Avigail Sperber (; born August 24, 1973) is an Israeli cinematographer and film and television director. She is founder and owner of Pardes Film Productions. Sperber is also a social activist, and the founder of Bat Kol, a religious organization for lesbian Orthodox Jews.
Biography Sperber was born in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem, the daughter of Hannah and Rabbi Daniel Sperber, winner of the Israel Prize for Talmudic study. She studied at the Horev Ulpana (girls' religious school) and did Sherut Leumi instead of mandatory military service.
In 1998 she completed her studies at Ma'aleh Film School. Her graduation film, Four Men Entered the Grove, won the best film award of her graduating class. Another film she directed, Yan's Tea House, won the best documentary film award at the Haifa International Film Festival.
In 1999, Sperber directed My Sister Benchia, the story of Benchia-Ariela, an Ethiopian girl she met during her national service, whom her family adopted. The film was broadcast on Channel 2.
Sperber worked on the production of the film Campfire, in casting and as the director, Yosef Cedar's, personal assistant, while studying screenwriting at Idit Schori's screenwriting school. Her graduation work was about religious lesbians. Following her work on this script, she founded Bat Kol, an organization for religious lesbians. It was the first religious LGBT organization in Israel. The organization provides support for religious lesbians. Sperber also founded Shoval, which is a dialogue and advocacy group that works for LGBT acceptance in religious society, and operates a support and counseling hotline. These organizations created a new discourse in religious circles, forcing the community to deal with the issue.
She was cinematographer on her ex-girlfriend Netalie Braun's short films Gevald and Metamorphosis; on the Ibtisam Mara'ana's film Badal; on Hannah Azoulay-Hasafri's documentary series My Tiny Empire. In 2008 she directed the film Halakeh, which premiered at the Jerusalem Film Festival and was broadcast on Channel 1. In 2010 she produced and directed Hatalyan with Netalie Braun, a documentary of the story of Shalom Nagar, Adolf Eichmann's executioner. The film won the Best Documentary award at the Haifa International Film Festival, and was one of three outstanding films at IDFA. In 2014, she directed Probation Time, a documentary about her break-up with her partner and their son's difficulties dealing with the new situation, and her family's coping with her adopted sister, who dealt with juvenile delinquency. The film won the DocAviv jury award, and Sperber also won the cinematography award. The film was broadcast on YES Docu as a mini-series.
In September 2017, Sperber was awarded the Minister of Education Award for Jewish Culture in the film category.
Sperber came out as a lesbian at age 25. She has two sons.
Filmography Director TitleGenreLengthYearNotesProbation TimeDocumentary series3 50-minute episodes2014Broadcast on YES DocuHatalyanDocumentary film60 minutes2010Haifa International Film Festival Best DocumentaryHalakehDrama50 minutes2008Jerusalem Film Festival Best Picture; broadcast on Channel 1HatikvaShort experimental film2004Part of Hatikva (Hope) project at Haifa International Film FestivalCyprus MeetingDocumentary film24 minutes2001Broadcast on Channel 2My Sister BenchiaDocumentary film24 minutes1999Broadcast on Channel 2Four Men Entered the GroveStudent short film12 minutes1998Ma'aleh Film SchoolYan's Tea HouseStudent short film24 minutes1998Ma'aleh Film School
Production TitleGenreLengthYearNotesNot NiceDocumentary film60 minutes2018A Mirror for the SunDocumentary film70 minutes2018Channel 10 A Person's SelfDocumentary film70 minutes2018YES DocuCovered UpDocumentary film52 minutes2018YES Docu, DocAvivFamily MattersDocumentary film60 minutes2015YES Docu, New Film FundHatalyanDocumentary film60 minutes2010Gesher Foundation, Rabinowitz FoundationFour Men Entered the Grove Student feature film12 minutes1998Ma'aleh Film School
Cinematography +TitleGenreLengthYearNotesA Person's SelfDocumentary film70 minutes2018YES DocuCovered UpDocumentary film60 minutes2018YES Docu, DocAvivHaTsarfoka'imDocumentary film60 minutes2018Ron Kachlili documentary series, YES DocuThe YoungestShort film2018God Deserves a HouseDocumentary film2018AssumptionVideo Art2017Mekudeshet FestivalArmedDocumentary web series2017Kan - Israeli Public Broadcasting CorporationHow to Mark LoveDocumentary film75 minutesChannel 8Child MotherDocumentary film80 minutes2016Channel 8Golden BoysDocumentary film56 minutes2016Channel 8Achlu Li Shatu Li - Next GenerationTV documentary mini-series 2016Channel 8Blue Eyes: Brown EyesDocumentary film2016Family MattersDocumentary film60 minutes2015YES Docu, New Film FundArab MovieDocumentary film60 minutes2015Probation TimeDocumentary series3 50-minute episodes2014YES DocuA Song of Loves - Rabi David BuzagloDocumentary film60 minutes2014Channel 2Arsim and Frehot: The New ElitesTV documentary mini-series 60 minutes20141 episode, Channel 8SuperwomenDocumentary film2012DocAviv Special Mention and Best CinematographyThe DreamersDocumentary film2011Directed by Efrat Shalom DanonHatalyanDocumentary film60 minutes2010Queen KhantarishaDocumentary film2009LashabiyaVideo art2009With Yechezkel LazarovGevaldShort film2009Berlin International Film Festival winner; directed by Netalie BraunTwo Legacies Documentary film2008Directed by Einat KapahShahida Documentary film2008Summer CampVideo art2007Yael Barthana; displayed in museums worldwideGole SangamVideo documentary2007Directed by Sarit HaimiyanMetamorphosis Video documentary2006Directed by Netalie Braun My Tiny EmpireTV documentary mini-series 2006ReshetPicklesDocumentary film2005Directed by Dalit KimorBadalDocumentary film2005Directed by Ibtisam Mara'anaSalma beneath two skiesDocumentary film2005Made for ZDF, GermanyKeep Not SilentDocumentary film2004She'Asani KirtsonoDocumentary film2003Directed by Iris RubinYam. Suf. Documentary film2002YES Docu; directed by Nurit AkabesProfileVideo art2000Yael BarthanaKaddish for NaomiDocumentary filmDirected by Avi HemiShe'Asani IshaDocumentary filmDirected by Yakov FriedlandRegards from RhodesDocumentary film1998AnashimShort film1998Bride's Wind Short film1998
Awards
| 2017 | | Minister of Education Award for Jewish Culture
| 2014 | Probation Time | Best Film, DocAviv
| 2014 | Probation Time | Best Cinematography, DocAviv
| 2014 | Probation Time | Best Film, Forum of Documentary Filmmakers Awards
| 2014 | Probation Time | Best Cinematography, Forum of Documentary Filmmakers Awards
| 2013 | Superwomen | Best Cinematography, DocAviv
| 2011 | Hatalyan | Best Film, Documentary Film Competition
| 2011 | Hatalyan | Best Cinematography, Documentary Film Competition
| 2010 | Hatalyan | Special Honorable Mention, IDFA
| 2010 | Hatalyan | Best Documentary, Haifa International Film Festival
See also List of female film and television directors List of lesbian filmmakers
References
External links