Maya Simchi

Maya Simchi was born and raised in "Nir-Am", a Kibbutz in Israel which lies close to the border with Gaza. Voted one of the most influential career women of the year by 'AT Magazine' (one of the biggest publications in Israel) for 2019, Maya has been acting in numerous films, TV and commercials around the world. Acting has been a major part of her life from a very young age. After going to the cinema alone as a kid many times, she discovered her truest passion was acting and fell in love with the film world. She was trained by alum and the respected acting coach Ruti Diches in her well-known "Haderech" acting school in Tel Aviv, Israel. During her studies Maya worked with the best directors in Israel, playing numerous roles in TV shows such as "Eifo Ata Chai" and "Eretz Nehederet" (the Israeli SNL). Growing up in a constant war zone had a profound effect on her upbringing, and these powerful experiences motivate and inspire her work today. She is the focal point in a new feature documentary film in Israel about her life that will be released soon on national TV. She has starred in "Cup of Coffee", a short film which was selected to be featured in the 2018 Miami WIFF Film Festival, official selection for the 2017 Newport Beach Film Festival, official selection for the 2017 Austrian Independent Film Festival, and represented Israel at the 2016 Cannes Festival. She also co-starred in "The Eulogy of Pini Gurevich", which secured a spot in the Sacramento International Film Festival, Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival, and represented Israel at the Cannes Festival 2016. Alongside this, Maya also starred in the revolutionary horror-comic film "Wasted", which was the official selection at the Post Mortem International Horror & Bizarre Short Film Festival 2017 and the Audience Award Winner at the Cinemateque (Israel) 2016. She also appeared in a FIFA and VISA commercial, for the world cup in 2018 for Brazil. Thanks to her Argentinian routes, Maya speaks fluent Spanish and spent a few months living in Madrid. A recent graduate from UCB Improve school in LA, she joined the WCC (women creating change) organization which consists of well known female artists that works together to bridge cultural and religious barriers by championing creative, inclusive collaborations through filmmaking. Maya is currently working on writing her first feature film and also wrapping up a new movie she stars in, called Bon Appétit. Her deepest wishes and aim, is to bring people together and create hope through her art.