Tali Shemesh (Hebrew: טלי שמש; born in 1969) is an Israeli documentary filmmaker.

Biography

Shemesh was born in Jerusalem. She graduated from Sam Spiegel film school.

She then directed dozens of investigative and documentary television programs, including Uvda with Ilana Dayan. In 1999, she directed her first documentary film, Hashmena Vehayafa (Fat and Beautiful) for Channel 8.

In 2004, she directed the film Zahav Lavan Avoda Shchora (White Gold Black Work), which deals with the exploitation of outsourced workers at the Dead Sea Works. The film roused a public outcry.

In 2008, she directed the full-length documentary The Cemetery Club, about s a group of elderly Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel from Poland and meet every week for the last 20 years in the cemetery on Mount Herzl, and hold a meeting there that includes discussions and reading their writings. The film opened the DocAviv documentary film festival, to rave reviews, and became the most successful Israeli documentary film ever. Shemesh won the Most Promising Director award at the festival, and the film also won Best Cinematography. The Cemetery Club won the Israeli Film Academy (Ophir Award) Best Film award, the Mayor of Tel Aviv Award, the White Dove Award at the Leipzig International Documentary Film Festival, and Best Documentary awards at the Shanghai International Film Festival. It was nominated for a European Academy of Film award.

In 2016, Shemesh co-directed the film Death in the Terminal with Asaf Sudri. The film follows the events of the Beersheva bus station shooting, during which an Eritrean refugee, Habtoum Zarhoum, was killed by an angry mob, following an attack on the bus station. The film won several awards at DocAviv, including Best Film.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016Death in the TerminalDirector, producer, writer
2006The Cemetery ClubDirector, writer
2004Zahav Lavan Avoda ShchoraDirector, writer
1999Hashmena VehayafaDirector, writer
1994Leil KlulotProducerShort
1994Lihyot MalkaDirectorShort

Awards

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultNotes
2006Shanghai International Film FestivalMagnolia Award - Best Asian DocumentaryThe Cemetery ClubWon
Warsaw International Film FestivalBest DocumentaryThe Cemetery ClubNominated'
DocAvivMost Promising DirectorTali ShemeshWon
Dok LeipzigWhite DoveThe Cemetery ClubWon
European Film AwardsEuropean DocumentaryThe Cemetery ClubNominated
Awards of the Israeli Film Academy (Ophir)Best DocumentaryThe Cemetery ClubNominated
2016DocAvivBest DocumentaryDeath in the TerminalWonShared with Asaf Sudri
IDFABest Mid-Length DocumentaryDeath in the TerminalWon
Awards of the Israeli Film Academy (Ophir)Best Short DocumentaryDeath in the TerminalWon
2017Adelaide Film FestivalInternational Documentary Award - Best DocumentaryDeath in the TerminalNominated
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary FestivalBest Mid-Length DocumentaryDeath in the TerminalWon
2018Atlanta Jewish Film FestivalJury Prize - Documentary FeatureDeath in the TerminalWon
Jury Prize - Human RightsDeath in the TerminalWon

See also

External links

at IMDb