Ram Loevy

In a career that paralleled the history of Israeli television, Ram Loevy has been one of the filmmakers who shaped the medium into the conscious of a beleaguered nation. In close over 50 features and documentaries for television, he has challenged the established Israeli narrative, often facing censorship as a result. His very first television documentary, Mitrasim (1969), first exposed Israelis to the plight of the Palestinian population that was forced from their homes during the War of Independence. At the same time it offered Arab Israelis a first glimpse into how the Holocaust had affected the country's Jewish population. Khirbet Khizeh was a fictional retelling of the expulsion of Palestinians in 1948. Lehem, a landmark drama that was awarded the Prix Italia in 1986, first exposed the problems of the unemployed underclass of Jews. The Film that Wasn't, which was completed right after Loevy was awarded the Israel Prize in Communication, Radio and Television, tackled the issue of torture, while Seger examined the impact of Israel's occupation on the Gaza Strip. After forty years in television, Loevy is now at work on The Dead of Jaffa, his first full-length feature film for the cinema.