Yona Rozenkier

Yona Rozenkier was born in 1981 at the Yehiam Kibbutz, in Northern Israel. That is where he grew up and later became a farmer. But the young man did not care much for this occupation and was rather attracted to art in general and cinema in particular. He therefore decided to join Tel Aviv University to study film making. After graduation, he made several shorts which were multi awarded in various festivals, among which "Bug on a Helmet" (2011) and "Raz and Radja" (2012). He also participated in the "Water" project, a program of short films made by both Israeli and Palestinian directors aiming at a better comprehension between the two communities. In 2018, he turned to features with his caustic "The Dive", the story of three brothers, one of whom has been caught to fight in Lebanon. This striking mix of laughter and looming tragedy once again earned Yona Rozenkier several prizes, notably at the Jerusalem and Locarno Film Festivals.