A conversation with Middle East Initiative Senior Fellow James S. Snyder and Israeli film director and screenwriter Joseph Cedar.
Cedar was born in New York, raised in Jerusalem, and studied philosophy, theater, and cinema in both Israel and the U.S. He gained prominence internationally for a series of films including Beaufort, Footnote, and Norman and, most recently, for his work as part of the screenwriting and directing team for the HBO series Our Boys. Much of Cedar’s film work intertwines personal stories with historical and political moments, revealing their dynamic interplay, and notably throughout his own life experience in Israel.
Snyder’s conversation with Cedar will explore how creative personalities interpret stories from social and political history that inform the actions of individuals and societies and deliver messages relevant to our times. Our Boys, and Cedar’s experience as part of the Israeli and Palestinian team that brought it to the screen, is exemplary of this phenomenon.
Snyder began his tenure as a Senior Fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative during this academic year. He is Executive Chairman of The Jerusalem Foundation, which supports the growth of Jerusalem’s uniquely cross-cultural and cross-communal character, and also Director Emeritus of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
