Motti Lerner Playwright and screenwriter

Contact: eMail 054-4583356 | *

Agent:
Susan Schulman eMail

Born in Israel. Studied mathematics and physics at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Studied theatre in various theatre workshops in London and San Francisco. In 1976-1979 wrote and directed plays for experimental and street theatres. In 1979-1984 was director and dramaturg at the Khan Theatre in Jerusalem. Since 1984 freelance playwright and screenwriter for the major theaters and TV channels in Israel. His plays were produced in the U.S, England, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, South Arica, India and Australia.

Taught “Political Playwriting” at Tel Aviv University 1993-2008. Teaches playwriting in the Kibbutz College since 1987. In 1992 was writer in residence at The Center for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies in Oxford. In 1994 won the Prime Minister of Israel Award for Writers. In 1997 was Visiting Professor at the Drama Department, Duke University, North Carolina. In 2000 participated in the International Writers Program at the University of Iowa. In  2006, 2007, 2012 was a visiting scholar at Knox College in Illinois. In 2014 won the Landau prize for the performing arts.

Plays
Eichmann’s Trial Drama Subject: Holocaust | 2024 ➥he | ➥English German Rumanian   
Golda – the first lady Drama, Historical Play, Periodical Drama Subject: Army, Struggle, History, Arab-Israeli Conflict, War, Politics and Government, Feminism, Zionism | 2023 ➥he | ➥English   
On The Edge A-genre, Psychological Drama Subject: Arab-Israeli Conflict | 2022 ➥he | ➥English   
Doing His Will Psychological Drama Subject: Religion and Faith | 2017 ➥he | ➥English   
After the War Psychological Drama Subject: War | 2016 ➥he | ➥English   
The Admission Drama Subject: Arab-Israeli Conflict | 2014 ➥he | ➥English   
The Hastening of the End Drama Subject: Judaism | 2013 ➥he  
Paulus Drama, Periodical Drama Subject: History, Human Soul, Religion and Faith | 2013 ➥he | ➥English   
At Night’s End Drama Subject: Arab-Israeli Conflict | 2012 ➥he | ➥English   
In The Dark Drama Subject: Family | 2011 ➥he  
Benedictus Drama Subject: Politics and Government | 2007 ➥he  
Passing the Love of Women Drama Subject: LGBT, Religion and Faith | 2003 ➥he | ➥English Spanish   
Hard Love Drama Subject: Religion and Faith | 2003 ➥he | ➥Russian English   
The Murder of Isaac Drama Subject: Arab-Israeli Conflict, Fanaticism and Destruction, Religion and Faith | 1999 ➥he | ➥English French Spanish   
Autumn Drama Subject: The Land of Israel, Zionism, Sex, Migration | 1996 ➥he | ➥English French German   
Pollard Drama Subject: Politics and Government | 1995 ➥he  
Exile in Jerusaelm Drama Subject: Art, Migration, Love | 1990 ➥he  
Pangs of the Messiah Drama Subject: Politics and Government, Settlement in Israel, Arab-Israeli Conflict | 1987 ➥he  
Kastner Drama, Historical Play Subject: Holocaust, Zionism, History | 1985   
Kapo In Jerusalem Drama Subject: Holocaust | ➥he  
A Momentary Kingdom Drama Subject: Art, History | ➥he | ➥English   
Refuge in Berlin Drama Subject: War | ➥he  
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The Tune Returns Drama, Historical Play, Musical Subject: Desires, Parent-Child Relationship, Love, Art, Relationships, Music, Family |   

* Temporary display of non-catalogued plays

Wrote the following films:

1. LOVES AT BITANIA – A television drama about the social and ideological changes that took place in the social and moral structure of the Kibbutz in the last decade. Produced by Israeli Television. (1993)

2. KASTNER’S TRIAL – A three-part television drama, based on the Kastner Affair, in which the leader of the Hungarian Jewry during World War II was accused of collaboration with the Nazis in the extermination of Hungarian Jewry, and who was later assassinated by a right-wing militant in Tel Aviv in 1957. Produced by Israeli Television (1994). Winner of the Israeli Academy Award for the best T.V Drama. (1995)

3. BUS 300 – A five-part television drama about one of the most traumatic scandals in the Israeli secret services. Four terrorists hijacked a bus and were stopped by the army. Two of them were taken alive after the army broke into the bus, interrogated by the secret service and killed immediately afterwards. The government issued a statement that all four terrorists were killed in the attack, but press photographers had taken pictures of the two terrorists who were taken alive from the bus. The drama explores the struggles between the government, the attorney general, and the secret services that were trying to bring the scandal to an end, each in its own way. Produced by Israeli Television. (1997)

4. EGOZ – A three-part television drama about the flight of Moroccan Jews to Israel in the 50’s and the early 60’s. The drama describes the organization of a group of 44 Jews by the Mossad, their journey from Casablanca to the Mediterranean, and how they perished on the boat “Egoz”, which sank in a storm. Produced by Israeli Television. (1998)

5. THE INSTITUTE – A 12-part television drama series that takes place in an institute for psychotherapy and deals with the life of the therapists, the life of their different patients and the relationships between the therapists and their patients. Produced by Tel-Ad for Israel Television Channel 2 (2000).

6. A BATTLE IN JERUSALEM – A three-part television drama that takes place during the 1948 Israel war of independence. A group of 20 soldiers is sent to take an Arab position near Jerusalem. After twenty hours of terrible fighting they decide to retreat, but as they are unable to carry their wounded, they blow up the position with the wounded in it. Produced by Israel Television Channel 1. (2002)

7. THE SILENCE OF THE SIRENS – A TV feature film that takes place in the headquarters of the Israeli Army Intelligence during the 10 days before the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The film explores the reasons why the head of the military intelligence couldn’t foresee the coming war in spite of the accurate information he had. Produced by Israeli TV Channel 2 (2003). Winner of the Israeli Academy Award for the best T.V feature film. (2004)

8. SPRING 1941 – A feature film inspired by short stories by Ida Fink about a Jewish family in Poland in 1941 trying to survive the Nazi occupation. A Polish-Israeli co-production directed by Uri Barbash with Joseph Fiennes and Claire Higgins. Produced by Praxis and Opus Film (2008)

9. ALTALENA – A feature film about the arms boat sent by the French government to the right wing underground in Israel in 1948 and was destroyed by the Israeli army, an event that shaped Israel’s early internal politics. Directed by Eli Cohen. (2008)

10. KAPO IN JERUSALEM – A feature film about a physician who was a block leader in Auschwitz, survived the camp, and in 1946 immigrated to Jerusalem with his wife, hoping to begin a new life. As soon as they arrive he is accused that he was a collaborator of the SS and maltreated the prisoners in his block. He tries in vain to explain his moral choices. When he realizes he’ll never be understood, he volunteers to the army and gets killed while trying to treat a wounded soldier. (2014)