We recently connected with Tamar Pelzig and have shared our conversation below.

Tamar, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

As a multi-hyphenate, ‘mad hatter’ in the entertainment industry, I sometimes find myself wearing many hats all at once, especially when I work on a project from idea to fruition.

My short film ‘Rebel Rebel’ was such an experience.
The story of ‘Rebel Rebel’ first came to me in the fall of 2020, during the Pandemic stay-at-home orders, when I spent most of my time writing a daily blog where I would publish short stories, poems, blurbs, and so on. ‘Rebel Rebel’ was at first a short story, inspired by a real-life exchange I had with my elementary teacher that changed my life. I had written many short stories then, but what made this one stand out, was the response my spouse had upon reading it: He was so touched that he teared up. Sometimes artists have to ‘meet their audience’ and that’s what happened to me then. At that moment I leaned into that feeling and knew I had something meaningful to explore with this story.

I adapted the story into a screenplay and began the process of pre-production which meant finding collaborators for my vision: co-producers, director of photography, production designer, etc., and raising funds for the film’s budget. This process took a while, as these entrepreneurial journeys often do, but after a year of building my inner stamina to step onto the project as a director for the first time, forming my vision into a pitch deck, and scouting team members, the filming location and cast were locked in and ‘Rebel Rebel’ went into production in late 2022. Filming ‘Rebel Rebel’ was a dream: the cast was stellar, the crew was magnificent, and I found myself feeling immense gratitude and flow wearing so many hats in the production and working on such a personal story that stemmed partly from a real experience and partly from my imagination.

But the film wasn’t done yet: we had reached the post-production stage: editing, composing, color correcting, and so on. This process took a while as I tend to be meticulous with details, even to the point of choosing ‘just the right’ font for the film’s end credits! But finally, the film was ready. And ‘Rebel Rebel’ turned out even more impactful than I could have hoped for. It out-done my vision and the team and I were thrilled to get the film on the big screen.

Our premiere screening was at the Catalina Film Festival in September 2023, and the film continued to screen in a dozen festivals in the US and Italy, winning several awards (Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Indie Spirit Award) and most importantly: moving audiences with our little story dedicated to the teacher who changed my life as a kid.

Bringing ‘Rebel Rebel’ to life has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It taught me to be courageous in my storytelling. It brought forth many talented peers – because it truly takes a village to make a film. And in the process, I found my director’s hat and it felt like something hidden had finally become VISIBLE.

Tamar, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m an actor, writer, and director in film, TV, stage, and Voice-Over.

Growing up in the tumultuous and unique environment of the old city of Jerusalem in Israel is the prime reason why I view stories as humanity’s most fascinating adventure. The myths, religions, and history of the region I’m from, fueled me to delve deep into themes of identity, belonging, and connection which are key themes in my work.

I started my career as a theatre nerd, from the Israeli reputable Cameri Theatre to countless NYC off-Broadway productions. I then expanded into film and TV in Los Angeles, first as an actor and later as a writer and director. I would say I am mostly known for my VO career in over 100 Netflix productions. My voice has been the English voice on many beloved characters for international TV shows and films like Stockholm in ‘Money Heist’ (‘Casa De Papel’), Franzisca in ‘Dark’, Nurit in ‘Fauda’ and more.) As a Voice Director, I have directed the English Dub cast on Netflix hits like ‘Rough Diamonds’, ‘Iron Reign’ and many others.

As an immigrant, I had quite a few mountains to climb in my industry, including learning the English language and adapting to American culture. That’s why I am especially proud of my work in VO, an often invisible niche side of our industry that demands precision, multilingual understanding, and knowledge in storytelling.

As a writer-director, my short film ‘Rebel Rebel’ has been screening in film festivals in the US and Italy over the past year, and I’ve collaborated on other indie projects that have screened at film festivals and are distributed across all streaming platforms.

I have several screenplays currently in development, some of which have achieved semi-finalist placements in prestigious contests like the Austin Film Festival and PAGE Awards, and my feature drama script ‘Death Of An Illusion’ has even landed in Coverfly’s “Red List” which placed it in the #20 spot out of 17,000 drama feature scripts. A few projects I am collaborating on as either actor, co-writer and/or director are currently in pre-production and so I hope to be back on set in the very near future!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Across the different mediums in the industry and the different hats I wear, my goal as an artist is to tell stories that IMPACT, UPLIFT, and CONNECT people to one another. As a multilingual artist, I find the entertainment industry and the art of storytelling to be the most universal language of all.
Art can bring people together and bridge our gaps, and in such a divisive world – true connection feels more needed than ever.

Any advice for managing a team?

I can speak to this question not quite as a manager, but rather as a director who has to lead a team:

Directing a movie is holding the torch of a vision and leading a team of creative partners to bring that vision to life.
For many years I didn’t wear my director’s hat because I wasn’t sure of my leadership style, but as I am growing older (and wiser, hopefully!) I find that leadership to me – is tapping into the CARETAKER within me. I look at leading as an opportunity to host, nourish and listen. While directing might appear to be a position of power—and in the film industry, it certainly is—I view it as the power to empower others rather than indulging my own ego. It takes a village to make a movie, and it is a collaborative art form, so a healthy and positive work environment is of utmost importance.

As a director, I like to work with peers whom I deeply respect and can learn from, giving them the freedom to bring their best to the team while offering guidance only when needed. The managing aspect of directing is not micro-managing to me, but rather MACRO managing. Keeping the eye on the large puzzle is my job as a director, and tending to the puzzle pieces with utmost care is my responsibility in creating a positive and artistically flourishing work environment.

To any aspiring directors out there: nurturing your creative vision is important, of course, but so is nurturing your ability to listen to your peers and treat them with kindness and respect. Your movie will be better for it – as your team will want to give their best, and your overall experience will be more joyous too. Life is stressful enough – find ways to make work playful, fun and kind!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.tamarpelzig.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamarpelzig/

Image Credits

Stephanie Girard
Matt Houston
Megan Cullen