Tali Shalom Ezer


Tali Shalom Ezer is an Israeli filmmaker, writer, and director, best known for her debut feature, Princess which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival as part of the World Dramatic Competition.

Early life and education

Tali Shalom Ezer was born in Kfar Saba, Israel in 1978 to immigrant parents from Romania and Iraq. During her school years, Shalom Ezer became involved in a local theater group. During her service in the IDF, Shalom Ezer trained and worked as a Psychological Evaluator, performing psychometric tests on young Israelis preparing to enter the army. Shalom Ezer’s ongoing interest in psychology was greatly influenced by her mother, who worked as a psychiatric nurse, focusing on the use of Psychodrama with her patients. All of her films have a psychological dimension, and Shalom Ezer sees there to be a strong connection between Cinema and Psychology.
Shalom Ezer undertook some initial training in acting at Beit Zvi School of Performing Arts, though soon decided to shift her focus to Directing. She continued her studies at Tel Aviv University, first in Theatre Studies, and then in Cinema through the Film and Television Department. During her time as a student, she won a 3-year scholarship from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation for her studies in Cinema.

Career

Before her work as a film director, Tali worked as a theatre director’s Assistant and as a Casting Director’s Assistant. She also spent time working as a Production Manager and as Producer for Fringe theatre productions and for theatre festivals.
Shalom Ezer has been a judge of the Official Competition at the Jerusalem Film Festival, for the International Student Film Festival, Tel Aviv, and has worked as a lector for several of the major Israeli film festivals and Israeli film funds. Shalom Ezer currently teaches in the Film and Television Department at Tel Aviv University focusing on working with actors. She lives with her partner Libby Tishler in Tel Aviv.

Films