Raphael Nadjari, a French-born writer and director, was born in 1971 in Marseille, France. He began his career in the French television industry in 1993, working as a writer and director. In 1997, Nadjari wrote the television screenplay Le P'tit Bleu, which was directed by François Vautier for ARTE as part of the TV drama collection Petits Gangsters.
The same year, he wrote and directed his first US feature film, The Shade, which starred Richard Edson, Lorie Marino, and Jeff Ware. This film was an adaptation of A Gentle Creature by Dostoevski, set in contemporary New York. The Shade was an Official Selection at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and also appeared at the Deauville Film Festival, where it won an award in the Bergamo Film Festival in Italy.
At the end of 1999, Nadjari directed his second feature film, I Am Josh Polonski's Brother, which starred Richard Edson and Jeff Ware. Shot on Super 8mm film in New York, the film opened in Paris on June 6, 2001, and was selected for the "Forum for New Cinema" at the Berlin Film Festival in 2001.
In 2001, Nadjari also shot a film in New York, Apartment #5c, which starred Richard Edson and Tinkerbell, an Israeli actress. The film was selected for the "Director's Forthnight" at the Cannes Film Festival.
In 2004, Nadjari shot Avanim in Tel Aviv, Israel, with Assi Levy, who was nominated for Best Actress in the European Film Award. The film received several awards, including the Best Film Award at the Geneva Cinema Tout Ecran and the Best Director Film Award at the Cannes 2005 France Culture Award.
Nadjari's latest film is set in Jerusalem and stars Michael Moushanov and Limor Goldstein, two prominent figures of Israeli theater.
