Nadav Lapid is an Israeli actor, director, and scriptwriter, who has also served in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). He made headlines on 28 November 2022 after he criticised “The Kashmir Files” as chief jury at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. He is also known to have criticised Israel many times.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Nadav Lapid was born on Tuesday, 8 April 1975 (age 47 years; as of 2022) in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. His zodiac sign is Aries. After completing his schooling at Ironi Daled in Tel Aviv, he pursued a degree in philosophy at Tel Aviv University. In 2006, he earned a degree in filmmaking from Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem, Israel. He has also earned a degree in French Literature from Paris.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
Weight (approx.): 65 kg
Hair Colour: Bald
Eye Colour: Hazel Green
Family
Nadav Lapid belongs to an Israeli-Jewish family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Haim Lapid, is a scriptwriter and director.
Haim Lapid, father of Nadav Lapid
His mother, Era Lapid, was a scriptwriter and director. She died on 2 June 2018. His brother, Itamar Lapid, is a filmmaker.
Era Lapid, mother of Nadav Lapid
Itamar Lapid with his father Haim Lapid
A photo of Nadav Lapid with his parents
Wife & Children
His wife, Naama Preis, is an Israeli actress.
Nadav Lapid with his wife Naama Preis
Religion
Nadav Lapid follows Judaism.
Ethnicity
Nadav Lapid belongs to the community of Ashkenazi Jews, who lived on the banks of the Rhine river in Western Germany and the northern parts of France during the Middle Ages.
Career
Military
After completing his higher education at Tel Aviv University, Nadav Lapid served in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). He served as a conscript in the IDF for 32 months.
Actor
In 2007, Nadav Lapid landed a role in a short drama film titled Nobody’s Girlfriend. Nadav played the role of a character named Kurt in the 2021 drama film Madeleine Collins.
Films
Nadav directed and wrote the script for the 2005 short film Kvish (Road), which was nominated for the Golden Pardino – Leopards of Tomorrow Award at the 2006 Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. In 2006, he worked as a director and scriptwriter in Ha-Chavera Shell Emile (Emile’s Girlfriend). In the same year, the film was nominated for the Cinefondation Award in France.
A poster of Ha-Chavera Shell Emile (Emile’s Girlfriend)
In 2011, Nadav Lapid directed and wrote the script for his first feature film Ha-shoter (Policeman). The film won several accolades at several international film festivals including the Jerusalem Film Festival (2011), Locarno International Film Festival (2011), Philadelphia Film Festival (2011), Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (2012), and many more.
Nadav directed and wrote the script for the 2014 film Haganenet (The Kindergarten Teacher). He was also the executive producer of the film. The film was featured in the 2014 International Critics’ Week in France and received several awards at various international film festivals such as the Faro Island Film Festival (2014), Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (2015), etc.
In the same year, he co-directed and wrote the script for a comedy-drama film titled Love Letter to Cinema.
A poster of Love Letter to Cinema
In 2015, he directed and wrote the script for a short drama film titled “Lama?” (Why?). In 2015, the film was nominated at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Nadav worked as a director and scriptwriter in the 2016 short film Myomano Shel Tzlam Hatonot (From the Diary of a Wedding Photographer). In 2019, Nadav directed a film titled Synonymes (Synonyms) and wrote the script for the film with his father. In 2019, the film won FIPRESCI Prize and the Golden Berlin Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. While talking about the film, Nadav Lapid, during an interview, said,
The Israeli collective soul is a sick soul. Something in the deepest essence of the Israeli existence is false – is rotten. It’s not just Benjamin Netanyahu – it’s not special to Israel. But, at the same time, I think this Israeli sickness or nature is characterized by young Israeli men muscular, smiling, who don’t raise any questions and don’t have any doubts. They are extremely proud of being Israeli. They have a totally dichotomist vision of existence: Us versus all the others.” 
Nadav Lapid holding the Golden Bear Award that his directed film Synonyms won
In 2021, he directed and wrote the script for Ha’berech (Ahed’s Knee). The film won the Jury Prize at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
Nadav Lapid holding the Jury Prize that his directed film Ahed’s Knee won at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival
In the same year, Nadav worked as a director and scriptwriter in a short film titled The Star.
Nadav is also working on a film based on a Palestinian girl named Ahed Tamini, who was jailed in Israel after she slapped an Israeli soldier.
Documentaries
Nadav Lapid worked in a 1983 documentary titled “Diary 1973-1983.” Nadav Lapid co-directed and wrote the script for a 2003 short documentary titled Proyect Gvul (Border Project). The film was nominated for the Cinefondation Award in France in 2004. In 2009, Nadav co-directed a documentary titled Aza Sderot: HaChaim Lamron HaKol (Gaza Sderot: Life in Spite of Everything). In 2013, he co-directed Footsteps in Jerusalem, a documentary film.
A poster of Footsteps In Jerusalem
Jury Member
In 2015, Nadav became a Member of the Golden Leopard Jury at the Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland. In 2016, he was invited to the International Critics’ Week Jury as a member at Cannes Film Festival. Nadav became a Member of the Official Competition Jury at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival. In November 2022, he was invited to the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa as Jury Head.
Controversy
The Kashmir Files row
On 28 November 2022, Nadav Lapid, as the Chief Juror at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, issued a statement in which he criticised the Bollywood film The Kashmir Files. Nadav said that he found the film “disturbing and vulgar.” He also said that the film appeared to him as a propaganda film and that he had not expected the entry of such a film in IFFI. He also called the film “Schindler’s List of India.” In his statement, Nadav said,
The jury was disturbed and shocked by the 15th film, The Kashmir Files, that felt to us like a propaganda, vulgar movie inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival. I feel comfortable to openly share this feeling with you since the spirit of the festival can truly accept critical discussion which is essential for art and life.”
Lapid was not only criticised by several Bollywood celebrities but was also criticised by the Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon. Naor tweeted and apologized to the Indians and said that Lapid should feel ashamed of himself for passing such insensitive remarks on a film. He also said that Lapid should have researched the genocide of the Kashmiri Pandits before passing a negative remark. Gilon said,
In Indian culture, they say that a guest is like God. You have abused in the worst way the Indian invitation to chair the panel of judges at IFFI Goa as well as the trust, respect and warm hospitality they have bestowed on you. I’m no film expert but I do know that it is very insensitive and presumptuous to speak about historic events before deeply studying them and which are an open wound in India because many of the involved are still around and still paying a price. My suggestion. As you vocally did in the past, feel free to use the liberty to sound your criticism of what you dislike in Israel but no need to reflect your frustration on other countries. I’m not sure that you have enough factual basis to make such comparisons. I know I don’t.”
Reacting to Lapid’s statement, the producer of The Kashmir Files, Vivek Agnihotri, issued an open challenge to Lapid and said that if he could prove even a scene from the film wrong, Vivek would quit filmmaking. During an interview, Vivek said,
They keep calling The Kashmir Files a propaganda film. Are they saying that the genocide of Hindus did not happen? Today, I challenge all intellectuals of the world, all the Urban Naxals of the world — and even this great filmmaker from Israel — if they can prove even one scene, one dialogue in The Kashmir Files is fictional, I will stop making films.”
After the backlash, Nadav later issued an apology and said that he had no intention of hurting the sentiments of the people of India as well as the relatives of the Kashmiri Pandits who were massacred in the Kashmir valley. During an interview, Nadav Lapid told the media,
I did not want to insult anyone in any way, and my aim was never to insult the people of India or their relatives, who have suffered so much. I totally totally totally apologize for it, if that is the way they have interpreted my statement as.”
Awards
- In 2011, Nadav won the Gottlieb Award for Best Screenplay for Ha-shoter (Policeman) at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
- In 2012, Nadav Lapid won the Best Director’s Award for the 2011 film Ha-shoter (Policeman) at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema under the International Official Selection category.
- In the same year, Nadav Lapid won the New Directors Prize at the San Francisco International Film Festival for his film Ha-shoter (Policeman).
Nadav Lapid holding New Directors Prize at San Francisco Film Festival
- In 2014, for the film Haganenet (The Kindergarten Teacher), Nadav received the Award of the Israeli Film Academy for Best Screenplay at the Awards of Israeli Film Academy.
- In the same year, he received the Golden Train Award for Haganenet (The Kindergarten Teacher) at the Faro Island Film Festival under the Best Director category.
- Nadav won the Silver Peacock Award for Best Director at the 2014 International Film Festival of India for Haganenet (The Kindergarten Teacher).
- Nadav Lapid won the Israeli Film Critics Forum Prize at the 2014 Jerusalem Film Festival Haganenet (The Kindergarten Teacher).
- In 2015, Nadav Lapid received the Best Director Award under the International Competition category at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema for Haganenet (The Kindergarten Teacher).
- In 2019, for his film Synonymes (Synonyms), Nadav Lapid won the Best Director Award at the Seville European Film Festival.
- In the same year, he won an award for the film Synonymes (Synonyms) for Best Screenplay at the Stockholm Film Festival. He shared the award with his father Haim Lapid.
- In 2021, Nadav Lapid received Special Prize Master Award at the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival.
Nadav Lapid’s Golden Apricot 18th International Film Festival Special Prize Master Award
Facts/Trivia
- In 2001, he authored a novel titled Continua Bailando.
- Nadav Lapid has often voiced his opinion against the “repressive policies” of Israel against the Palestinians. In early 2022, Lapid joined 250 Israeli filmmakers in signing an open letter to the Israeli government against the launch of the Shomron (Samaria/West Bank) Film Fund. Lapid believed that the Israeli government attempted to portray a positive image of their “occupation of the West Bank” through the fund. Talking about the open letter, during an interview, he said,
Inviting the Israeli filmmakers to actively participate in the whitewashing the Occupation in exchange for financial support and prizes. The Shomron Film Fund’s official mandate is to distribute grants to the Jewish settlers who reside in the West Bank (“Judea and Samaria”) and to productions by Israeli citizens filmed in the West Bank.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn