Past Festivals - 2008 Guests

Ziad Bakri

Ayelet Bechar

Bechar is an Israeli film maker and journalist. Her debut feature documentary, ‘Just Married’, won awards worldwide. A 2008 Fellow at the Neiman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, Ayelet is a graduate of the Tel Aviv University department of Film and Television, and of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She lives in Tel Aviv with her family.

Roger Bennett

ROGER BENNETT is the Senior Vice President of the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies in New York where he has spent time looking at generational changes in identity and community. He has helped to found Reboot, a network of young Jewish creatives; Grand Street, a network of young people in family philanthropy; and 21/64, a consulting division specializing in next generation and intergenerational strategic philanthropy. He is the co-author of Bar Mitzvah Disco, an examination of identity, culture, and style as told through bar/bat mitzvah photographs of the 1970’s and 80’s (Crown, 2005), the summer camp sequel Camp Camp (Crown, 2008), and the upcoming And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Our Vinyl, a history of Jews in America as told by the vinyl record covers of 1940’s through 80’s (Crown, November 2008). He is also the producer of the documentary film, Sons of Sakhnin United, which follows a season in the life of Israel’s leading Arab soccer team, and a partner in the Idelsohn

Salim Daw

Ibtisam Mara’ana

Ibstisam wrote and directed, “Waking Up to a Fatherland,” broadcast on Israel’s Channel 2. In 2003, she wrote and directed the documentary, Paradise Lost, which was supported by the New Cinema Fund, the Tel Aviv Fund, the Makor fund, and the MEDEA project of the European Union. The film won The Best Script award for co-productions at the Spring Doc Festival, The First-Creation Photography Award at the 2003 International Spring Doc Festival, and the Documentary Award at the 2003 Women’s Festival in Rehovot. She then went on to direct the documentaries, The Bridge, Badal – which won the “Spirit of Freedom” award, and The Best Documentary Award in HOTDOCS – A Room in Tel-Aviv, and Three Times Divorced – which won to the First Prize at the “Doc-Aviv” Film Festival Competition.

Ohad Ofaz

In 1997, Ofaz finished his first documentary film, “Aboud Bypass”, which won the “Aliza Shagrir” prize. In 2001, his first full-length documentary, Going Dutch, won first prize at the documentary film contest of the Haifa International Film Festival. He has taught and worked extensively in Holland, and lead filmmaking classes in Israel for teachers and high-school students in documentary filmmaking. From 2003-2004, he lead filmmaking workshops for criminal youth at Kedma Youth Village, which produced award-winning films and allowed the students to achieve high school diplomas. He also lists The Wandering Samaritan (2004-2005), and Where Home Is (2005-2006), among his film credits.

Ada Ushpiz

From 1973 to 2007, Ada Ushpiz worked as a journalist for Ha’aretz. She then went on to direct, produce and edit a series of full-length documentary films including Layla Shalauit, A White Bridge, Four Stories, Not Like a Lamb to the Slaughterer, Asurot, Blood Engagement, and most recently Desert Brides. She holds a BA in philosophy, a BA in general history, and a certificate in Film Direction.

Marcus Vetter

Vetter has directed numerous films in his career, including My Father The Turk, Traders Dreams, The Battle for Brukman, Wargames, The Tunnel, and Wenn der Bus Kommt. For My Father The Turk, he won the Prix Europe, the San Francisco Int. Film Festival Golden Gate Award, the Best Documentary Award at the International Filmfestival Nurnberg, and the Audience Award at the Vera Filmfestival Finland, among others, and numerous international awards for his other films. He comes to Other Israel as the director of The Heart of Jenin.

Chaim Yavin

Between 1968 and 2008, Yavin was the anchor of Mabat, the primetime news roundup on Israel’s state television station. He was known in Israel as “Mr. Television” and often perceived as the “voice” of Israel. In 2005, Yavin sparked political controversy with his five-part documentary series “The Land of the Settlers”, aired on Israel’s Channel 2. In August 2007, Yavin announced his retirement, and read the news for the last time on 5 February 2008. Most recently, he is the creator of the documentary series, “ID Blues”.