Naomi Levari
Naomi Levari נעמי לבארי | |
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Born | October 10, 1978 | (age 46)
Nationality | German-American-Israeli |
Occupation(s) | Film producer, story editor |
Notable work | Love Trilogy: Chained Fig Tree Draft |
Awards | Israeli TV Academy Award for best Series, Producers' Award Hamburg Film Festival, Gan Award Cannes Film Festival |
Naomi Levari (in Hebrew: נעמי לבארי; born October 10, 1978) is a German-American-Israeli film producer and story editor.
Early life and education
[edit]In 2004, Levari graduated from the Sam Spiegel School of Film and Television with highest honors.[1] During her studies, she co-produced Oneg Shabat, a short film that went on to win multiple awards, and produced the documentary film Blue White Collar Criminal, the first student film to be released commercially in the school's history. Her graduation film, Draft, was screened at more than forty international film festivals, and won four awards and two special mentions.[2][3] The film was sold to broadcast companies around the world, has been included in school curricula, and was selected as one of the best films to come out of 'Sam Spiegel' by an international jury. Levari won multiple awards and scholarships, and grants from the Television Authority and the Yehoshua Rabinowitz Foundation.[4]
Early career
[edit]Levari began working in the Israeli film industry, and in 2010 she founded Black Sheep Productions with her partner Saar Yogev.[5]
In 2013, Levari ran for parliament on the Da'am party list, headed by Asma Agbarieh Zahalka, but the party did not get the required number of votes to enter parliament.[6]
In 2014, during the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, Levari sent a video to the residents of Gaza, "A Message to Gaza", which became popular on social media.[7]
Career
[edit]In 2005, Levari began her collaboration with Saar Yogev during the Jerusalem Film Festival, and in 2008 the two began producing together.[8] In 2010, they founded Black Sheep Productions.[5]
In addition to her production work, Levari coaches filmmakers on pitching, and teaches film in various institutions, both in Israel and around the world. She also serves in various public roles related to the Israeli film industry.[9]
After the success of her student film Draft, Levari was invited to conduct a master class at Aarhus University in Denmark. In 2011, she was selected to participate in the Rotterdam International Film Festival's Rotterdam Lab, a workshop for the most promising emerging producers. In 2013, Levari was invited by the French foundation CNC to represent them in the producers' track at the Cannes Film Festival. That same year, she was a jury member for the documentary film competition at the Jerusalem Film Festival. In 2014 she was a member of the executive board of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television. In 2014 and 2015, she was a lector for the Israel Film Fund and for the International Film Lab in Jerusalem.[1] In 2015 she was also on the jury for the Utopia Film Festival. In 2016, at the Cannes Film Festival, she was selected as a Notable Producer at the Holland Film Meetings, where she and director Yaron Shani presented one of Black Sheep's flagship projects, Love Trilogy.[10]
Levari has worked as a guest lecturer and advisor at Beit Berl College, Sapir Academic College, Columbia University, and the Sam Spiegel Film School.[10] In 2017, Black Sheep Productions was spotlighted, along with four other production companies, by Berlinale co-production market at the Berlin International Film Festival.[1]
In 2018, Levari was one of the founders of the German production company Electric Sheep GmbH, with Saar Yogev and Michael Reuter.[11][non-primary source needed]
Filmography
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Tzilibell | Producer | Short film |
2003 | Oneg Shabat (Sabbath Pleasure) | Co-producer | Short film |
2004 | Blue White Collar Criminal | Producer | Documentary film |
2004 | Draft | Producer, screenwriter, director | Short film
Winner of 5 Awards |
2006 | Bsorot Tovot (Good Tidings) | Co-executive producer | Television Series |
2010 | Teacher Irena | Producer, screenwriter | Documentary film
This film reached cult status in Israel, and opened the DocAviv Documentary Film Festival in Tel Aviv. It was nominated for an Ophir Award for Best Documentary. |
2011 | Ha-Chaim Ze Lo Ha-Kol
(Life Isn't Everything) |
Producer | Television Series; 21 episodes, season 9 |
2011 | Ameer Got His Gun | Executive producer, screenwriter, director | Documentary film
Winner of 4 Awards |
2012 | Batman at the Checkpoint | Executive producer | Short film |
2012 | Mishpacha Lo Bocharim
(You Can't Choose Family) |
Producer | Television Series |
2013 | Hanna's Journey | Co-producer | Feature film
Screened at Berlinale, Was nominated for a German Academy Award |
2014 | Farewell Herr Schwarz | Co-producer | Documentary film
Israeli Academy Awards Nominee, Won 10 awards at international film festivals |
2015 | A Bitter Mix | Executive producer | TV movie |
2015 | Split | Producer | Television series; 12 episodes |
2016 | One Week and a Day | Producer | Feature film
Was nominated for 7 Ophir Awards, won an award at Cannes, and in total 15 international nominations and 8 wins[8] |
2016 | Facing the Wall | Producer | Short film
Nominated for an Israeli Academy Award, Winner of 5 Awards |
2016 | Mama's Angel | Producer | Television series; 10 episodes
Official Selection Series Mania |
2017 | Me'ever Lakav | Producer | Short film
Winner of 4 awards |
2018 | McMafia | Producer | Television series; 2 episodes |
2018 | Ceased to Be | Producer | Documentary film |
2018 | Love Trilogy: Stripped | Producer | Feature film
World Premiere Venice International Film Festival, Nominated for 4 Israeli Academy Awards |
2018 | Fig Tree | Producer | Feature film
World Premiere Toronto IFF, winner of 8 Awards including the prestigious Audentia Award, Nominated for 5 Israeli Academy Awards |
2019 | Love Trilogy: Chained | Producer | Feature film
World Premiere Berlin International Film Festival, winner 2 Israeli Academy Awards. Best Film, Best actor, Audience Award Jerusalem Film Festival |
2019 | Border of Pain | Producer, screenwriter | Documentary film |
2019 | Love Trilogy: Reborn | Producer | Feature film |
2020 | The Prophet | Producer | Documentary film |
2021 | Dismissed | Producer | TV series
International Premiere - BANFF, Nominated for a Rocky Award. Winner of 10 Israeli TV Academy Awards |
2021 | Victim | Co-Producer | World Premiere Venice Film Festival, winner of 6 int'l Awards |
2022 | Dismissed 2 | Producer | TV series |
2023 | The Return from the Other Planet | Producer | Documentary |
2025 | The World Will Tremble | Producer |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "נעמי לבארי". בלאק שיפ הפקות (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "הסרט 'ליל גיוס' זכה בציון לשבח לסרטים הקצרים בפסטיבל טרייבקה". News1 (in Hebrew). January 5, 2005. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "מחוות לסם שפיגל בפסטיבלי סרטים בכיה ובאוסטרליה". הבמה (in Hebrew). July 21, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "שבוע ויום". פסטיבל הקולנוע ירושלים (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ a b גלי מאירי (July 24, 2016). "הכבשה השחורה של עולם הקולנוע הישראלי". התעשיה היום (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "מועמדת מס' 9: נעמי לבארי". דעם (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ Levari, Naomi (July 14, 2014). "A message to Gaza". Facebook. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ a b אור סיגולי (September 6, 2016). ""אנחנו מפיחים חיים"". Calcalist (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "נעמי לבארי". Utopia (in Hebrew). Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ a b "נעמי לבארי". בוגרי סם שפיגל. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "Electric Sheep Prod". Retrieved March 21, 2019.