Assaf Amir (; born 1954) is an Israeli filmmaker and television and film producer, former chairman of The Israeli Producers Association and the current chairman of The Israeli Academy of Film and Television.
Early life and education
Amir was born in 1954 in Rehovot and grew up in Bat-Yam. During his childhood, he was a child actor at the Habima National Theatre.
Amir studied cinema and philosophy at the City College of San Francisco and continued his studies at The New School for Social Research in NYC. During his time in New York, he met his future wife, artist Orly Maiberg.
Media career
Film
Upon his return to Israel, Amir began producing films. He was the executive producer for Aviya's Summer and Israeli Academy Awards for Best Film Winner Life According to Agfa.
In 1994, Amir founded Norma Productions, an independent production company. His first independent production was Elia Suleiman’s Chronicle of a Disappearance in 1996. It won the Best First Film Prize at the Venice International Film Festival.
In 1997, Amir produced Pick a Card (aka Afula Express), which won the Israeli Academy Award for Best Film.
In 2003, Amir produced Nir Bergman's Broken Wings, which won the Israeli Academy Award for Best Film and the Audience Award at the Berlinale film festival. Amir collaborated with Bergman again in 2010 producing his film Intimate Grammar.
In 2005, Amir produced What a Wonderful Place, which won the Israeli Academy Best Film Award, and the Special Jury award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
During the following years, Amir produced the films Noodle, The Loners and Zion and His Brother.
In 2012, Amir produced Rama Burshtein's debut film Fill the Void, which won the Israeli Academy Best Film Award and the Best Actress award at the Venice International Film Festival.
In 2016, Amir went on to produce Burshtein's next film, The Wedding Plan (aka Through the Wall).
Television
In 2005, Amir created the television drama "Reaching for Heaven" in collaboration with Shlomo Mashiach and Roni Ninio, which won the Israeli Academy Awards for Best Drama Series. In 2007 Amir produced the television drama "Walk the Dog" directed by Nir Bergman, which won the Israeli Academy Award for Best Television Drama. In 2020, Amir created Together with Noa Koller and Erez Drigues the comedy-drama Rehearsals, which won eight Israeli Academy awards (including Best Series) and was acquired by American network Hulu and distributed worldwide.
Documentaries Amir produced many documentaries including Tali Shemesh's The Cemetery Club, Yair Qedar's Gay Days, Michal Weits's Blue Box and Nur Fibak's A Minor Crime which won the Israeli academy of film and television award for Best Documentary Film (max. 60 minutes) in 2023.
Other Amir was the chairman of The Israeli Producers Association during the years 2012–2015. He is the chairman of The Israeli Academy of Film and Television beginning in 2019.
Personal life
Amir is the grandson of Meyer Weisgal, an American Journalist, Zionist activist, and one of the founders of Weizmann Institute of Science and Beit Hatfutsot (the Jewish Diaspora Museum). His parents were among the founders of Kibbutz Shoval. Amir is married to artist Orly Maiberg. They have three children. He currently resides in Tel Aviv.
Filmography
Feature films +As producer unless otherwise noted Year Title Notes 1988 Aviya's Summer Executive producer 1993 Life According to Agfa Executive producer 1996 Chronicle of a Disappearance Executive producer 1997 Afula Express 2003 Broken Wings 2004 Riky Riky 2005 What a Wonderful Place 2007 Noodle 2009 The Loners 2009 Zion and His Brother 2010 Intimate Grammar 2010 Dusk 2012 Fill the Void 2016 The Wedding Plan 2016 Epilogue 2016 The 90 Minute War 2022 Sand Flakes
Documentary films +As producer unless otherwise noted Year Title Notes 2004 Melting Siberia 2006 Tali Fahima: Crossing The Lines 2006 The Cemetery Club 2007 A Million Bullets in October 2009 Gay Days 2013 Turning Thirteen 2015 This Boy Is Me 2015 Meshulam 2016 Let's Dance 2017 Rachel Agmon 2019 Chasing Yehoshua 2019 Open Your Mouth 2020 Blue Box 2023 A minor Crime
Television +As producer unless otherwise noted Year Title Notes 2000–2005 Reaching for Heaven 2009 Walk the Dog Written by Shirly Moshaioff 2009 Castles in the Sky 2010 The Journalists 2012 The Albums 2017 A Standard Love Song: Arik Einstein 2020 Rehearsals
Awards and nominations
+ Award Year Nominated work Category Result 43rd Berlin International Film Festival 1992 Life According to Agfa Golden Bear 43rd Berlin International Film Festival 1992 Life According to Agfa Honourable Mention Jerusalem Film Festival 1992 Life According to Agfa Best Film Israeli Academy Awards 1993 Life According to Agfa Best Film 53rd Venice International Film Festival 1996 Chronicle of a Disappearance Luigi De Laurentis Award for a Debut Film Israeli Academy Awards 1997 Afula Express Best Film Jerusalem Film Festival 1997 Afula Express Best Film Tokyo International Film Festival 2002 Broken Wings Grand Prix Jerusalem Film Festival 2002 Broken Wings Best Film 52nd Berlin International Film Festival 2003 Broken Wings Panorama Audience Award Israeli Academy Awards 2003 Broken Wings Best Film 40th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2005 What a Wonderful Place Special Jury Prize Jerusalem Film Festival 2005 What a Wonderful Place Best Film Israeli Academy Awards 2005 What a Wonderful Place Best Film Israeli Academy Awards 2006 The Cemetery Club Best Documentary European Film Awards 2006 The Cemetery ClubEuropean Documentary Dok Leipzig 2006 The Cemetery ClubWhite Dove Shanghai International Film Festival 2006 The Cemetery ClubMagnolia Award - Best Asian Documentary Warsaw International Film Festival 2006 The Cemetery ClubBest Documentary Israeli Academy Awards 2007 Noodle Best Film Montreal World Film Festival 2007 Noodle Special Grand Prize of the Jury Montreal World Film Festival 2007 Noodle Grand Prix des Amériques Israeli Academy Awards 2009 The Loners Best Film Jerusalem Film Festival 2009 The Loners Best Film Jerusalem Film Festival 2010 Intimate Grammar Best Film Tokyo International Film Festival 2010 Intimate Grammar Grand Prix Israeli Academy Awards 2012 Fill the Void Best Film 69th Venice International Film Festival 2012 Fill the Void Golden Lion 69th Venice International Film Festival 2012 Fill the Void SIGNIS Award – Special Mention 28th Independent Spirit Awards 2012 Fill the Void Best First Feature – Special Mention 2012 Toronto International Film Festival 2012 Fill the Void FIPRESCI Discovery 69th Venice International Film Festival 2012 Epilogue Best film (Venice Nights) 73rd Venice International Film Festival 2016 The Wedding Plan Horizons - Best Film Israeli Academy Awards 2016 The Wedding Plan Best Film Stockholm International Film Festival 2016 The Wedding Plan Bronze Horse - Best Film Israeli Academy Awards 2023 A Minor Crime Best Documentary Film (max. 60 minutes)
References
External links
Norma Productions