University of Haifa to award Amos Gitai an honorary doctorate
The degree will be awarded to the Haifa-born director in recognition of his contribution to Israeli and world cinema, for a unique cinematic language, and for his engagement with social and political issues. The university president: "He has turned the painful questions of Israeli society into a body of work that sparks thought and discourse."
The University of Haifa announced this evening (Tuesday) that it will award director Amos Gitai, a native of the city and one of the most prominent Israeli filmmakers in the world, an honorary doctorate in philosophy. The degree will be awarded to him in recognition of his contribution to Israeli and international cinema, for developing a unique cinematic language, and for his ongoing engagement with complex social and political issues.
The university noted that Gitai is also being recognized for his deep connection to Haifa, which occupies a central place in his work. Over the years, his films have dealt with issues at the heart of Israeli society, including war, the Israeli-Arab conflict, identity, religion, immigration, wandering, and displacement.
"Amos Gitai is one of the most prominent and influential Israeli creators in the world. For decades, he has chosen to engage directly with the most complex and painful questions of Israeli society and turn them into a body of work that sparks thought and discourse. For the University of Haifa, it has special significance that a creator who was born in the city and returns to it again and again in his work receives our highest honor," said the President of the University of Haifa, Prof. Gur Alroey.
Gitai was born in Haifa in 1950, the son of Bauhaus architect Munio Gitai-Weinraub and Zionist activist Efratia Munchik-Margalit. He studied architecture at the Technion and continued to doctoral studies in architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, in the USA. After being wounded in the Yom Kippur War, he abandoned his architecture studies and turned to filmmaking.
He began his career directing television reports, and in 1980 he created his first full-length documentary film, "House." After Israeli television decided to shelve the film due to its political content, Gitai screened it at festivals across Europe. Later, he created other documentary films, including "Wadi," "Field Diary," "Bangkok-Bahrain," and "Pineapple."
In 1986, Gitai directed his first feature film, "Esther," and since then has combined feature and documentary cinema throughout his career. His notable films include "Berlin-Jerusalem," "Kadosh," "Kippur," "Kedma," "Alila," "Promised Land," "Free Zone," and "Rabin, the Last Day." His films have participated in the official competitions of the world's major film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival, and over the years he has won awards, titles, and honorary decorations from international states and cultural institutions.
