Nadav Lapid

Nadav Lapid (Hebrew: נדב לפיד) is an Israeli screenwriter and film director renowned for his thematically and formally challenging cinema. Born on 1975-03-29 in Tel Aviv to a family of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, he is the son of writer Haim Lapid and film editor Era Lapid, which immersed him early in literary and cinematic environments. After completing mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces, Lapid pursued philosophy at Tel Aviv University before moving to Paris, where he deepened his artistic perspective, and later returned to Israel to graduate from the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem. His first major success arrived with the feature Policeman (2011), which earned the Special Jury Prize at the Locarno International Film Festival and established him as a bold voice in contemporary Israeli cinema. The 2014 drama The Kindergarten Teacher further highlighted his skill in character‑driven storytelling and was selected for Critics’ Week at Cannes, leading to his appointment to the Cannes Critics’ Week jury in 2016. Lapid’s most celebrated work, Synonyms (2019), won the Golden Bear at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival and secured his reputation as one of Israel’s most internationally acclaimed filmmakers, a status reinforced by the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres honor the same year. In addition to artistic accolades, he received the IFFI Best Director Award in 2014 and has been invited to serve on prestigious juries, including the International Film Festival of India in 2022 where his outspoken criticism of The Kashmir Files sparked diplomatic controversy. Lapid’s personal life is anchored in Paris, where he lives with his wife, actress Naama Preis, and he remains an active advocate for humanitarian causes, signing a 2023 open letter calling for a cease‑fire in Gaza. His body of work, ranging from short films such as Road (2005) to recent features, continues to challenge narratives of Israeli nationalism and provoke thoughtful discourse across global audiences.