The Secrets

Avi Nesher (Hebrew: אבי נשר) (born December 13, 1953) is an Israeli film producer, film director, screenwriter and actor.

Avi Nesher was born and raised in Ramat Gan, Israel. The child of a Romanian-born diplomat, and a mother who came from Russia. In 1965, he moved with his family to the United States. He graduated high school at sixteen and studied international relations at Columbia University. In 1971, he returned to Israel and served in the IDF elite special forces unit Sayeret Matkal.
Film career

In 1978, Nesher directed and produced his first film, “HaLahaka” (Hebrew: “הלהקה”, lit. “The Band”), which depicted an army entertainment troupe similar to the Nahal troupe (להקת הנח"ל). The film stars many of the leading actors and singers of that era, including Gidi Gov, Gali Atari, Sassi Keshet and Heli Goldenberg, most of whom served in military entertainment troupes themselves. The film was a commercial success in Israel (600,000 viewers) and gained cult film status. The movie production, accompanied by the composer Yair Rosenblum, who was musical director of the Nahal Military Group and composed the songs the band also appear in the film.

In 1979, Nesher directed his second film, “Dizengoff 99”, about three young friends (Anat Atzmon, Gidi Gov and Meir Suissa) living together in a flat on Dizengoff Street, the center of nightlife in Tel Aviv. The film is based on the experiences of Nesher himself, when he lived with two friends in Tel Aviv. The soundtrack of the film included songs performed by Zvika Pick, Riki Gal, Gali Atari and various Israeli bands. It was also a hit (400,000 viewers) and achieved cult film status in Israel. In 1980 Nesher directed “HaPakhdanim” (Hebrew: “הפחדנים”, lit. “The cowards”), a moderate commercial success (120,000 viewers).

Nesher then moved to Hollywood, California to further his film career, directing the Israeli-American fantasy film “She” in 1982, about two brothers trying to save their kidnapped sister.

In 1984 Nesher wrote, directed and produced the movie “Za’am V’Tehilah” which tells the story of the underground Zionist group Lehi and their struggle against the British Mandate in the 1940s. The film stars Juliano Mer, Hana Azoulay-Hasfari and Roni Finkovitz. In 1985, Nesher produced “Shovrim”, about a group of youngsters making a Rock opera parody film of the biblical story of David and Goliath. In the early 1990s Nesher produced largely thrillers, science fiction and horror films. In 1991 he directed a Hollywood science fiction film, “Timebomb”, starring Michael Biehn and in 1993, he directed Doppelganger" starring Drew Barrymore.

In 1998 he wrote and directed the film “The Taxman,” the story of tax investigator Al Benjamin (played by Joe Pantoliano) who stumbles over a series of bloody murders and gets involved in an investigation with a rookie cop. In 2001 he directed the horror film “Ritual” starring Jennifer Grey and Tim Curry.

Nesher moved back to Israel in 2002. In 2003 he played for the first time, in Shahar Segal’s film “Tza’ad Katan” alongside Heli Goldenberg.

In 2004 Nesher directed, produced and wrote “Turn Left at the End of the World”, a film about a small town in the Negev during the 1960s and the struggle of the Moroccan and Indian Jews who live there. The film starred Neta Garty, Liraz Cherki and Ruby Porat Shoval. In 2005, he produced the documentary “Oriental” about the Camp David Accords.

In 2007 Nesher’s “The Secrets” premiered as an official selection at the Toronto Film Festival. It was hailed as “witty and wise, sensual and emotionally over powering – one of the best Israeli movies in recent years”. “The Secrets” was shown in more than 50 international film festivals. American film critic Andrew Sarris called it “one of the best movies of the year.”

In 2010 Nesher wrote, directed and produced “The Matchmaker”. Inspired by Amir Gutfreund’s novel When Heroes Fly, “The Matchmaker” is set in Haifa in 1968. It tells the story of an Israeli teenager who gets a summer job working for a Holocaust survivor who runs a matchmaking service. It was hailed as the best movie of the year by several Israeli film critics. The Matchmaker premiered as an official selection at 2010 Toronto Film Festival and later that year won the Silver Plaque award at the Chicago International Film Festival. —Wikipedia