Joseph Cedar
Encyclopedia
Yossef Cedar (born August 31, 1968, Hebrew: יוסף סידר) is an Israeli
film director
and screenwriter
. He has won a Silver Bear
and an Ophir Award for Best Director, and an Ophir Award for writing a Best Screenplay. He also won the best screenplay award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
. for his film Footnote
(2011).
. When he was 6 his family moved to Israel
, and he grew up in the Bayit VeGan
neighborhood in Jerusalem. He studied in a Yeshiva High School
. In the Israeli army he served as a paratrooper
. After graduating in Philosophy
and History of theatre
from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
he studied cinema studies in the New York University
. When he came back to Israel he started working on the screenplay for his debut film, Time of Favor
(2000), for which he moved and lived for 2 years in the Israeli settlement
Dolev
. The film became a big success and won 6 Ofir Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
His second film was Campfire
(2004) who was also a success with 5 Ofir Academy Awards including Best Picture, with 2 of them, Best Director and Best Screenplay, going to Cedar. For Beaufort
(2007), his third film, he received the Silver Bear award for Best Director in the Berlin International Film Festival
. Beaufort became one of the most critically acclaimed and successful Israeli films of the decade and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
, the first such nomination for an Israeli film in 24 years. It also received 4 Ofir Academy Awards and was based on Cedar's own experiences during his army service on Israel's border with Lebanon.
Cedar is an Orthodox Jew. His films are known to touch delicate issues of Israeli society
. Israeli critic Yair Rave wrote: One of the reasons I like Cedar's films so much is... his ability to merge the Israeli spirit... with the universal cinematic codes.
His upcoming film Footnote
was premiered In Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
.
, a biochemist, has won both the Israel Prize
and the Wolf Prize, for biology.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. He has won a Silver Bear
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
and an Ophir Award for Best Director, and an Ophir Award for writing a Best Screenplay. He also won the best screenplay award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 11 to May 22, 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition...
. for his film Footnote
Footnote (film)
Footnote is a 2011 Israeli drama film written and directed by Joseph Cedar, starring Shlomo Bar Aba and Lior Ashkenazi. The plot revolves a power struggle between a father and his son who both teach at the Talmud department of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The film won the Best Screenplay...
(2011).
Biography
Cedar was born in New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. When he was 6 his family moved to Israel
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
, and he grew up in the Bayit VeGan
Bayit Vegan
Bayit VeGan is a neighborhood in southwest Jerusalem, Israel, with a mostly charedi religious population. Bayit VeGan is located to the east of Mount Herzl and borders the neighborhoods of Kiryat Hayovel and Givat Mordechai. The Shaare Zedek Medical Center is located near Bayit VeGan...
neighborhood in Jerusalem. He studied in a Yeshiva High School
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
. In the Israeli army he served as a paratrooper
Paratroopers Brigade (IDF)
The Paratroopers Brigade , also known as the 35th Brigade, is a unit of paratroopers within the Israel Defense Forces , and forms a major part of the Infantry Corps....
. After graduating in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and History of theatre
History of theatre
The history of theatre charts the development of theatre over the past 2,500 years. While performative elements are present in every society, it is customary to acknowledge a distinction between theatre as an art form and entertainment and theatrical or performative elements in other activities...
from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
he studied cinema studies in the New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. When he came back to Israel he started working on the screenplay for his debut film, Time of Favor
Time of Favor
Time of Favor is Israeli writer-director Joseph Cedar's 2000 debut film, starring Aki Avni. The film plays out a psychologically complex love triangle in the middle of terrorist conflict in Israel's West Bank....
(2000), for which he moved and lived for 2 years in the Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
Dolev
Dolev
Dolev is a communal Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located near Jerusalem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 1,100...
. The film became a big success and won 6 Ofir Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
His second film was Campfire
Campfire (film)
Campfire is an Israeli movie released in 2004, written and directed by Joseph Cedar.- Synopsis :The story of a young widow , mother of two beautiful teenage daughters, who wants to join the founding group of a new settlement of religious Jews in the West Bank, but first must convince the...
(2004) who was also a success with 5 Ofir Academy Awards including Best Picture, with 2 of them, Best Director and Best Screenplay, going to Cedar. For Beaufort
Beaufort (film)
Beaufort is a 2007 Israeli war film. The film was directed by Joseph Cedar and was co-written by Cedar and Ron Leshem, based on Leshem's If there's a Heaven...
(2007), his third film, he received the Silver Bear award for Best Director in the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
. Beaufort became one of the most critically acclaimed and successful Israeli films of the decade and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, the first such nomination for an Israeli film in 24 years. It also received 4 Ofir Academy Awards and was based on Cedar's own experiences during his army service on Israel's border with Lebanon.
Cedar is an Orthodox Jew. His films are known to touch delicate issues of Israeli society
Culture of Israel
The culture of Israel developed long before the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948 and combines the heritage of secular and religious lives. Much of the diversity in Israel's culture comes from the diversity of its population...
. Israeli critic Yair Rave wrote: One of the reasons I like Cedar's films so much is... his ability to merge the Israeli spirit... with the universal cinematic codes.
His upcoming film Footnote
Footnote (film)
Footnote is a 2011 Israeli drama film written and directed by Joseph Cedar, starring Shlomo Bar Aba and Lior Ashkenazi. The plot revolves a power struggle between a father and his son who both teach at the Talmud department of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The film won the Best Screenplay...
was premiered In Competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 11 to May 22, 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition...
.
Theatrical films
- Time of FavorTime of FavorTime of Favor is Israeli writer-director Joseph Cedar's 2000 debut film, starring Aki Avni. The film plays out a psychologically complex love triangle in the middle of terrorist conflict in Israel's West Bank....
(2000) - CampfireCampfire (film)Campfire is an Israeli movie released in 2004, written and directed by Joseph Cedar.- Synopsis :The story of a young widow , mother of two beautiful teenage daughters, who wants to join the founding group of a new settlement of religious Jews in the West Bank, but first must convince the...
(2004) - BeaufortBeaufort (film)Beaufort is a 2007 Israeli war film. The film was directed by Joseph Cedar and was co-written by Cedar and Ron Leshem, based on Leshem's If there's a Heaven...
(2007) - FootnoteFootnote (film)Footnote is a 2011 Israeli drama film written and directed by Joseph Cedar, starring Shlomo Bar Aba and Lior Ashkenazi. The plot revolves a power struggle between a father and his son who both teach at the Talmud department of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The film won the Best Screenplay...
(2011)
Family
Cedar's father, Howard (Haim) CedarHoward Cedar
Howard Cedar or Haim Cedar is an Israeli-American biochemist.- Biography :Cedar was born in the United States. He received a bachelor's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and, in 1970, received a MD and PhD from the New York University.From 1970 to 1973, he worked for the U.S...
, a biochemist, has won both the Israel Prize
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
and the Wolf Prize, for biology.
External links
- Joseph Cedar is in the Oscar running, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
interview