Keren Yedaya is an Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i filmmaker. She was born in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, but her family moved to Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 in 1975 when she was just three. She trained at the Camera Obscura School of Art in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

.

Yedaya is known as a political activist for feminism and women's rights and takes part in protests against Israeli military presence in the West Bank

West Bank

The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...

. Her films are reflections of her political activism. She started her career making short films Elinor in 1994 about the tribulations of an Israeli female conscript to the Army, whereas Lulu in 1998 tackles prostitution in Israel. Based on these works, French producer Emmanuel Agneray invited her to France where she shot her third short film Les dessous (in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 title Underwear), about a Parisian lingerie and women's wear store.

In 2001, she received from the Montpelier Mediterranean Film Festival financial support for developing a long feature film. The result was her first long feature Or (My Treasure)

Or (My Treasure)

Or is a 2004 drama film starring Dana Ivgy in the title role of Or, a teenager who struggles to be responsible for her prostitute mother Ruthie, played by Ronit Elkabetz...

 in 2004 and it won the "Caméra d'Or" at the Cannes Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...

. Her follow-up features is Jaffa

Jaffa (film)

Jaffa is a 2009 Israeli film directed by Keren Yedaya...

 in 2009, also screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

Director

• 1994: Elinor (short film)
• 1999: Lulu (short film)
• 2001: Les dessous (aka Underwear)
• 2004: Or (My Treasure)
  Or (My Treasure)
  Or is a 2004 drama film starring Dana Ivgy in the title role of Or, a teenager who struggles to be responsible for her prostitute mother Ruthie, played by Ronit Elkabetz...
  
  
• 2009: Jaffa
  Jaffa (film)
  Jaffa is a 2009 Israeli film directed by Keren Yedaya...
  
   (2009)

Awards

• 2004: Won the "Caméra d'Or" at the Cannes Film Festival
  Cannes Film Festival
  The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
  
  for her film Or (My Treasure)

External links