Hanna Azoulay Hasfari

Hanna Azoulay-Hasfari (Hebrew: חנה אזולאי-הספרי‎; born June 29, 1960) is an Israeli actress, screenwriter, playwright, film director and a two-time winner of the Ophir Award. She is a women's rights activist, and has dedicated her career promoting awareness regarding social justice issues and cultural diversity. In 2015, she was invited to speak at the United Nations headquarters in New York, in honor of International Women's Day, where she presented a screening of her film Orange People, in condemnation of child marriage.

Hanna Azoulay-Hasfari
Azoulay-Hasfari in 2019
Born (1960-06-29) June 29, 1960
Beersheba, Israel
Known for"Levana" Lovesick on Nana Street

"Racheli" Sh'Chur "Solly Barzel" Polishuk "Nadia" Nadia

"Gila Asulin" The Arbitrator (Israeli TV series)
Notable work
Plays: "Matchmaking Virgins" (Cameri Theater), "Selichot"; "Mimuna" (Beit Lessin Theater)
Spouse(s)Shmuel Hasfari
AwardsOphir Award 1995 "Chamber of Critics" Award

Early life

Azoulay-Hasfari was born on June 29, 1960 in Beersheba, Israel. Both of her parents immigrated to Israel from Morocco. She studied at residential school called “Mae Boyar” in Jerusalem. Upon completion of her high school education, Azoulay-Hasfari served her compulsory service in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) in the military theater. After her military service she went on to study theater and acting at Tel Aviv University.

Theater

In the early 1980s, Azoulay-Hasfari left Tel Aviv University. She became one of the founding members of the Simple Theater Group, a multi-cultural team that enabled artists to express their cultural worldview and to become the central focus of their projects. The theater group focused on representing the real experiences of people within local history, such as the first generation of holocaust survivors, and second generation of Mizrachim in Israel. Azoulay-Hasfari worked on all aspects of this theater group: She participated in fundraising, screenwriting, production and acting.

While working with the theater group, Azoulay-Hasfari performed in many plays, including the play "Tashmad" (1983), which won Best Play at the annual Acco Festival; Azoulay-Hasfari won Best Actress. However, after many years of success, The Simple Theater Group dissolved, and Azoulay-Hasfari moved on to mainstream theater and cinema.

Azoulay-Hasfari appeared in numerous stage productions in leading theaters in Israel, including the Cameri Theater, the Haifa Theatre, Be'er Sheva Theater and Beit Lessin Theater.[1] She has acted in many key roles including Alma in Tashmad (Samuel Hasfari); Julie in Pack of Lies (Hugh Whitmore); Amelia in The House of Bernarda Alba (Garcia Lorca); Mary & Huda A Trumpet in the Wadi (an adaptation of Sami Michael's book by Samuel Hasfari); various roles in Yellow Time (adaptation of David Grossman’s project); various roles in The King (Samuel Hasfari); Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare); Miranda in The Tempest (Shakespeare); Shulamit in Nathanya (Shmuel Hasfari); and Rachel in Valentine (Rami Danon and Amnon Levy).[2]

She has also written numerous plays, such as:

In 2019, Hanna has been awarded the America-Israel Cultural Foundation (AICF) Culture & Arts Award (Theater category).[8]

Film

One of Azoulay's first movie scripts was Sh'Chur (1994), which was directed by Shmuel Hasfari. It is a semi-autobiographical story of a Moroccan family immigrating to Israel, and it received international awards and recognition.[9] Sh’Chur has also been included as required material for film studies, as well as anthropology and sociology coursework, and women's studies.[10][11][12]

After the successful completion of her work writing the screenplay for "Sh’chur”, she was one of the founders of the Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition,[2] and then later took a year to return to her studies, where she focused on sociology and anthropology. It was at this time she found an interest in her own heritage, and she came to the realization that the roles she was required to play in mainstream cinema did not necessarily represent real characters. As a result, she decided to learn about her own family history and began writing screenplays and working on movies that tell about the lives of invisible women, and incorporate untold stories that revolve around social justice issues.

Most recently, Azoulay-Hasfari produced, wrote, directed and acted in her film called Orange People,[13] which is based on the biography of Azoulay's mother.[14] Orange People was awarded the Jury Award for Best Film in 2013 at the International Women's Film Festival, in Rehovot.[15] As a result of the success of this film, Azoulay was asked to speak at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in honor of International Women's Day.[16]

Azoulay-Hasfari has acted in many Israeli films, including Rage and Glory (Daphna), Nadia (title role), Dead End Street (Ilana), "The Quarry" (Esther), Girls (Shuli Hazan), Sh'Chur (Heli), Lovesick on Nana Street (Levana), Schwartz Dynasty (Ronit), Shiva (Simona), with Ronit Elkabetz.[17]

She also acted in several American films, including Delta Force 3: The Killing Game and Human Shield.

Television

Azoulay-Hasfari was the main creator for the documentary series Proletariat[18] and My Little Empire, which encourages the empowerment of women through entrepreneurship. She has also written scripts for several episodes of the TV series Jerusalem Mix.[19]

Azoulay-Hasfari's many appearances in Israeli television series include:

She has also acted in several German Television series.[22]

Social Agenda

Azoulay is a Mizrahi artist and social activist. She utilizes issues concerning gender, identity and social status from Israeli society to inspire unique characters, and develop stories that reflect real lives and social injustices. Examples of her work that bring light to social justice issues are films such as Sh’chur, Orange People, Proletariat, and My Little Empire, which highlight struggles experienced by marginalized women.

In March 2015 the film Orange People was screened at the international conference for women's status at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Azoulay delivered a speech addressed to the international community condemning the phenomenon of young girls being forced into marriage around the world.[16]

Azoulay is one of the founders of an NGO called The Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow New-Discourse, which works on social justice issues through the means of media and alternative performances.

She continues to work on social justice issues as a pro bono chairperson of Beit Ruth, an Israeli organization focused on providing at-risk girls and young women opportunities to excel academically, emotionally and physically. She is responsible for campaigning, fundraising, and negotiating financial and policy agreements within the public and private sector.[23]

In 2018 Azoulay received an honorary degree from the Open University of Israel for developing the legacy of the Mizrahim in Israel and for contributing to women's status and to Sepharadic women in Israel through her art.[24]

In 2018, Azoulay became one of the founders of the Gesher political party, led by Orly Levy-Abekasis.[25]

Personal life

Azoulay-Hasfari is currently living in Jaffa, Israel. She is married to the playwright and director Shmuel Hasfari, with whom she has three children.[26]

Awards
Year Award Category Nominated Work
1987 Ophir Award Best Actress Nadia
1994 Best Film Lovesick on Nana Street
1995 Best Film Sh'Chur
1995 Berlin International Film Festival[14] Special Mention Sh'Chur
1995 Festroia International Film Festival Best Screenplay Sh'Chur
2008 Jerusalem Film Festival Best Actress Shiva (2008 film)
2008 Chamber of Critics Best Actress Shiva (2008 film)
2013 Jury Award, International Women's Film Festival In Rehovot Best Film Orange People
2016 Brussels Jewish Film Festival View
2018 Golden Age For positive portrayal of Mizrahi characters in Israeli cinema and TV, and for her social contribution to citizens in peripheral areas.[27]
2019 ICA (Israeli Culture & Arts Awards, by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation) Theater; inaugural award recipient[28]

References
  1. "חנה אזולאי-הספרי - תיאטרון בית ליסין". תיאטרון בית ליסין (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  2. "חנה אזולאי הספרי – אתר מחזאי ישראל". dramaisrael.org (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  3. "yom kipur – Israeli Dramatists Website". dramaisrael.org. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  4. "Days of Atonement | Boston Theatre Scene". www.bostontheatrescene.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  5. "Mimuna – Israeli Dramatists Website". dramaisrael.org. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  6. "These Artistic Trailblazers Aim To Express Israel's Multiculturalism". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  7. ""דינה": חבל שהתיאטראות הגדולים לא רצו את ההצגה". www.haaretz.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  8. href='https://jewishjournal.com/author/'>, BY <a (2019-12-11). "Artists Represent Best of Israel". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  9. "Sh'chur - Festivals and Awards | Israeli Film Database | Israel Film Center". www.israelfilmcenter.org. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  10. Loshitzky, Yosefa (January 1996). "Authenticity in crisis: Shur and new Israeli forms of ethnicity". Media, Culture & Society. 18 (1): 87–103. doi:10.1177/016344396018001006. ISSN 0163-4437.
  11. Keren, Michael (2005). "Review of Identity Politics on the Israeli Screen". Israel Studies Forum. 20 (1): 88–91. JSTOR 41805198.
  12. Alush-Levron, Merav (2015). "The politics of ethnic melancholy in Israeli cinema". Social Identities. 21 (2): 169–183. doi:10.1080/13504630.2015.1041015. ISSN 1350-4630.
  13. Orange People, retrieved 2018-11-07
  14. "חנה אזולאי-הספרי: "קולנוע - הבית הטבעי שלי"". ynet (in Hebrew). 2012-05-06. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  15. "She's the boss". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  16. "Global girl power". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  17. "חנה אזולאי הספרי במלכוד מרוקאי ישראלי". www.makorrishon.co.il. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  18. ""הפועלות", שבת 19:30, ערוץ בריזה - וואלה! תרבות". וואלה! תרבות (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  19. Meorav Yerushalmi (TV Series 2003– ), retrieved 2018-11-07
  20. Hale, Mike (March 8, 2019). "5 New International Series Visit 5 Far-Flung Crime Scenes". The New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  21. "חנה אזולאי הספרי: "הדמות שלי היא ש"סניקית בסרט אקשן" | כפולים 2". mako. 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  22. Schalom, meine Liebe, retrieved 2018-11-07
  23. "It takes a village to heal Israel's abused teen girls". Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  24. "דף הבית". www.openu.ac.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  25. "פרסום ראשון: אלו מייסדי מפלגת 'גשר' של אורלי לוי-אבקסיס". www.maariv.co.il. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  26. "הוצתו כלי הרכב של שמואל וחנה אזולאי-הספרי". ynet (in Hebrew). 2010-07-17. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
  27. שטרן, איתי (2018-03-07). "חנה אזולאי הספרי בין הזוכים ב"פרס ישראל המזרחי"". הארץ (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  28. "America-Israel Cultural Foundation". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2019-10-29.

External References
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