Maya Kenig


Maya Kenig is an Israeli film director, writer and actress. As a director, she is known for In the shade of the palm tree, The Bentwich Syndrome, Off-White Lies and Top of the world. Her films were awarded in many festivals worldwide.
As an editor, she is known for On the spectrum, Uri and Ella, Up the wrong tree, Connected.
These days she is writing a script for a feature film Milk which was selected for the Berlinale talent Market 2018 and it won the VFF Talent Highlight Award.
As an actress she is known for Around trip, You're Next, A Strange course of events Up the Wrong Tree, Petah Tiqva.

Childhood

Born in 1979 in Tel Aviv, Maya Kenig spent her early childhood in Germany. She came back to Israel with her family at 6 years old and later on as a teenager, began developing in films.

Career

Film Making

Kenig graduated with excellence the acclaimed art High school Alon and majored in literature and film. Her graduation film The Latchkey Kid won two prizes at the Jerusalem film Festival. In the army Maya served at a film unit, where she had the chance to practice filmmaking and specialized mainly on editing photographing and teaching.
On 2001 she studied filmmaking at The London Film School, where she made several shorts, One of them called Still water received a special mention note.
After one year of studies there she went back to Israel and started studying at the Sam Spiegel film school in Jerusalem. Where she has made the film Top of the world screened in many festivals around the world, and My Mom a short documentary that was screened at the Docaviv FF and was broadcast on TV in Israel.
In 2006 she has made the film In utero along with her partner in life Gur Bentwich, which has also become her professional partner in many projects. The film was screened at the Jerusalem FF, broadcast on TV and won the prize for best film at KIN International women's film Festival.
Off-White Lies is her first full-length feature film, it premiered at the Berlinale, and it was nominated for the Israeli academy awards in many categories, including for best film, script and directing. Gur Bentwich received the Best Actor award at the Jerusalem Film Festival 2011- for his role in the film.
On 2015 Maya created with Gur The Bentwich syndrome a 1-hour Documentary which won the Best Documentary Prize at the Jewish Motifs International Film Festival.
On 2018 she made In the Shade of the Palm tree” - a 15-minute short that was part of a compilation Voice Over, curated by Renen Schorr.

As an editor

Alongside her film making, Maya also Established herself as an editor, worked on many different projects, both documentary and fiction, among them: Connected, up the wrong tree, On the spectrum, Etgar Keret- what animal are you? 1 hour Documentary by Gur Bentwich, Uri an Ella 2016 TV Series.

These days

Throughout the years Maya also worked with an organization that produces film projects with at-risk youth.
These days she is writing a script for a feature film called Milk. The script was selected for the Berlinale talent Market 2018 and won the VFF Talent Highlight Award.

Films

[Off-White Lies]

After years of living apart from her dad, Libby, an introverted yet sharp-witted teenager is sent to live with him in Israel.
Her arrival coincides with the outbreak of the second Lebanon war.
Libby quickly discovers that her Dad, Shaul, is an infantile eccentric, and that he is “in-between apartments”. Shaul comes up with a creative plan to put a roof over their heads- they pose as refugees from the bombarded northern region of Israel and are taken in by a well-off family in Jerusalem.
Finally in a “normal” household, Shaul and Libby begin to build their father- daughter relationship, but their false identities cannot last forever, especially as Libby unleashes teenage fury at the lies permeating her life; those she must tell now, and those she's been fed since childhood.

Milk

Tala, an offbeat musician who just gave birth to her first daughter, takes up a job at Milky Way, a dairy for mother's milk, where women sit in working-stations for their breasts to be pumped. The milk is distributed mainly to mothers who can't or don't want to breastfeed their babies but can afford fresh organic mother's milk – For nature knows best what's best for you. The need to earn a living and support her baby with no father in the picture has pushed Tala into this awkward job.
Tala soon learns the house rules: 100% discretion, 1-year minimum commitment, 40-minute pumping sessions with 3-hour intervals, strict diet, no drinking, no drugs. The only consolation is the sisterhood woven between the women at the dairy – and of course the handsome paycheck. Everything would have worked out just fine if only Tala wasn't Tala- Even though she tries her best to accept her new role, her rebellious nature keeps pushing her to confrontations. A sneaky cigarette is detected in her blood tests and Tala is suspended from the factory. Upon hitching a ride home with the 'breast'-milkman, she accidentally meets the upper-class woman who receives her own milk, an encounter which leads her to a bumpy and surprising journey, in which she learns what it really means to be a mother.

On the spectrum

A bittersweet comedy about three roommates, living together under one roof. All in their late-twenties, each diagnosed with a disorder on the autistic spectrum. Through their unique, surprising, and extremely un-PC perspective about relationships, family, work, friendship, sex and social conventions, we'll get to look at ourselves in a new, strange and funny way.

Filmography

Writer and Director

Best Documentary Prize at the Warsaw Jewish motifs international Film Festival
Berlinale, Palm springs film Festival, Busan film Festival and more
Nominations for the Israeli academy awards including for best film, script and directing
Best Actor, Jerusalem Film Festival 2011- Gur Bentwich
Special Jury Prize- Annonay Festival 2013
Milos Macourek Award- Zlin FF Czech Republic
Was released in Israel, France, US and Russia
winner of the short film Wolgin award at the Jerusalem Film Festival

Best short film award at the Kin women's international film festival
Jerusalem film Festival
The film was broadcast by the Israeli Satellite TV Provider Yes
Supported by The America-Israel Fund
The 11th International Student Film Festival, Tel-Aviv
51st Cork Film Festival
Asia Short Film Festival, Seoul, Korea
26th Uppsala short film festival

16th Annual Inside Out Toronto Film and Video Festival and many other festivals worldwide. The film My Mom, Documentary, 15 min.was broadcast on Channel 10
Doc-Aviv Documentary Film Festival 2005
The Rehovot Women's Festival 2005
Broadcast on the Israeli channels 2 and Yes
Commendation – The London Film School
Best Script Award at the Wim Van Lir competition, Jerusalem Film Festival

Editor

Best Drama Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival
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Libi's Mother
Joan Of Arc
Julian's Doughter

Prizes and festivals

  1. Maya's graduation film The Latchkey Kid, 1997 won two prizes at the Jerusalem film Festival
  2. Still water received a special mention note at The London film school
  3. Milk was at the Berlinale talent Market this year – 2018 and it won the VFF Talent Highlight Award.

    Off-White Lies

Berlinale's Official Selection – Generation
Zlin FF Czech Republic – Miloš Macourek Award
Seret UK FF – World Cinema
Yerevan IFF Golden Apricot – Official Selection
Jerusalem IFF – Best Actor – Gur Bentwich
Filmforum Zadar FF – World Cinema
Saint-Petersburg IFF – Competition
São Paulo IFF – International Perspective
Moscow Israeli FF
Busan IFF – Flash Forward Selection
Melbourne and Sydney Jewish FF
UK Jewish FF
Gijon IFF – Enfants Terribles selection
Talinn Black Nights FF – Just Film
Barbican Film Center
JCC London FF – World Cinema
Israeli FF – China
Israeli FF – Athens
Israeli FF – Hungary
Bratislava FF – World Cinema
Israeli FF – Belarus
Asian Pacific Screen Award – Best Children's film
Palm Springs IFF – New Voices / New Visions
Kiev Molodist FF – Israeli Week – Ukraine