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| − | '''Dror Soref''' is an award-winning [[filmmaker]] who started his career directing music videos for a young [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] in 1983, shortly after attending [[USC School of Cinematic Arts|USC Film School]]. Soref later directed ''Platinum Blonde'', an inspirational short film that landed him a housekeeping deal at [[Paramount Studios]]. With the help of Paramount, ''[[The Seventh Coin]]'' became Soref’s debut as a feature film writer/director. Starring [[Peter O’Toole]], ''The Seventh Coin'' won two festival awards in 1993, including Best Picture. Throughout the following decade Soref directed or executive produced over a hundred commercials and music videos.<ref>{{cite web
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| − | |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2005_April_4/ai_n13502784/
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| − | |title=Award-Winning Writer-Director Dror Soref Joins Big Screen Entertainment Group Board of Directors
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| − | |publisher= [[Business Wire]]
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| − | |date= 4 April 2005
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| − | |accessdate=26 May, 2009
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| − | }}</ref>
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| − | In 2003, Soref returned to feature films, co-producing ''[[Basic (film)| Basic]]'' for [[Columbia Pictures]], starring [[John Travolta]] and [[Samuel L. Jackson]]. In 2009 Soref wrote, directed and produced the critically acclaimed thriller ''[[Not Forgotten (film)|Not Forgotten]]'' starring [[Simon Baker]] and [[Paz Vega]].<ref name="pphotog"/>
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| − | ==Early life and education==
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| − | Dror Soref was born and raised in [[Israel]] and is of [[Spanish]] ancestry. He attended the [[University of Haifa]], earning degrees in economics, sociology and anthropology. During his first year at the university, Soref founded a repertory theater, bringing to the stage original material with politically satirical content. His studies were interrupted when as a lieutenant in the elite [[Golani Brigade]] of the [[Israeli Defense Force]] (IDF), Soref was called for service during several military conflicts, including the [[Yom Kippur War]]. The unit under Soref’s command was cited for excellence by the IDF’s Chief-of-Staff.
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| − | While a student, Soref wrote frequently on [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict| Israeli-Palestinian relations]], and during his second year at the university, with fellow IDF retired officers and others, he founded a new national political party which played a key role in the future coalition government of [[Israeli Prime Minister]] [[Yitzhak Rabin]] in the early nineties. At the age of 23, while a third year student, Soref was nominated by his party to run for parliament. One of Soref’s articles, ''Envisioning the Israeli-Palestinian Peace'', incorporates the same principles as the first peace treaty between the parties, known as the [[Oslo Accords]] (1993), but written more than a decade earlier. A number of books have been written about Soref during these years. ''University, State and Society in Israel'' by Professor Shlomo Swirski, outlines the political consciousness and insight of a few young leaders, particularly Soref.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Swirski |first=Shlomo |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1982 |month=March |title=University, State and Society in Israel |journal=The British Journal of Sociology |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages= |id= |url= |accessdate=2009-06-10 |quote= }}</ref>
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| − | In Y. Rubin’s semi-autobiographical book, ''The Hypochondriac'', the author portrays Soref as the embodiment of the mythical persona of the ‘ideal’ Israeli youth.
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| − | Soref’s introduction to [[filmmaking]] came during his last year at the University of Haifa, when he was invited to attend a film workshop conducted by Benjamin Koretsky, [[Roman Polanski]]’s cinematography teacher back in the [[Lodz Film School]] in Poland. To pursue film studies, Soref emigrated to the [[United States]], first attending [[San Francisco Art Institute]], and then the [[USC School of Cinematic Arts|Cinema School]] of the [[University of Southern California]] (USC).<ref name="imdbbio">{{cite web
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| − | |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0814786/bio
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| − | |title=Dror Soref - Biography
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| − | |first= Erica
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| − | |last= De la Paz
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| − | |authorlink=
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| − | |publisher= IMDB
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| − | |date=
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| − | |accessdate=25 May, 2009
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| − | }}</ref>
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| − | ==Career==
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| − | [[Image:Postermark2.jpeg|thumb|left|170px|Poster from Soref's first feature as Director, Producer, and Co-Writer]]
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| − | In the mid-eighties, following USC, Soref was hired to direct “[[I Love Rocky Road]],” a music video for an unknown rock parodist at the time, [[Weird Al Yankovic]]. The video helped establish Weird Al as an upcoming star. Success in music video field lead Soref to directing ''Platinum Blonde'', an inspirational short film starring [[Karen Black]] and a fourteen-year-old [[Elizabeth Berkley]]. As the creative force behind ''Platinum Blonde'', Soref was profiled in the Los Angeles Times, Premiere Magazine, and The Hollywood Reporter. After viewing the short, the president of Paramount Pictures Studio Group offered Soref a [[contract|housekeeping deal]] on the famed studio lot.<ref name="pphotog">{{cite web
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| − | |url=http://www.notforgottenmovie.com/filmmakers.php
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| − | |title=Filmmakers
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| − | |publisher= Anchor Bay Entertainment
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| − | |date= 5 April 2009
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| − | |accessdate=10 May, 2009
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| − | }}</ref>
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| − | With the help of Paramount, ''[[The Seventh Coin]]'' became Soref’s debut as a feature film writer/director. Starring [[Peter O’Toole]], the film won two festival awards including Best Picture, and inspired the Los Angeles Today critic to proclaim, “…director Dror Soref has made an explosive debut with his powerful movie.” While at Paramount, Soref founded Orbit Productions, serving as one of its commercial directors. Soref executive-produced or directed over one hundred TV commercials or music videos, leading Orbit to become one of the fastest growing commercial production companies at that time. Some of Orbit’s spots have been featured on the [[Super Bowl]] and [[Academy Awards]] telecasts. The directorial roster at Orbit included, in addition to Soref, such acclaimed directors as [[Wim Wenders]], [[Carroll Ballard]], [[Jean-Pierre Jeunet]] and [[Bruce Beresford]]. Soref later parlayed a successful career in commercials into feature films, signing a multiple-picture deal with [[Mike Medavoy]]’s Phoenix Pictures with one of them for Soref to direct. The first motion picture under this deal was ''[[Basic (film)|Basic]]'' starring [[John Travolta]] and [[Samuel L. Jackson]], released by [[Columbia Pictures]].
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| − | In early 2009, Soref completed ''Not Forgotten'', a film he directed, co-wrote and produced, starring [[Simon Baker]], [[Paz Vega]] and [[Claire Forlani]].<ref name="mann">{{cite web
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| − | |url=http://manntheatres.com/promo/notforgotten.php
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| − | |title=Not Forgotten
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| − | |publisher= Mann Theaters
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| − | |date= 6 May 2009
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| − | |accessdate=9 May, 2009
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| − | }}</ref> The film was selected for a Special Screening at the [[Slamdance Film Festival]], where all its screenings were sold out before being picked up for distribution by [[Anchor Bay Entertainment|Anchor Bay Films]].<ref name="slam">{{cite web
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| − | |url=http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/?SecID=278&ArID=239733
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| − | |title=Not Forgotten by B-side
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| − | |publisher= Slam Dance
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| − | |date= 21 February 2009
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| − | |accessdate=9 May, 2009
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| − | }}</ref> Both The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety gave the film rave reviews.
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| − | ==References==
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| − | {{reflist|2}}
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