2024 Filmmakers in Residence
Israeli transgender pioneer Efrat Tilma had to flee the country as a teenager in 1967, when a police officer in Tel Aviv threatened to kill her if he ever sees her walking the streets in a dress again. She traveled on her own to Belgium, made a name for herself as a lip-sync artist, rubbed shoulders with European celebrities of the time, completed her transformation in Morocco, landed her dream job as a flight attendant, married a German businessman, divorced him after twenty years, moved back to Israel in 2005, and finally, at almost 60 years old, became the first Israeli transgender policewoman. Now in her seventies and a celebrated activist, Efrat must fight for her rights once again, while the country spirals into unprecedented political and social regression.
Udi Nir is a writer, director, and producer of documentaries. Udi studied playwriting at the Israeli School of Dramaturgy, and worked in theater, before meeting his partner Sagi Bornstein and turning to documentary filmmaking. Since 2022, Udi serves as a board member of the Israeli documentary association.
Sagi Bornstein has 15 years of experience as a director, producer and editor of documentaries, reality and news. His work includes GOLDA (2019, DocAviv, DOC NYC, Arte, HOT8), #uploading_holocaust (2016, DOK Leipzig, BR, RBB, ORF, Keshet) and Kafka's Last Story (2011, Arte, SWR, SVT, Channel 2, DOK Leipzig, awards in several European and American film festivals). He studied photography at Camera Obscure film school and worked for leading Israeli broadcasters before starting his own production company.
Project description and bios courtesy of the Residents