Meet the Talents in Person! One-on-One Meetings with the Sam Spiegel Film Lab Filmmakers and Producers

Come meet talents and producers from Brazil, Austria, Hungary/Slovakia and Israel in One-on-One meetings. Following the morning showcase and pitching event of the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab, come meet the projects.
You can find more details about the projects in our full catalogue: https://labs.jsfs.co.il/catalogedition13 

LIST OF PROJECTS AND PARTICIPANTS:

Pureland (Austria) - A sheltered and talented young singer seeks escape in fleeting relationships, until three contrasting men confront him with what it means to be human, and what it takes to grow.
Filmmaker and Producer: C. B. Yi - C.B. Yi is an Austrian filmmaker who studied directing and cinematography under Michael Haneke and Christian Berger in Vienna. His debut feature “Moneyboys” premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard and Caméra d´Or sections and received numerous international awards. His protagonists reflect the identity struggles of young adults from diverse backgrounds as they navigate transitions in a world shaped by urbanization, mobility, and both sexual and social liberation, as they confront contradictions with tradition, naïve self-perceptions and inherited privilege.

Goodbye, Boys (Brazil) - After losing their mother, Ian and Noah set out to find their father,  drifting through broken homes and uncertain ties — not in search of rescue, but of somewhere they might finally belong. 
Filmmaker: Sacha Amaral - Sacha Amaral is a Brazilian director, screenwriter, and teacher based in Argentina. His debut feature, “The Pleasure is Mine” (2024), won the Grand Prix at BAFICI. As a writer, he made his debut with “So Long Enthusiasm” (Berlinale 2017). His short film “Billy Boy” (2021) was part of the Official Selection at Cannes. Other works include “Plurabelle" (2022), awarded at the Drama International Short Film Festival, and “Great Are the Deserts” (2019). He currently teaches screenwriting at the Film University of Buenos Aires (FUC).
Producer: Agustin Gagliardi - Agustín Gagliardi is an Argentine producer focused on auteur-driven projects. His credits include “The Pleasure Is Mine” by Sacha Amaral (Grand Prix, BAFICI 2024); “The Face of the Jellyfish” by Melisa Liebenthal (Berlinale Forum 2023); “Long Time No Sleep” by Agustín Godoy (Tallinn Black Nights 2022); “Atlas” by Masllorens & Gaona (Mar del Plata 2021); “Provincial City” by Rodrigo Moreno (Rotterdam 2018); and “The Gold Bug” by Alejo Moguillansky (Locarno 2014).
He also worked as assistant director on “The Flower" by Mariano Llinás (Locarno 2018), “Other People’s Care” by Mariano González (Thessaloniki 2020), and “The Omission” by Sebastián Schjaer (Berlinale Panorama 2018).
Quadrophenia Films is a Brazilian production company led by producer Ricca Galdeano. Born from the film “The Pleasure Is Mine”, it develops Latin American films with strong international potential.

Don’t Be a Stranger (Brazil) - A former-addict male nurse, searches for his ex-boyfriend, fearing he may have become the latest victim in a string of murders haunting the queer community of a coastal city. Confronting the shadow of death, he navigates the line between fear and desire, in a journey of self-discovery and growth.
Filmmaker: Fellipe Fernandes - Raised in the outskirts of Recife, Fellipe Fernandes premiered his first film, “Delusion is Redemption to Those in Distress”, at 2016 Cannes Film Festival’s Critic’s Week. After his second short, “Tempestade” (2019), he launched his first feature film, “Rio Doce” (2021), at the Olhar de Cinema – Curitiba International Film Festival, where it was awarded Best Film and Best Brazilian Feature. It also received the grand prize at the Rio Film Festival’s New Directions and the FIPRESCI award at the Toulouse Latin American Film Festival.
Producer: Dora Amorim - Dora Amorim is a partner at Zebra Filmes, working as an audiovisual producer since 2010. Her films have been shown at over 100 festivals, including Cannes Critics' Week and Rotterdam IFF. She collaborated with Emilie Lesclaux and Kleber Mendonça Filho at Cinemascópio Produções, and was the executive producer of “O agente secreto”. Dora is part of Berlinale Talents, Eave+, and the Paradiso Talent Network, and was recognized by LatAm Cinema as one of the five standout Latin American producers at Cannes 2025.
Zebra Filmes was founded in 2024 by Dora Amorim and Júlia Machado, independent producers with extensive experience in the industry. They are currently developing projects by Fellipe Fernandes, Milena Times, André Antonio, Nathália Tereza, and other filmmakers.

Soft Hours (Slovakia/Hungary) - Middle aged Ilona, unable to accept her son's death, pays a young stranger to fill his void.  As their emotional roles blur, the illusion begins to crack, forcing Ilona to finally begin to grieve.
Filmmaker: Anna Gyimesi - Anna Gyimesi (b. 1985, Budapest) turned from medicine to filmmaking, graduating as a director from the University of Theater and Film Arts Budapest (2019) and Docnomads (2021). Her films explore taboo social issues focusing on motherhood, womanhood, and marginalization. These themes are already visible in her shorts “Affricate” and "Falling”, with the latter winning the Heart of Sarajevo (2023). She's also a doctoral researcher on fiction and documentary boundaries. Soft Hours is her debut feature.
Producer: Barbara Janisova Feglova - Barbara Janišová Feglová is a Slovak producer and founder of HITCHHIKER Cinema, a boutique company dedicated to auteur-driven films with strong social and political resonance. She has produced award-winning creative documentaries such as “A Hole in the Head”, “Lines”, and “Ms. President”. With a background in documentary cinema, she is now shifting her focus to fiction, championing bold, female-led storytelling. Her current slate includes “Soft Hours” by Anna Gyimesi, “This Room is Impossible to Eat" by Barbora Berezňáková, and the series “Child on Fire”. She also teaches at the Documentary Department of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava.

Gut Feeling (Israel) - An unwanted pregnancy sends a Shin Bet ( Israel’s Secret Service) operative into a spiral of panic attacks, putting both her life and her identity as a female fighter on the line.
Filmmakers: Benny Fredman & Gilad Inbar -
Benny Fredman is a writer & director known for “Home” (2023), winner of multiple Ophir Awards; the suspense miniseries “Suspect” (2015, Channel 10); the provocative series “Everything is Judgeable” (2015, Israel Broadcasting Authority); the feature thriller “Suicide” (2014), The Jerusalem Film Festival. Distributed by Netflix; and the short film “Leak” (2012), screened at festivals in Las Vegas, Miami, and Tacoma.
Gilad Inbar is a director & editor. His directing credits include ”Shlomo Bar– A Musical Documentary” (2022), screened at Docaviv and Krakow, and ”The Hungarian Cube – A Journey with Andre Hajdu” (2013), broadcast on Channel 8. As an editor, Inbar’s credits include Benny Fredman's ”Home” - nominated for Best Editing at the Ophir Awards; Amichai Greenberg's ”The Testament”- screened at Venice IFF and Benny Fredman’s ”Suicide”- distributed by Netflix. Inbar graduated with honors from the Sam Spiegel School.

Family Honor (Israel) - When a young girl is murdered in her home village, an Arab detective in the Israeli police is assigned to the case - a suspected honor killing that compels him to confront his own values, his family, and the complex social fabric of the community he comes from.
Filmmakers: Hisham Suliman & Sari Bisharat -
Hisham Suliman, born 1978, graduated at the Yoram Levinstein institute for acting & theatrical Arts in Tel Aviv, Israel. Written, directed, and acted in many films, TV series & theaters. Artist director of the Umn Al-Fahm Arabic theater and the theater & drama school in Nazareth. As an actor, acted in prestigious TV series and films such as: "Fauda", “Two Minutes to Paradise”, "Munich", "Independence Day", "Another Day", "Bethlehem" and many more. Worked as an actor's coach in films and TV series such as: "Ajami", "Fauda", "Homeland", "Zayton ", "Bethlehem " and more.
Directed the short film 'the book'.
Sari Bisharat, Born 1985, graduated at the Sam Spiegel Film and Television school.
Written and directed the awarded short film "Tormus" and the documentary film "Tawfik". Works also as a film & TV editor, edited the awarded feature film "The Cousin" and many TV realities, dramas, documentary films & video clips.
Producer: Yoav Halevy - Born 1963. Holds a B.F.A in Film and Television from Tel Aviv University and studied for a master's degree in Cultural Studies at the Open University of Israel. His first Feature film as a screenwriter was "White Night" (Winner Young Cinema Award, Cannes Film Festival).
Open Doors Films was established by Yoav as an independent production company, focusing on narrative and documentary projects that present complex Israeli stories in a modern cinematic language, in order to reach a worldwide audience. Among the films produced by Yoav and the company: "Bureau 06" (Honorable Mention for Artistic Achievement- Jerusalem FF, aired on television channels worldwide),"Dear Mr. Waldman" (Palm Springs FF, Munich FF), God’s Sandbox (Karlovy – Vary FF), "In the Third Person" (Best Documentary – Haifa FF), and more.
This year, the company is producing the Feature film "Three Days in Bangui".
Alongside his creative work as a filmmaker, Yoav was a lecturer on film, the Head of the Production & the Head of the Film Department at the Faculty of Arts, at Beit Berl College.

Milah (Israel) - A family gathering, celebrating the ancient ceremony of Bris Milah, goes off the rails when Shira, the new mother, refuses to have her child circumcised.
Filmmaker: Amos Holzman - Amos Holzman (b. 1985, Jerusalem) is a director, screenwriter, and producer based in Tel Aviv. He earned a B.A. in Film from Sapir College’s School of Audio and Visual Arts in 2010. He has directed three award-winning short films—”Panta Rhei” (2010), “Boys” (2013), and “Colony Collapse Disorder” (2021)—and written three feature-length screenplays. He has also produced several short and feature films, including “Cuz You’re Ugly”, a feature slated to open in theaters in 2026. His work explores themes of fractured masculinity, gender, and the impact of Israel’s militarized environment on society.
Producer: Talya Bernstein - Talia Bernstein is a Film & Television creative producer. Currently a partner and head producer at the veteran production company Alma Films, where she oversees the development and production of documentaries and TV formats, as well as feature films and drama series. Bernstein lived and worked in NYC, where she produced numerous commercials, music videos, films and web series with renowned creators such as: the Duplass Bros., Ilana Glazer, Killer Films and more. Selected Credits: SPLIT - The Story of the Mixed Cities in Israel, 3 part documentary for the Israeli Public Broadcaster in Arabic (MEKAN33). WESS, drama series, in development at YES. MILAH, feature length film (Dir. Amos Holzman). Colony Collapse Disorder, short film, Dir: Amos Holzman, (sold to Canal+). My Days of Mercy, feature length film, associate producer (Killer Films).

White Night (Israel) - A struggling actor by day and paramedic by night, is swept into a relentless shift. Between emergencies, he must prepare for an audition that forces him to confront the roles he plays in life—on, and off stage. 
Filmmaker: Nir Guilat - Award-winning director and editor with experience in fiction, documentary, and TV. Known for a collaborative approach and a clear creative vision. His short film “Supporting Role" won Best Comedy and Audience Choice at the New York Short Film Festival, and Critics’ Choice in Tel Aviv.
Producer: Eviatar Moncaz - Eviatar Moncaz is an Israeli film producer and head of Monchaz Films, a production company based in Tel Aviv. He produced the feature “Debbie Was Here", which won at Haifa Film Festival 2023, and the documentary “Paradise Shattered", which aired on Yes Docu and opened the South Film Festival. Monchaz Films has produced dozens of short and feature-length projects in fiction and documentary. The company focuses on independent productions and limited budgets, emphasizing clear cinematic language and strong collaboration with emerging filmmakers. Currently, the company is developing, producing, and raising funds for several new fiction and documentary films.

The Real Estate Agent (Israel) - A real-estate agent falls in love with the remote country house she was asked to sell, and begins to lead a secret, parallel life in it. The place becomes her own private paradise. When the house is sold – she decides to do anything she can to prevent it.
Filmmaker: Gadi Rimer - Gadi Rimer graduated with high honors from the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television, Tel-Aviv University. His short student film, “Sooner or Later” (2019), was screened at many film festivals around the world. His independent documentary, “Requiem for a Fish” (2020), was nominated for best short film at the Israeli Documentary Forum competition. His graduation film, “All Those Beginnings” (2022), won a prize for emerging filmmaker at the Tel-Aviv International Student Film Festival.
Producer: Harel Ben Melech - Harel Ben Melech is an independent producer, founder of Tiara Films. Her recent work includes ”The Visit” (Cannes, Palm Springs, HollyShorts) and ”The Sun Rises Down Below” (Best Short, Jerusalem FF). Her films and music videos were also screened and won awards at leading festivals such as Cinequest, LEEDS, Aesthetica, MECAL PRO, Miami FF, and were nominated for the Israeli Academy Award. Tiara Films produces short films, music videos and commercials, and is currently developing several debut features supported by international labs and film funds. The company focuses on bold and unique storytelling, emerging voices, and international collaborations.

Dado Beach (Israel) - An ambitious policewoman is sent to investigate the disappearance of a lifeguard in Dado Beach, Haifa. Following in his footsteps, she finds herself uncovering the truth behind the mysterious criminal death of her own father.
Filmmaker: Or Engel - Or Engel is a graduate of the Film and Television Department at Tel Aviv University. Her short films explore themes like body, alienation, and loss through an intimate female perspective. She has received development grants from the Rabinovich Foundation and Gesher Fund. Her film ”Real Beauty” screened at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque in the Women Directors Festival, and her short “Golem” was shown at the Off Courts Festival in France.
Producer: Asaf Nawi - AWI PRO Ltd. is a production house based in Tel Aviv, Israel, focused on the creation and production of original content for both local and international markets.
Together with our carefully built network of creatives, we develop and produce film and television projects—documentary, fiction, and entertainment formats—across a variety of genres and platforms.
Among the major projects we have been involved in are the Academy Award-winning “My Nephew from Hell” (YA series), “Shlomi Six” (crime drama series), “Whatever You Say” (weekly current affairs satire), the Israeli box office hit “Saving Shuli-San” (filmed in Japan), “One More Story “(comedy feature film), “Doubtful” (drama feature film), as well as “Homeland” (parts filmed in Israel), the pilot episode of “DIG”, and more.