Born in Jerusalem was born in 1954 and raised in Montreal, New York, New Haven, Rio de Janeiro and Beer Sheba. In the film world since the age of 13 and more seriously from 21, Riklis went to study cinema at Tel Aviv University and then at the National Film School in Beaconsfield, England. Randle McMurphy (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) has always been jos moral compass, enhanced by Jean Renoir, Kurosawa, Antonioni, Tarkovsky and many other fine people.
Riklis’ first film, On a Clear Day You Can See Damascus (1984), was a declaration, followed by Cup Final (Venice 1991 and Berlin 1992). Zohar (1993) was a major domestic hit and after some years in the world of television series and drama Riklis made Vulcan Junction (1999), a tribute to a lost generation. 2004 brought about another international breakthrough with The Syrian Bride, which won numerous awards including Locarno’s audience award. In 2008, Lemon Tree won the audience award in Berlin and star Hiam Abbass won Best Performance by an Actress at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. He followed this breakthrough with the Ophir Awards winner The Human Resources Manager (2010). Busy years with Playoff(2011), Zaytoun (2012), and Dancing Arabs (2014) followed.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
