Tomer Heymann, born on 12 October 1970 in Kfar Yedidia, Israel, is an Israeli filmmaker internationally recognised for his work in documentary cinema. His films are known for their strong personal perspective, long term observation, and engagement with themes of identity, sexuality, family, and social belonging.
Over the past two decades, Heymann has directed numerous documentary films and television series, often combining intimate personal storytelling with broader social and cultural contexts. His early work includes It Kinda Scares Me and Laugh Till I Cry, followed by the internationally acclaimed Paper Dolls, which won three awards at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2006 and received the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Heymann co directed the documentary and television series Bridge Over the Wadi, co produced with the American broadcaster ITVS. The project won the Israeli Documentary Film Competition, screened in competition at IDFA, and received multiple international awards. His eight part television series The Way Home was broadcast by Yes Doco Channel in Israel and won Best Documentary Series at the Jerusalem International Film Festival in 2009.
In 2010, I Shot My Love premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and won the Best Mid Length Documentary Award at Hot Docs. The film screened widely at major international documentary festivals. Later works include Mr. Gaga (2015), a portrait of choreographer Ohad Naharin, Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? (2016), co directed with his brother Barak Heymann, Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life (2019), and I Am Not (2022).
Heymann’s body of work has established him as one of the leading voices in contemporary Israeli documentary filmmaking.
