About

Nadav Kurtz is a director whose work has shown at such festivals as Sundance, True/False, Sheffield, and been showcased by The Criterion Channel, PBS’ POV, the NYTimes Op-Docs, Vimeo Staff Picks and Sundance Doc Club. His directorial debut, Paraíso, about high-rise window washers in Chicago, won Best Documentary Short at a number of international festivals (Tribeca, Chicago, Seattle, Melbourne, AFI-Silverdocs) as well as being short-listed for an Academy Award and nominated for a Cinema Eye award. He was named a 2020 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine, was a CIFF Points North Fellow in 2021 and is a Film Independent Fellow through the Fast Track development program. Before transitioning to directing, he worked for over a decade as an editor on documentaries, fiction films and branded work. He’s directed a number of campaigns related to cross-cultural identity, including an award winning series of thirty-five short documentaries celebrating immigration for the City of Chicago.

He’s currently in post production on his feature directorial debut, The Untitled Sam and Omar project. This feature documentary is supported by the Sundance Institute, the Marshall Project, Field of Vision, NYSCA and the Jerome Foundation. Born in Israel to a Jewish mother and a Japanese father, Nadav grew up in England and Switzerland before moving to the United States He graduated with honors from the University of Chicago with a degree in English Literature.

Awards /

Oscar Shortlist (Documentary Short)
Best Documentary Short - Tribeca FF
Best Documentary Short - Seattle FF
Gold Mikeldi - ZINEBI, Bilbao
Silver Hugo - Chicago Int. FF
Special Jury Mention - AFI DOCS
Cinema Eye Awards (Nominee)
BBC Knowledge Award- Melbourne FF
Best Sound Design - AICP
Best Online Campaign - AICE