Assaf Bernstein ( he, אסף ברנשטיין; born 8 July 1970) is an Israeli screenwriter, film director and film producer.

Life and works

Bernstein was born in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and graduated cum laude from NYU Film School. Bernstein began his film career with two documentary short subjects, "It Belongs to the Bank" (1999), a "social documentary," which follows a woman bailiff's journey through Arab villages and urban slums as she seizes property from Israel's poor; and "Holy for Me" (1995),IMDB bio
accessed February 19, 2011. a "spoof" on tours, guides, and visits to the holy sites of Jerusalem, which won the 1995 Best Short Film award at the Jerusalem Film Festival. In 2007, Bernstein directed the 2007 film '' The Debt'' (Hebrew: HaChov or HaHov), starring

Gila Almagor Gila Almagor Agmon ( he, גילה אלמגור אגמון; born Gila Alexandrowitz; July 22, 1939) is an Israeli actress, film star, and author. In Israel, she is known as "queen of the Israeli cinema and theatre". Biography Gila Alexandrowitz (A ...

. The movie is about three former Israeli Mossad agents who must confront a secret from their past. Bernstein also wrote and co-produced the film, and later helped write the 2010 U.S. English-language remake, also titled '' The Debt'' and starring Oscar-winning actresses Jessica Chastain and Helen Mirren. In 2012 Bernstein directed The series ''Allenby Street'', which debuted in 2012, follows the story of a nightclub on Tel Aviv's Allenby Street, and one of the strippers, portrayed by

Moran Atias Moran Atias ( he, מורן אטיאס; born 9 April 1981) is an Israeli actress and model. She gained fame in the Italian films ''Gas'', '' Oggi sposi'', and '' Mother of Tears''. She is best known for her work with Paul Haggis in the 2008 TV ...

, working in it. The series is based on the best-selling novel "Allenby Street," by

Gadi Taub Gadi Taub ( he, גדי טאוב; born April 19, 1965, in Jerusalem) is an Israeli historian, author, screenwriter and neo-conservative political commentator. He is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Public Policy and the Department of Communicati ...

Bernstein also directed and served as showrunner for the complete first season of the internationally acclaimed television series ''

Fauda ''Fauda'' (, from ''fawḍā'', meaning "chaos") is an Israeli television series developed by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff drawing on their experiences in the Israel Defense Forces. The series premiered on February 15, 2015. It tells the sto ...

''. The series is distributed by the online streaming service

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

, billed as a Netflix original program, and premiered on 2 December 2016. In 2016, the show took six awards, including Best Drama Series, at the Israeli Academy Awards.Next season's Fauda to reflect real news, says creator
/ref> In December 2017, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' voted ''Fauda'' the best international show of 2017, calling it, "The grittiest, tightest, most lived-in thrillers come from Israel." In 2018, the show took 11 Israeli TV Academy Awards, including best TV drama, best actor for Lior Raz and also best screenplay, casting, cinematography, recording, special effects and in other categories. In 2018 he wrote and directed the film ''

Look Away "Look Away" is a 1988 power ballad by American rock band Chicago. Written by Diane Warren, produced by Ron Nevison, and with Bill Champlin on lead vocals, it is the second single from the band's album '' Chicago 19''. "Look Away" topped the ' ...

'' starring

India Eisley India Joy Eisley (born October 29, 1993) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Ashley Juergens in the ABC Family television series ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'', Eve in the 2012 film '' Underworld: Awakening'', Saw ...

Mira Sorvino Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born September 28, 1967) is an American actress. She won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen's '' Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995). She also starred in the films ...

and

Jason Isaacs Jason Isaacs (born 6 June 1963) is an English actor. Isaac's film roles include Col. Tavington in '' The Patriot'' (2000), Michael D. Steele in '' Black Hawk Down'' (2001), Lucius Malfoy in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2002–2011), Ca ...

. ''Look Away'' is a

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and c ...

that tells the story of Maria, an alienated high-school student whose life is turned upside down when she switches places with her sinister mirror image. Bernstein is currently working on a film adaptation of Stephen King's '' Rose Madder''.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernstein, Assaf Israeli Jews Israeli film producers Israeli film directors 1970 births Film people from Tel Aviv Israeli male screenwriters Living people