Joseph Cedar: Movies & Box Office

Joseph Cedar is an Israeli film director and screenwriter best known for his deeply resonant dramas that explore the moral complexities of Israeli society. Born on August 31, 1968 in New York City to a distinguished biochemist father, Howard Cedar, he spent his earliest years in the United States before his family relocated to Jerusalem when he was six, where he grew up in the Bayit VeGan neighborhood and attended a yeshiva high school, an upbringing that instilled both a strong Orthodox Jewish identity and a keen awareness of cultural tensions. After completing mandatory service as a paratrooper in the Israeli Defense Forces, Cedar pursued academic studies in philosophy and the history of theatre at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, then refined his cinematic sensibilities with a degree in cinema studies at New York University, bridging his trans‑Atlantic experiences. Cedar’s debut feature, Time of Favor (2000), was written during a two‑year residency in the Israeli settlement of Dolev and earned six Ophir Awards, including Best Picture, establishing him as a powerful new voice; his follow‑up, Campfire (2004), garnered five more Ophirs and secured Cedar’s first Best Director and Best Screenplay honors. The breakthrough came with Beaufort (2007), a war drama drawn from his own Lebanon border service, which won the Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlin, received four Ophir Awards, and earned Israel its first Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 24 years. Footnote (2011) continued his critical ascent, premiering at Cannes, winning the Best Screenplay prize there, and earning another Oscar nomination. His later work, Norman (2016), starring Richard Gere, demonstrated his ability to navigate American‑Israeli political narratives, while the HBO limited series Our Boys (2019), which he co‑created, co‑wrote and co‑directed, highlighted his commitment to confronting painful contemporary events. Cedar’s oeuvre is marked by a blend of personal conviction, meticulous storytelling, and universal cinematic language, earning him accolades such as multiple Ophir Awards, the Silver Bear, and recognition as one of Israel’s most influential filmmakers.