelor students at the nearby

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. His father, Raphael Sivan (1935-2011) was a world-renowned

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

researcher and professor, as well as clinical psychologist, and was former head of the Electrical Engineering Department at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. His mother, Ilana Sivan (born 1941), is a clinical psychologist. After his parents completed their studies, the family moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, where his father worked at the local

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

. Following

, the family moved back to Israel, where Sivan spent most of his later childhood in the northern city of

Haifa 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 ...

, except for a few additional years the family spent in the US following his father's work as a researcher with

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...

's space program in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

and as professor at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Career

Early career

Following his military service, Ori Sivan studied at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

's film and television department during the years 1986–1991. As his graduation project, he co-directed with fellow student

Ari Folman Ari Folman ( he, ארי פולמן) (born December 17, 1962) is an Israeli film director, screenwriter, animator, and film-score composer. He directed the Oscar-nominated animated documentary film '' Waltz with Bashir'' (2008) and the live-act ...

the

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

Comfortably Numb "Comfortably Numb" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd from their eleventh album, ''The Wall'' (1979). It was released as a single in 1980, with " Hey You" as the B-side. The music was composed by guitarist David Gilmour. The lyrics were ...

'', which portrayed Israel during the

First Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

, focusing on real-time reactions and feelings of young people in

, petrified by the possibility of a deadly gas attack. That same year the film was nominated for the

(the Israeli Oscars) and won best documentary in the documentary film category. In 1996, Sivan, again in collaboration with Folman, wrote and directed his first feature film, '' Saint Clara'', starring Lucy Dubinchek,

Maya Maron Maya Maron ( he, מאיה מרון; born ) is an Israeli actress, an Ophir Award winner. Early life Maron was raised in Tel Aviv, Israel. She is the youngest of four siblings. Her mother, an office manager, was born in Siberia, where her family ...

, and

Menashe Noi Manasses or Manasseh (;churchofjesuschris ...

. The film received critical acclaim. In the Israeli Film Academy Awards that year, the film won in six categories, including best actress in a leading role (Dubinchek), best director, and best film. Later, the film participated in the American

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in the foreign film category, and won special prize of the jury in the Karlovy Vary International Film Awards in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

Television drama

In 1997, Sivan changed directions and began focusing on television. Sivan wrote and directed, along with director

Eytan Fox Eytan Fox ( he, איתן פוקס; born on August 21, 1964) is an Israeli film director. Biography Eytan Fox was born in New York City. His family immigrated to Israel when he was two. His father, Seymour Fox, was a Conservative rabbi and a prof ...

, the successful Israeli television drama series '' Florentine'', starring

Ayelet Zurer Ayelet Zurer ( he, איילת זורר; born ) is an Israeli actress. She was nominated for awards at the Jerusalem Film Festival, the Israeli Academy Awards and the Israeli Television Academy Awards. She won Best Actress awards for her roles in ...

and Karin Ofir. ''Florentine'' achieved great success amongst viewers, and aired for three seasons. In 1998, Sivan participated in the project ''Short Stories about Love'' of the Israeli Channel 2 TV network, where he wrote and directed the short film ''Domino'' which won short film of the year in the London Fantasy Film Festival, and was broadcast on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

film channel. In 2000, Sivan co-created and was head screenwriter of the popular Israeli television series '' Saturdays and Holidays'', starring Alon Abutbul and

Lior Ashkenazi Lior Ashkenazi ( he, ליאור אשכנזי; born 28 December 1968) is an Israeli actor, voice actor, comedian and television presenter. Biography Lior Ashkenazi was born in Ramat Gan, Israel, and grew up in the Neveh Yehoshua neighborhood. His ...

, which ran for 5 seasons. ''Saturdays and Holidays'' was highly successful amongst both viewers and critics, won the Israeli Film Academy Award for television series and the Israeli Gold Screen Award. In 2003, Sivan wrote and directed the television film ''I Had a Wonderful Childhood''. In 2005, Sivan co-created, co-directed, and was head screenwriter of the original Israeli television series '' In Treatment (Betipul)'', starring

Assi Dayan Assaf "Assi" Dayan ( he, אסף "אסי" דיין; 23 November 1945 – 1 May 2014) was an Israeli film director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. Life Dayan was the youngest son of Israeli general and defense minister Moshe Dayan and peace ac ...

, and

. '' In Treatment (Betipul)'', which includes 3 seasons and 80 episodes, won the Israeli Film Academy Awards best drama series as well as best screenplay for two years in a row. It was the first ever Israeli TV series to be sold in the US to the American premium cable and satellite TV network giant

for re-make. The American version, ''

'' (same name), is based on the Israeli series' format, opening theme, and script, which is often word-for-word translations of the Israeli script. The American ''

'' series was critically acclaimed and was broadcast on

as a prime-time weeknight series, starring

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, and author. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's s ...

, who won for his role as Dr. Paul Weston the

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for best actor in a drama series of 2008. ''

'' aired on

for 3 seasons from 2008–2010, received outstanding reviews, and won numerous honors, including Emmy,

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

and Writers Guild awards. In addition to

, The original Israeli series was sold for re-make and broadcast in more than 20 countries including Spain, Italy, Russia, Mexico, Argentina, Belgium and The Netherlands. In 2011, Sivan created and directed a 6 episodes historical mini drama series names ''

Barefoot Barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear. There are health benefits and some risks associated with going barefoot. Shoes, while they offer protection, can limit the flexibility, strength, and mobility of the foot and can lead to ...

'' for Israel's

HOT 3 Hot 3 (styled as HOT3; he, הוט 3; also available in HD as HOT3 HD) is an Israeli television channel of the cable television company ' HOT'. First introduced as The Family Channel in the early 1990s and later simply as Channel 3, it was one o ...

TV channel.

Television documentaries

Sivan directed three

documentary films A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in ter ...

for Channel 8 of the major Israeli cable network

HOT Hot or the acronym HOT may refer to: Food and drink *Pungency, in food, a spicy or hot quality *Hot, a Wine tasting descriptors#D–H, wine tasting descriptor Places *Hot district, a district of Chiang Mai province, Thailand **Hot subdistrict, ...

, as part of its film series ''Israeli Culture Heroes'', of which each film documents one Israeli culture hero from a fresh creative angle. The first film, ''Behind the Strings'' created in 2001, portrays the image of Klari Sarvash, the first

harpist The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orc ...

of the

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (abbreviation IPO; Hebrew: התזמורת הפילהרמונית הישראלית, ''ha-Tizmoret ha-Filharmonit ha-Yisra'elit'') is an Israeli symphony orchestra based in Tel Aviv. Its principal concert venue ...

through a set of interviews. The second film, ''Zubin and I'' created in 2010, follows maestro

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the fou ...

, the Indian/Israeli/American world-famous music conductor. The third film, ''Alex in Wonderland'' created in 2012, focuses on

Alex Levac Alex Levac (Hebrew: אלכס ליבק, born 1944, Tel Aviv) is an Israeli photojournalist and street photographer. He was awarded the Israel Prize for photography in 2005.Haaretz photographer Alex Levac wins Israel Prize By Smadar Sheffi and Yu ...

the controversial Israeli photojournalist and street

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in other ...

, famous for his unique compositions and provocative political views.

Upcoming and announced projects

In the summer of 2014, Sivan is about to direct a new feature film named ''Harmony'', a free adaptation of the biblical story of Abraham and his two wives Sara and Hagar, starring Alon Abutbul and Tali Sharon. Sivan is also cooperating with filmmaker Ori Gruder in writing a unique Kabbalah-based detective/fantasy feature film, supported by two major Israeli film funds.

Acting credits

Ori Sivan had the role of himself, a filmmaker and friend of the leading character, in the 2008 feature

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

Waltz with Bashir ''Waltz with Bashir'' ( he, ואלס עם באשיר, translit. ''Vals Im Bashir'') is a 2008 Israeli adult animated war documentary drama film written, produced, and directed by Ari Folman. It depicts Folman's search for lost memories of ...

'', which was released in movie theaters to wide acclaim. The film depicts an Israeli filmmaker in search of his lost memories of his experience as a soldier. It was nominated for the American

in the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress# ...

category, and won a

Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film coul ...

Academic activity

Ori Sivan teaches film in the Film Department of the

Sapir Academic College Sapir College ( he, המכללה האקדמית ספיר, ''HaMikhlela HaAkademit Sapir'') is a college in Israel, located in the northwestern Negev desert near Sderot. It is the largest public college in Israel, with an enrollment of 8,000 stude ...

since 1996, in addition to film teaching in the US.

Personal life

Ori Sivan is married to Galit Sivan, they have five children, and live in a community village South of

, Israel.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1991, short documentary, with

) * '' Saint Clara'' (1996, feature film, with

) * '' Florentine'' (1997, television drama series, with

) * ''Domino'' (1998, short television film) * '' Saturdays and Holidays'' (2000, television drama series, 5 seasons, with Rani Blayer and

) * ''Behind the Strings'' (2001, television documentary film) * ''I Had a Wonderful Childhood'' (2003, television film) * '' In Treatment (Betipul)'' (2005, television drama series, 3 seasons, with 2 co-creators) * ''Zubin and I'' (2010, television documentary film) * ''

'' (2011, television mini drama series) * ''Alex in Wonderland'' (2012, television documentary film) * "Harmonia" (2016, film retelling of the biblical story of Abraham and Sarah in a modern symphony setting)

Awards and nominations

- Best Documentary - ''

'' (1991) *

- Best Director - '' Saint Clara'' (1996) *

- Best Film - '' Saint Clara'' (1996) *

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has beco ...

- Special Prize of the Jury - '' Saint Clara'' (1996) * London Fantasy Film Awards - Short Film of the Year - ''Domino'' (1998) * Award of the Israeli Film and TV Academy - Best Television Series (along with 2 co-creators) - '' Saturdays and Holidays'' (2001) * Award of the Israeli Gold Screen - Best Television Series (along with 2 co-creators) - '' Saturdays and Holidays'' (2001) * Award of the Israeli Film and TV Academy - Best Drama Series (along with 2 other co-creators) - '' In Treatment (Betipul)'' (2006) * Award of the Israeli Film and TV Academy - Best Script for a Drama Series (along with 5 other writers) - '' In Treatment (Betipul)'' (2006) * Award of the Israeli Film and TV Academy - Best Drama Series (along with 2 other co-creators) - '' In Treatment (Betipul)'' (2007) * Award of the Israeli Film and TV Academy - Best Script for a Drama Series (along with 5 other writers) - '' In Treatment (Betipul)'' (2007)

References

External links

*
''In Treatment'' official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sivan, Ori 1963 births Living people Israeli film directors Israeli male screenwriters Israeli television directors Academic staff of Sapir Academic College