Talya Lavie (born 1978) is an Israeli filmmaker best known for her 2014 debut feature, '' Zero Motivation''.

Early life

Lavie attended the

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design ( he, בצלאל, אקדמיה לאמנות ועיצוב) is a public college of design and art located in Jerusalem. Established in 1906 by Jewish painter and sculptor Boris Schatz, Bezalel is Israel's oldes ...

as well as the

Sam Spiegel Film and Television School The Sam Spiegel Film and Television School is a film and television school in Israel that was founded in 1989. It was renamed in honor of Sam Spiegel in 1996, with the support of the Sam Spiegel Estate. The school has been the subject of some 19 ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. While attending the schools she produced three shorts which were screened at numerous international film festivals, and won prizes at

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, ...

and the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

Career

In 2006 she created a 19-minute short called ''The Substitute'' which played at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

about a young woman working for the

IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...

. This short was later developed into a feature-length film, '' Zero Motivation''. In 2010 she participated in the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program Screenwriters' Lab, and in 2011 she participated in the Sundance Institute prestigious Directors' Lab. Lavie was inspired to write '' Zero Motivation'' based on her own experience serving in the Israel Defense Forces. The film premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival where it won Best Narrative Feature in the World Narrative Competition. It was given a limited release in the U.S. in December, 2014 by

Zeitgeist Films Zeitgeist Films is a New York-based distribution company founded in 1988 which acquires and distributes films from the U.S. and around the world. In 2017, Zeitgeist entered into a multi-year strategic alliance with film distributor Kino Lorber. ...

. The film was nominated for 12

Ophir Award 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 ...

s and went on to win 6 of them, including two for Lavie herself for Best Director and Best Screenplay. Her second feature film ''Honeymood'', a bride and groom romantic comedy starring

Ran Danker Ran Danker ( he, רן דנקר; born Khalil Yosef Danker on January 7, 1984) is an Israeli–American actor, singer and model. He starred in hit Israeli series such as '' HaShir Shelanu'' (2004–2007), ''The Gordin Cell'' (2012–2015), ' ...

and Avigail Harari, competed at the

San Diego International Film Festival The San Diego International Film Festival (SDIFF) is an independent film festival in San Diego, California produced by the non-profit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in the autumn at venues in the ...

in October 2020. WestEnd Films has obtained worldwide distribution rights. In 2021 she directed and co-created the TV series ''Sad City Girls'', which premiered in the ''Canneseries'' festival.

Awards and nominations

*Best Director Ophir Awards 2014 - '' Zero Motivation'' *Best Screenplay Ophir Awards 2014 - '' Zero Motivation'' *Best Narrative Feature

2014 - '' Zero Motivation'' *Nora Ephron Prize

2014 - '' Zero Motivation''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lavie, Talya 1978 births Living people Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design alumni Israeli female screenwriters Israeli women film directors Israeli female military personnel Place of birth missing (living people)