Maya Kenig is an Israeli film director, writer and actress. As a director, she is known for In the Shade of the Palm Tree (2018), The Bentwich Syndrome (2015), Off-White Lies (2011) and Top of the World (2005). Her films were awarded in many festivals worldwide. As an editor, she is known for On the Spectrum(TV series, 2018), Uri and Ella (TV series 2016), Up the Wrong Tree (Feature film 2012) and Connected (TV series 2009).
She has written a script for a feature film, Milk, which was selected for the Berlinale Talent Market 2018 and won the VFF Talent Highlight Award.
As an actress she is known for A Round Trip (2018), You're Next (2016), A Strange Course of Events (2014), Up the Wrong Tree (2013) and Petah Tiqva (2007).
Childhood
Born in 1979 in Tel Aviv, Maya Kenig spent her early childhood in Germany. She came back to Israel with her family at 6 years old and later on as a teenager, began developing in films.
Career
Filmmaking
Kenig graduated with excellence the acclaimed art High school Alon and majored in literature and film. Her graduation film The Latchkey Kid (1997) won two prizes at the Jerusalem film Festival. In the army Maya served at a film unit, where she had the chance to practice filmmaking and specialized mainly on editing photographing and teaching.
In 2001 she studied filmmaking at The London Film School, where she made several shorts, One of them called Still water received a special mention note. After one year of studies there she went back to Israel and started studying at the Sam Spiegel film school in Jerusalem. Where she has made the film Top of the world screened in many festivals around the world, and My Mom a short documentary that was screened at the Docaviv FF and was broadcast on TV in Israel.
In 2006 she has made the film In utero along with her partner in life Gur Bentwich, which has also become her professional partner in many projects. The film was screened at the Jerusalem FF, broadcast on TV and won the prize for best film at KIN International women's film Festival.
Off-White Lies (2011) is her first full-length feature film, it premiered at the Berlinale, and it was nominated for the Israeli academy awards in many categories, including for best film, script and directing. Gur Bentwich received the Best Actor award at the Jerusalem Film Festival 2011- for his role in the film.
In 2015 Maya created with Gur The Bentwich syndrome a 1-hour Documentary which won the Best Documentary Prize at the Jewish Motifs International Film Festival.
In 2018 she made In the Shade of the Palm tree” - a 15-minute short that was part of a compilation Voice Over, curated by Renen Schorr.
As an editor
Alongside her film making, Maya also Established herself as an editor, worked on many different projects, both documentary and fiction, among them: Connected (a documentary TV Series), up the wrong tree (a praised feature by Gur Bentwich), On the spectrum (recently premiered in Tribeca Film Festival and won best TV series at Cinemania, France), Etgar Keret- what animal are you? (2012) 1 hour Documentary by Gur Bentwich, Uri an Ella 2016 TV Series (sold for remake the American network CBS).
Films
Off-White Lies
After years of living apart from her dad, Libby, an introverted yet sharp-witted teenager is sent to live with him in Israel. Her arrival coincides with the outbreak of the second Lebanon war. Libby quickly discovers that her Dad, Shaul, is an infantile eccentric, and that he is “in-between apartments” (in other words: homeless). Shaul comes up with a creative plan to put a roof over their heads- they pose as refugees from the bombarded northern region of Israel and are taken in by a well-off family in Jerusalem. Finally in a “normal” household, Shaul and Libby begin to build their father- daughter relationship, but their false identities cannot last forever, especially as Libby unleashes teenage fury at the lies permeating her life; those she must tell now, and those she's been fed since childhood.