Aleeza Chanowitz
Aleeza Chanowitz | |
|---|---|
'עליזה חנוביץ | |
| Born | 16 June 1990 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Jerusalem |
| Alma mater | Bar-Ilan University Brooklyn College |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, actress |
| Notable work | Chanshi |
Aleeza Chanowitz (Hebrew: עליזה חנוביץ'; born 16 June 1990) is an Israeli-American director, screenwriter and actress. She is best known for creating and starring in the hit comedy series, Chanshi (2022–present) on HOT 3.[1]
Early life
[edit]She was born and raised in the New York borough of Brooklyn to a Modern Orthodox mother and Chabad Hasidic father. Her parents divorced when she was four years old and she attended a Modern Orthodox high school. After graduating from high school, she studied for a year at Bar-Ilan University, and then returned to New York to study Judaic Studies at Brooklyn College.
Career
[edit]She made aliyah to Israel in 2011, after completing her studies. She studied film at the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem from 2012 to 2017.
Mushkie a short student film she wrote and directed in 2015 was included in the Jerusalem Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2017, she created, directed and starred in the short film Shabbos Kallah. The film was included in the lineup of the Jerusalem Film Festival and several international Jewish film festivals. It won the Best Short Film award at the Jerusalem Film Festival.[2]
In 2022, she starred and created in the HOT 3 comedy series, Chanshi. She stars as the titular character, a young ultra orthodox woman that leaves New York and embarks on a series of reckless adventures in Israel when she emigrates there.[3] The series is partly autobiographical, inspired by Chanowitz' own experiences of aliyah.[4] In November 2023, Chanowitz was preparing to travel to the Stockholm Film Festival for a screening of "Chanshi" when unidentified festival representatives emailed that her invitation had been rescinded. After the explanations for the event (which careened from economic and security "concerns" to statements about her presence being potentially dangerous and a Swedish ban on travel to and from Israel) were publicly shared, the festival half-apologized for a "communications error" and invited her to attend the event with the conditions that she pay for her own flight and publicly state that the screening had never been cancelled (which wasn't an issue), leading Chanowitz to reject the festival and nix any further relationship with it.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ ‘Chanshi’ Creator on How Her Series Explores Sexuality, Trauma and the American Jewish Experience in Israel The Hollywood Reporter. 25 January 2023
- ^ Shabbos Kallah MUBI. Retrieved on 3 May 2024
- ^ Chanshi’ plays with American-Israeli stereotypes - review The Jerusalem Post. 10 December 2022
- ^ Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Aleeza Chanowitz, the Creator of “Chanshi” Sundance Film Festival. 22 August 2023
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (2023-11-13). "U.S.-Israeli Actress & Director Aleeza Chanowitz Says Stockholm Film Festival Withdrew Invite Over Israel-Hamas Conflict". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
External links
[edit]
- 1990 births
- Living people
- American emigrants to Israel
- American women film directors
- Israeli female screenwriters
- Israeli women film directors
- Jewish American screenwriters
- Film directors from New York City
- Screenwriters from New York (state)
- 21st-century American Jews
- 21st-century American women
- Israeli television actresses
- Israeli film actresses
- Jewish American actresses
- Actresses from Brooklyn
- Brooklyn College alumni
- Bar-Ilan University alumni
- Jews from New York City