Orit Zamir (; born July 26, 1972) is an Israeli filmmaker, active as a screenwriter, producer, and educator as well as the former director of the

Sam Spiegel Film and Television School The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School () is a film and television school in Jerusalem, Israel that was founded in 1989 as the Jerusalem School of Film. It was renamed in honor of Hollywood producer Sam Spiegel in 1996 with the acquisition ...

International Film Lab and co-founder and director of the Series Lab. Zamir co-created and co-wrote the series ''The Truth'' with Daphna Levine which sold to multiple territories including AMC, Canal+, BeTV. She produced Ruthy Pribar’s ''Asia'', which was Israel’s entry into the 2020

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

for best foreign film, and won 9 Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Film.

Biography

Born and raised in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, Aurit spent a number of years in the US with her family. Upon returning to Israel she completed high school in Tel Aviv with a concentration on film, photography and literature. Aurit served in the IDF air force and moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

after her army service. She studied creative writing at NY and continued her studies when she returned to Israel, first at Camera Obscura and later at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

where she studied English literature. She went on to study film at the Jerusalem

and graduated with honors in 2001. During her studies she also won the Department of Education Prize as well as the Mayoral First Prize. Her graduation film ''800 Calories'' won Israeli and international prizes and was broadcast on Israeli television.

Career

After graduation, Aurit began working in the Israeli film industry. She served as first assistant director on a number of feature films including ''Miss Entebbe, Broken Wings, Ricky, Ricky, Noodle, The Long Journey'' and ''In Treatment.'' Her production experience began in workshops such as Producers Network in Cannes and Rotterdam as well as in EAVE. In 2008 she established Gum Films along with her partner Yoav Roeh. Together they have produced the feature films ''Delegation'', ''The Future'', ''Asia, ''The Testament'', Manpower, Off White Lies,'' and the narrative series ''Tell Me Everything, For God's Sake'' and ''The Missing File'' and was a producing partner on ''The Accursed''. In addition she produced the documentaries ''The Governor, Two Kids A Day'', ''As Themselves, The Lab, Night Shift, Long Distance.'' and the documentary series ''One Last Bedtime Story'' and ''Tangled Roots.'' Films she produced have screened at leading international film festivals including Tribeca, Berlin and Venice. Her 2016 short ''Babysitter,'' which she wrote and directed, won first place at the

Haifa International Film Festival The Haifa International Film Festival () is an annual film festival that takes place every autumn (between late September and late October), during the week-long holiday of Sukkot, in Haifa, Israel. History The festival was inaugurated in 1983 an ...

and the directing prize at Flickers Film Festival. Her Hebrew prose has been published in literary magazines such as Granta (2017) and Petel (2019). A longtime teacher and mentor at her alma mater, Zamir headed the Entrepreneurial Producing Department at the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film andTelevision School till 2021. She has served as a lector and jury member for the Israel Film Fund, the Jerusalem International Film Lab, the Haifa International Film Festival, The Tel Aviv Student Film Festival, The Jerusalem Women's Film Festival, as well as jury member at DocAviv. In January 2020 she was appointed the director of the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab and co founded and directed the Sam Spiegel Series Lab, both till 2022. Aurit co-created and wrote the Police Drama "The Truth" with Dafna Levine. The show was broadcast on Israeli Public Broadcaster Kan 11 and sold to multiple territories including AMC, Canal+, BeTV.

Filmography

External links

Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film Lab looks back on 10 triumphant years
The Jerusalem post, Hannah Brown, October 14, 2021
Aurit Zamir appointed new director of Israel’s Sam Spiegel International Film Lab
ScreenDaily, Melanie Goodfellow, February 12, 2020
‘Asia’ Review: Israel’s Oscar Entry Is a Delicate Mother-Daughter Drama That Doesn’t Try Too Hard for Tears
Variety, Guy Lodge, December 29, 2020

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zamir, Aurit Living people Israeli film directors 1972 births Israeli women film directors Film people from Tel Aviv Tel Aviv University alumni