Quick Facts
Biography
Yoav Shamir (Hebrew: יואב שמיר) is an Israeli documentary filmmaker most noted for the films Checkpoint and Defamation. Shamir's films have received awards from independent film festivals including Best Feature Documentary at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Best International Documentary at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, and the Golden Gate Award for Documentary Feature at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Shamir's viewpoint of Israeli political policies in his documentaries made him a focal point of criticism and garnered accusations of anti-semitism. His latest film, 10%: What Makes a Hero?, is focused on the premise that a small minority of people, less than 10%, will always fight for what is just regardless of circumstance.
Personal life
Yoav Shamir was born in Tel Aviv in 1970. He graduated from Tel Aviv University with a BA in History and philosophy. He obtained a MFA in cinema with honours.
Controversies
After the success of Checkpoint, Shamir was referred to as the "Israeli Mel Gibson" by American journalists and accused of antisemitism. This inspired him to do a project about contemporary antisemitism, the film Defamation.
Filmography
- Machssomim (International title: Checkpoint) (2003)
- 5 Days (2005)
- Flipping Out (2008)
- Hashmatsa (International title: Defamation) (2009)
- Full Gas (2010)
- 10%: What Makes a Hero? (2013)