Director Yankul Goldwasser ("Stolen Father") passes away at 76

Director, producer and editor Yaakov (Yankul) Goldwasser has passed away at the age of 76. Goldwasser, who directed "Stolen Father" and "Beyond the Sea," worked in the local industry for over five decades. His funeral will take place tomorrow at the Yarkon Cemetery.

Director, producer and editor Yaakov (Yankul) Goldwasser passed away today (Thursday) at the age of 76. Goldwasser was a member of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television committee and worked in the local film and television industry for over five decades. His funeral will take place tomorrow at 10:30 AM at the Yarkon Cemetery. Goldwasser was born in Tel Aviv in 1950. He began his professional career in 1969 creating short films and later also worked in editing and production. In 1982, he directed his first full-length feature film, "Under the Nose," based on a script by Haim Marin—his regular creative partner over the years. In 1987, he directed the film "Stolen Father" and in 1991 directed "Beyond the Sea," which dealt with the lives of Holocaust survivors in Israel and parts of which were based on the director's personal biography. The film won nine Ophir Awards, including Best Film and Best Director, and was selected to represent Israel at the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. He later directed the films "Max and Morris" (1994), "She Has No God" (2006), and "Laces" (2018). In television, Goldwasser directed the drama series "Catching the Sky," which dealt with returning to religious observance and won the Israeli Television Academy Award and the Jerusalem Film Festival Award. In 2003, he directed the series "Jerusalem Mix," which also won the Academy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. Goldwasser is survived by his wife Mira and two sons—Uri and Itamar.