Naomi Levari
Naomi Levari (in Hebrew: נעמי לבארי; born October 10, 1978) is an Israeli film producer and director. Early life and education. Levari was born in the United States, and at the age of 5 moved to Jerusalem with her family. She began studying film in high school, and also began social and political activism. In 1996, she refused to enlist for her compulsory military service as a conscientious objector. In 2004, she graduated from the Sam Spiegel School of Film and Television, with highest honors. During her studies, she co-produced "Oneg Shabat", a short film that went  on to win multiple awards, and produced the documentary film "Blue White Collar Criminal", the first student film to be released commercially in the school's history. Her graduation film, "Draft", was screened at more than forty international film festivals, and won four awards and two special mentions. The film was sold to broadcast companies around the world, has been included in school curricula, and was selected as one of the best films to come out of 'Sam Spiegel' by an international jury. Levari won multiple awards and scholarships, and grants from the Television Authority and the Yehoshua Rabinowitz Foundation . Early career. Levari began working in the Israeli film industry, and in 2010 she founded Black Sheep Productions with her partner Saar Yogev. In 2013, Levari ran for parliament on the Da'am party list, headed by Asma Agbarieh Zahalka, but the party did not get the required number of votes to enter parliament. In 2014, during Israel's attack on Gaza, Levari sent a video to the residents of Gaza, "A Message to Gaza", which became popular on social media, and was covered by the international press. Levari, however, refused to be interviewed on the subject, except for two underground  blogs in Turkey and Iran. Levari and Yogev are married, and have two sons. Career. Levari started her professional life working in various set jobs, as an assistant director and assistant cinematographer, and then turned to directing music videos and multimedia performances, and worked as a content editor on prime time television shows. In 2005, she began her collaboration with Saar Yogev during the Jerusalem Film Festival, and in 2008 the two began producing together. In 2010, they founded Black Sheep Productions, which has garnered a reputation in Israel and abroad as a selective, accessible and quality production company. In  addition to her production work, Levari coaches filmmakers on pitching, and teaches film in various institutions, both in Israel and around the world. She also serves in various public roles related to the Israeli film industry. After the success of her student film, "Draft", Levari was invited to conduct a master class at Aarhus University in Denmark. in 2011, she was selected to participate in the Rotterdam International Film Festival's Rotterdam Lab, a workshop for the most promising emerging producers. In 2013, Levari was invited by the French foundation CNC to represent them in the producers' track at the  Cannes Film Festival. That same year, she was a jury member for the documentary film competition at the Jerusalem Film Festival. In 2014 she was a member of the executive board of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television. In 2014 and 2015, she was a lector for the Israel Film Fund and for the International Film Lab in Jerusalem. In 2015 she was also on the jury for the Utopia Film Festival. In 2016, at the Cannes Film Festival, she was selected as a Notable Producer at the Holland Film Meetings, where she and director Yaron Shani presented one  of Black Sheep's flagship projects, . Levari has worked as a guest lecturer and advisor at Beit Berl College, Sapir Academic College, Columbia University, and the Sam Spiegel Film School, her alma mater. In 2017, Black Sheep Productions was spotlighted, along with four other production companies, by Berlinale co-production market at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2018, Levari was one of the founders of the German production company Electric Sheep GmbH, with Saar Yogev and Michael Reuter. This same year, she was asked to join the EWA program, in which she mentors women film producers from around the  world, and supports the professional reader team at the Berlin International Film Festival. Levari is dedicated to improving the status and representation of women in the Israeli film industry, and is the founder of the Center for Equal Opportunities in the Film and Television Industry.