Evgeny Ruman

Evgeny Ruman
יבגни רומן
Ruman at the Odesa International Film Festival in 2015
Born (1979-01-01) January 1, 1979[1]
Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
CitizenshipIsraeli
EducationTel Aviv University (Steve Tisch School of Film and Television)
OccupationsFilm director, screenwriter, film editor
Years active2006–present
Known forEsau
Golden Voices
Motherland
Awards

Evgeny Ruman (יבגני רומן; born January 1,1979) is an Israeli film and television director, film editor, and screenwriter. Born in Minsk, Belarus, he immigrated to Israel with his family in 1990 as part of the 1990s post-Soviet aliyah wave. He later graduated from Tel Aviv University’s Steve Tisch School of Film and Television.

Among his films has been Five Hours from Paris (2009; which won Best Film at the Haifa International Film Festival), for which he was an editor. He was both the director and an editor of The Man in the Wall (2015), the director and a co-writer of Golden Voices (2019; which won Best Script at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, the NETPAC Award for Best Film, and the International Panorama Award for Best Director at the Bari International Film Festival), a co-writer of Esau (2019), the director of East Side (2023), and a co-creator, writer, and the director of Motherland (2025) .

He has received the Israeli Ministry of Culture Excellence Award (2013), and the Israeli Ministry of Aliyah and Integration Yuri Stern Prize for Immigrant Artists (2014).

Early life

Ruman was born in 1979 in Minsk, Belarus (then part of the Soviet Union). In 1990, at the age of 10 he immigrated to Israel with his family, amid the collapse of the Soviet Union.[1] His early biographical and immigration experiences later informed his filmmaking, mirroring the narrative for his 2019 feature film Golden Voices.[2]

He studied cinema and graduated from the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University.[1][3] During his university studies, he wrote and directed award-winning student short films, which participated in international film festival.[4][5][1][3]

Film and television career

Early years

Following his graduation, Ruman built a portfolio across television development and cinematic editing before expanding into feature-length direction. He served as the creator, head scriptwriter, and director of In Between the Lines (2009), the first Russian-language television drama series produced and broadcast in Israel.[6] Additionally, he edited Leon Prudovsky's romantic comedy Five Hours from Paris (2009), which went on to win the Best Film Award at the Haifa International Film Festival.[7][6][8]

Ruman made his feature-length directorial debut with Igor and the Cranes' Journey (2012), a drama centered on childhood migration that premiered internationally at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to receive awards at film festivals across Chicago, Haifa, and Minsk.[6][1][9] He followed this with his second feature film, The Man in the Wall (2015), a psychological thriller filmed entirely inside a single apartment over one night that made its global debut at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.[10][11]

Later that same year, he directed his third feature film, the English-language musical-fantasy adventure Ruby Strangelove Young Witch (2015), which was also released internationally under the alternative title Ruby the Young Witch.[12][13] He followed this in 2018 by directing the Israeli found-footage military horror-thriller film Cursed, originally titled Mekulalim.[14] The movie used a remote desert military training exercise to touch upon psychological conflicts and tension among young soldiers.[15] In 2019, he co-wrote the screenplay for the drama film Esau alongside director Pavel Lungin, which adapted a novel by Israeli author Meir Shalev, and starred Harvey Keitel and Shira Haas.[16]

Golden Voices (2019)

In 2019, Berkovich co-wrote with Ziv Berkovich, who also served as director of photography, the comedy-drama feature film Golden Voices (Hebrew title: Kolot Reka; קולות רקע).[17][18][19] The narrative follows an elderly married couple who were celebrated as the preeminent Soviet film voiceover dubbing artists before they immigrated to Israel in 1990 during the collapse of the Soviet Union, only to find that there was no professional demand for Russian-language voice acting in their new home.[20] The film was praised for its tonal balance of bittersweet comedy and narrative depth.[21][22] Brad Gullickson of Elements of Madness commended the film's artistic execution.[23]

Their screenplay heavily mirrored the real-life background of both Ruman and Berkovich, who had immigrated to Israel as children from the former Soviet Union in 1990 and used their childhood memories of their parents' struggles to ground the film's script.[24][25] Ruman and Berkovich recorded a feature-length commentary track for the film's home video release detailing how the story mirrored their own immigration experiences.[23]

The international rollout of Golden Voices earned festival accolades, culminating at the 23rd Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia, where Ruman and Berkovich won the Best Script award and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Best Film prize.[26][27][28]

2020s

Ruman transitioned into directing high-profile television dramas in the 2020s. In 2023, he directed the 10-episode Kan 11 geopolitical thriller series East Side starring Yehuda Levi, which was acquired for global distribution by Fremantle.[29][30] In 2024, he directed the medical thriller series Heart of a Killer for the Israeli network HOT, starring Tehran actress Niv Sultan.[31] The series was broadcast internationally.[32] In 2025, Ruman co-created, co-wrote, and directed the historical period crime-drama series Motherland (Hebrew: Migrash HaRusim) alongside Dmitry Malinsky for Kan 11.[33]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2004Veronica[34]Director, writerShort film
2006Miracle[35]Director, writerShort film
2006A Piece of News[36]Director, writerShort film
2009In Between the Lines[37]Creator, head scriptwriter & directorTV series; first Russian-language TV drama produced in Israel
2009Five Hours from Paris[38]EditorFeature film
2010Lenin in October[39]DirectorTelevision film
2012Welcome and... Our Condolences[40]EditorShort film
2015The Man in the Wall[41]Director, writerFeature film
2015Ruby Strangelove Young Witch[42]DirectorFeature film
2015Brother and Sister[43]DirectorShort film
2018Cursed (Mekulalim)[44]DirectorFeature film
2019Esau[45]Co-writerFeature film
2019Golden Voices[46]Director, co-writerFeature film
2019R.S.V.P.[47]Director, writerShort film
2021Menagen VeShar[48]DirectorTV series (10 episodes)
2023East Side[49]DirectorTV series (10 episodes)
2024Heart of a Killer[50]DirectorTV series
2025Motherland (Migrash HaRusim)[51]Co-creator, writer & directorTV series
2026HaMitmaha[52]DirectorTV series (7 episodes)

Awards and nominations

In recognition of his creative contributions to Israeli film, Ruman received the Excellence Award from the Israeli Culture and Sport Ministry in 2013, and the Israeli Ministry of Aliyah and Integration Yuri Stern Prize for Oleh Artists in 2014.[3][4]

Year Association Category Nominated work Result
2009Haifa International Film FestivalBest Film (as editor)Five Hours from ParisWon[6]
2012Chicago International Children's Film FestivalChildren's Jury Award – Live-Action Feature FilmIgor and the Cranes' JourneyWon[1]
2012Chicago International Children's Film FestivalAdult's Jury Award – Live-Action Feature FilmIgor and the Cranes' JourneyWon[1]
2012Haifa International Film FestivalBest Israeli FilmIgor and the Cranes' JourneyWon[6]
2013Israeli Ministry of Culture and SportExcellence Award for Contribution to Israeli Film—Won[3]
2014Israeli Ministry of Aliyah and Integration Yuri Stern Prize for Oleh Artists—Won[3]
2015Ophir AwardsBest Original ScreenplayThe Man in the WallNominated[53]
2015Jerusalem Film FestivalHaggiag Award for Best Feature FilmThe Man in the WallNominated[54]
2015International Film Festival RotterdamMovieZone AwardThe Man Man in the Wall Nominated[11]
2019Tallinn Black Nights Film FestivalBest Script (shared)Golden VoicesWon[27]
2019Tallinn Black Nights Film FestivalNETPAC Award for Best FilmGolden VoicesWon[55]
2019Haifa International Film FestivalBest Israeli Feature FilmGolden VoicesNominated[56]
2020Bari International Film FestivalInternational Panorama Award for Best DirectorGolden VoicesWon[57]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Evgeny Ruman". Kneller Artist Agency.
  2. ↑ Nahshon, Edna (August 9, 2021). "Russian Voice Actors Growing Old and Miserable". Tablet Magazine.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Evgeny Ruman". Jerusalem Film Festival.
  4. 1 2 "Evgeny Ruman Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "Evgeny Ruman - Biography". IMDb.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Sela, Ayelet (September 2, 2012). "Haifa International Film Festival 2012 – Israeli Films". MidnightEast.
  7. ↑ "Five Hours from Paris". Go2Films.
  8. ↑ "Igor and Cranes Journey Press Kit" (PDF). Yeti Films. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Igor & the Cranes' Journey (2012) Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  10. ↑ Raffin, Nicolas (15 January 2015). "The Man in the Wall to have its world premiere at Rotterdam". Cineuropa. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  11. 1 2 "The Man in the Wall - Haish shebakir". International Film Festival Rotterdam.
  12. ↑ Wheat, Phil (July 17, 2015). "'Ruby Strangelove' Review". Nerdly.
  13. ↑ "Ruby the Young Witch Review," The Spinning Image, 2015.
  14. ↑ "The Damned / Mekulalim," Jewish Film Festivals, October 30, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Why So Many Israeli Horror Films Take Place in the Army," Haaretz, January 4, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Esau" Jewish International Film Festival, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Golden Voices". Go2Films. 2019.
  18. ↑ "קולות רקע" (in Hebrew). Israel Film Fund.
  19. ↑ "קולות רקע" (in Hebrew). Haifa International Film Festival.
  20. ↑ "'Golden Voices': Russian Expats in Israel Put Their Vocal Talents to Unexpected Use". Variety. October 29, 2021.
  21. ↑ Saveliev, Alex (November 3, 2021). "Golden Voices". Film Threat.
  22. ↑ "Golden Voices Reviews". Metacritic.
  23. 1 2 Gullickson, Brad (February 21, 2022). "Dramedy 'Golden Voices' is a Sweet Tale of Identity and the Power of the Human Voice".
  24. ↑ "הסרט "קולות רקע": "צריך להשלים עם העבר ולומר לו שלום"". N12 Mako (in Hebrew). May 12, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Film Review: Golden Voices". DMovies. November 24, 2019.
  26. ↑ Nathan, Tal (2021). "Ziv Berkovich". Tal Nathan Agency.
  27. 1 2 Kemp, Stuart (December 1, 2019). "Japan's 'Kontora' is awarded best film at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival". Screen International.
  28. ↑ "Big wins for Israeli movies in Europe, Asia and U.S." The Jerusalem Post. December 3, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Abot Hameiri Unveils Fremantle-Sold 'East Side,' With Yehuda Levi". Variety. October 15, 2022.
  30. ↑ "‘East Side’: Global Breakouts Israel-Palestine Sopranos" Deadline Hollywood, May 23, 2023.
  31. ↑ "‘Tehran’ Star Niv Sultan Leading North Road’s ‘Heart Of A Killer’" Deadline Hollywood, September 17, 2024.
  32. ↑ "New medical thriller 'Heart of a Killer' starring Niv Sultan starts production" The Jerusalem Post, September 18, 2024.
  33. ↑ "Fremantle's Abot Hameiri Preps 'East Side'" Variety, October 24, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Veronica (2004)" Mubi, 2004.
  35. ↑ "Miracle by Evgeny Ruman" FilmFreeway, 2006.
  36. ↑ "A Piece of News by Evgeny Ruman" FilmFreeway, 2006.
  37. ↑ "Evgeny Ruman Films and Shows" Apple TV, 2009.
  38. ↑ "Five Hours From Paris" Variety, September 21, 2009.
  39. ↑ "Back in the U.S.S.R." Haaretz, October 14, 2010.
  40. ↑ "Welcome and ... Our Condolences" Rotten Tomatoes, 2012.
  41. ↑ "'The Man in the Wall' ('Ha'adam sheba'kir'): Rotterdam Review" The Hollywood Reporter, February 2, 2015.
  42. ↑ "Ruby the Young Witch Review" The Spinning Image, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Brother and Sister (2015)"] The Movie Database, 2015.
  44. ↑ "The Damned / Mekulalim" Jewish Film Festivals, October 30, 2019.
  45. ↑ "Shira Haas & Lior Ashkenazi in Trailer for Israeli Bakery Drama 'Esau'" FirstShowing.net, October 16, 2020.
  46. ↑ 'Golden Voices': Film Review The Hollywood Reporter, December 16, 2019.
  47. ↑ "R.S.V.P. (2019)" Mubi, 2019.
  48. ↑ "A direct hit from a musical soul," The Jerusalem Post, November 18, 2021.
  49. ↑ "‘East Side’: Global Breakouts Israel-Palestine Sopranos," Deadline Hollywood, May 23, 2023.
  50. ↑ "‘Tehran’ Star Niv Sultan Leading North Road’s ‘Heart Of A Killer,’" Deadline Hollywood, September 17, 2024.
  51. ↑ "Fremantle's Abot Hameiri Preps 'East Side'" Variety, October 24, 2022.
  52. ↑ "Teleformat: los estrenos de ficción más destacados de mayo" TodoTVNews, June 11, 2026.
  53. ↑ Brown, Hannah (August 11, 2015). "2015 Ophir nominations announced – snubs and all". The Jerusalem Post.
  54. ↑ "2015 Archive". Jerusalem Film Festival.
  55. ↑ Brown, Hannah (December 3, 2019). "Big wins for Israeli movies in Europe, Asia and U.S." The Jerusalem Post.
  56. ↑ Dalton, Ben (October 21, 2019). "'Africa' and 'Reborn' share top prize at Haifa film festival". Screen Daily.
  57. ↑ "GOLDEN VOICES - Festival and Awards". Intramovies.
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