Spotlight on a Master: Celebrating 50 Years of Uri Barbash
Veteran Israeli filmmaker Uri Barbash will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Ophir Awards, celebrating 50 years of influential contributions to cinema.
Twitter
The Israeli Film and Television Academy announced that veteran filmmaker Uri Barbash will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Ophir Awards. The ceremony, marking 50 years of Barbash’s career, will take place on Tuesday, September 16, at Cinema City Glilot, hosted by Shira Naor and Tom Ya’ar.
This year, the competition saw 88 films submitted across categories including feature-length, short fiction, long and short documentaries, and, for the first time, short animation.
A Legacy of Impact
The Academy lauded Barbash’s half-century-long career:
"Uri Barbash, celebrating 50 years of creativity, is one of the most influential and recognized Israeli filmmakers. Since his first films aired on Israeli television in 1975, he has pursued uncompromising artistic work that leaves a deep mark on Israeli culture."
In the 1980s, Barbash’s name became synonymous with Israeli cinema both domestically and internationally. Working alongside his brother, screenwriter and author Benny Barbash, he demonstrated that personal and politically charged films, addressing morally complex and controversial topics, could achieve both local and international box-office success. His films often tackled sensitive issues within Israeli society, creating explosive dramas that resonated widely.
Barbash Speaks
Upon learning of the award, Barbash commented:
"It is a great honor to be recognized by the Israeli Film and Television Academy. I extend my heartfelt thanks to all creators: cinematographers, actors, editors, grips, set designers, producers, everyone involved in the craft of creation. We are all public servants, and in these difficult days, it is our duty to uphold the values of the Declaration of Independence, return all hostages immediately, and bring an end to the miserable war."
The 2025 Ophir Awards will celebrate half a century of Israeli cinematic excellence while highlighting films that continue to spark conversation and reflect the nation’s complex social and political fabric.