Tamar Tal is an Israeli film director, producer, and screenplay writer. She was born in Tel Aviv in October 1965 and began her career in the film industry in the early 1990s. She is best known for her Academy Award-nominated documentary, Strangers No More (2010).
Tal studied film at the Sam Spiegel Film School in Jerusalem before beginning her career as a production assistant on Israeli television and film sets. She quickly moved up the ranks to become a production manager. In the late 1990s, she began her career as a director, writing and directing her first short film, The Biggest Fish in the Sea (1998).
Tal’s first feature-length film was A Place in Heaven (2001). This drama, set during the 1967 Six-Day War, follows the story of a Jewish soldier who discovers a sense of moral responsibility when faced with a moral dilemma. The film was a critical and commercial success, garnering Tal numerous awards and nominations.
In 2004, Tal wrote and directed the romantic comedy, Walk on Water. The film follows a Mossad agent who is sent to Berlin to track down an aging Nazi war criminal. The film was praised for its nuanced exploration of moral ambiguity and received numerous awards and nominations.
In 2010, Tal released Strangers No More. The documentary follows the story of a diverse group of students at an Israeli elementary school. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and was praised for its sensitive and thought-provoking exploration of immigration and identity.
Tal’s most recent film, The Cakemaker (2017), follows the story of a German baker who travels to Jerusalem to uncover the truth behind his lover’s death. It was nominated for numerous awards and was praised for its exploration of identity and grief.
Tal is renowned for her sensitive and thought-provoking exploration of social issues. Her films have been praised for their nuanced and insightful commentary on identity, morality, and grief. She is considered one of the most influential Israeli filmmakers of her generation and her work has been celebrated around the world.
