Rony Gruber (; born January 15, 1963) is an Israeli film director and screenwriter. He is best known as the director and co-producer of ''Are You This Able?'', nominated for best documentary at the Ophir Award.

Biography

Rony Gruber was born in Tel Aviv and graduated the prestigious Tichon Hadash High school, majoring in arts. He made his first steps in the film industry as a lighting technician. As a freshman in Tel Aviv University's Film & TV department, he joined up forces with a group of young and promising filmmakers, later to be credited for Israeli cinema renaissance. His work as a gaffer in the student films of Arik Kaplon, Yair Lev, Shemi Zarhin and Gur Heller and his work with acclaimed directors Amos Guttman on '' Himmo, King of Jerusalem'' and Ze'ev Revach on ''Bouba'', sharpened his aesthetic perception and enriched his cinematic language.

Advertising

Following his studies, Gruber established a directorial career in the advertising business, soon to become an award winning commercials director, with Israeli and international credits. His clients included Volvo, Ocean Spray, P&G, Mazda, Ikea, Pizza Hut, Chevrolet, Whirlpool, Holiday Inn, Mitsubishi and more. In his 20-year career he received a Golden Drum Award, and several Golden Cactus Awards.

Film career

His first film was ''The Room'' (1987), a one-act drama by

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

. His second film ''Are You This Able?'' (2001) premiered in the Haifa International Film Festival and participated in

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

s around the world. Israeli critic Amir Kaminer wrote about the film: "Rony Gruber's sensitive and human documentary is sheer exhilaration. A sweet moment of victory...." Critic Nir Kipnis wrote in Globes, "The biggest achievement of the film in offering us a fresh point of view of the emotional world of the mentally disabled. The world portrayed in ''Are You This Able?'' seems so similar to our own and yet it differs elusively in the way it is manifested...." In 2002 he collaborated with praised writer Yitzhak Ben Ner in the writing of the script for the fictional feature film Nicole's Stations, commemorating 30 years to the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states led by Egypt and S ...

and based on Ben Ner's novel ''Rustic Sunset''. The script was commissioned by the Makor Film Fund. In 2003 Gruber directed a five-episode reality television series commissioned by Israel Broadcasting Authority. The series portrays day-to-day life at the Herods Theme Hotel in Eilat using it as an allegory of Israeli society's hedonistic and extroverted existence. The music was written by composer Avi Benjamin. In 2007 he directed episodes in the critically acclaimed TV drama Room Service featuring Asi Levi, Sasha Damidov, Danny Steg, Yehezkel Lazarov and others. Gruber is currently developing two documentaries: ''In Golda's Shoes'', a portrait of

Golda Meir Golda Meir (; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was the prime minister of Israel, serving from 1969 to 1974. She was Israel's first and only female head of government. Born into a Jewish family in Kyiv, Kiev, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) ...

, and ''There We Sat and Wept ...'' in collaboration with Prof. Yossi Yona, telling the story for Iraqi Diaspora longing to Iraqi Jews driven out of Baghdad in the 1940.

Other

Rony Gruber served three terms (2007–2010) as a board member at AIDF (Association of Israeli Documentary Filmmakers) and wrote its articles of association. He has been invited to be a member of the Readers Committee at The Israel Film Fund and the Makor Film Fund. Through the years he has been teaching cinema, among others, in Ma'ale Film School, Kinneret Academic College and Habetzefer. In 2001 he was awarded the Akim Excellence Award presented annually by the

president of Israel The president of the State of Israel (, or ) is the head of state of Israel. The president is mostly, though not entirely, ceremonial; actual executive power is vested in the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet led by the Prime Minister of Israel, pr ...

References

External links

Are You This Able

Are You This Able at the Israeli Film Academy

Are You This Able in EDB
* * * Mentions ''Are You This Able'' at the Brooklyn Jewish Film Festival.
Are You This Able in The Jewish Pittsburgh Film Forum

"Jealousy" - a scene from the movie on YouTube

"Loving and Losing Yourself" - a scene from the movie on YouTube

The Palace

* * *

Room Service

Watch all episodes of Room Service

Room Service in Ynet
Room Service in Tel Aviv Mouse

Room Service in IMDb

In Golda's Shoes

Excerpt from the footage: an interview with Golda Meir's son

Excerpt from the footage: an interview with Golda Meir's son, part 2

Personal

*
Rony Gruber as lecturer at Ma'ale Film School

Rony Gruber in the Israeli filmmakers database
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gruber, Rony 1963 births Living people Film people from Tel Aviv Israeli film directors Israeli male screenwriters Tel Aviv University alumni