About — Yuval

Yuval studied Mathematics and Physics at Tel Aviv University and later moved to New York where he received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Columbia University.

Yuval also studied sculpture and photography at Columbia during this time and participated in various high profile art shows in New York City before switching full time to writing and directing film.

FILM

Directing (completed):

“Sympathy for the Devil” (2023) starring Nicolas Cage and Joel Kinnaman.

2022

2020

“The Secrets We Keep” (2020) starring Noomi Rapace. Joel Kinnaman, Chris Messina and Amy Seimetz. Also co-writer.

“The Operative” (2019) – Starring Diane Kruger and Martin Freeman. Director, writer.

2019

Wrote and Directed “Bethlehem” (2013) – a feature in Hebrew and Arabic. Israel’s Foreign Language Oscar submission for 2014. Venice Film Festival Jury Award. 6 Israeli ‘oscars’.

2013

Writer / Director / Editor of “Seduction” – a 30 min. HD crime drama.

2005

“Taxicab Confessions at Strasberg” – Directed and edited scenes based on dialogue from the HBO classic at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. (Instead of film school)

2002

“Taste”—a short film based on the Roald Dahl story. Adapted for the screen, directed and

2001

Writing/Developing:

“Job” - a meta fictional adaptation of the biblical text for Nicolas Cage.

2023

“Lilly” – a paranoid erotic thriller. relationship is pushed to the breaking point because of a video that might, or might not be a deep fake.

2022

“Rise and Kill First”. Developed a TV series for HBO based on the NYT bestseller. Wrote the pilot and the bible

2021

“Dad” – a psychological — or better yet, psychoanalytical — horror film.

2020

FILM HONORS:

Bethlehem (2013) won the top prize at the Venice Days section of the 2013 Venice Film Festival. It went on to win six Israeli Film Academy awards, including best picture, best direction and best screenplay and was Israel’s entry for the 2014 Oscars.

The Operative (2019) premiered as an official selection in the main section of the Berlinale.

EDUCATION

2000 - 2002

Acting, Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. Two years with I. Sandrey and R. Castle. Instead of film school !

1995 - 1999

Ph.D. Philosophy, Columbia University, New York, 1999.

1993 - 1995:

M.A. Philosophy, Columbia University, New York. Parallel to this: Columbia University Art Department – studio program with Judy Pfaff

1990-1993:

B.A. Mathematics and Physics, Tel Aviv University, 1993.

Parallel to this: fine art and philosophy classes as part of the Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Program for Outstanding Students/The Cohen Institute for the History and Philosophy of the Sciences and Ideas

PHILOSOPHY

Research Areas: Metaphysics, phenomenology, Heidegger, Indexicals and Names (from the perspective of analytic philosophy). Time.

PHILOSOPHY — TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Bar Ilan University: The end of Metaphysics — reading from Aristotle, Neo Platonism, Kant and Heidegger. Grad or undergrad.

2017

Bar Ilan University: A Metaphysical Interpretation of the Book of Job — an attempt to delineate the biblical text as primarily concerned with classic metaphysical question like the place of the human in the world, the relation between anxiety and wonder,

2016

Tel Aviv University: led a graduate level reading group on the second division of Being and Time. In particular the notion of Zeitlichkeit.

2015

Bar Ilan University: The Question of Being — in Being and Time (1927), On the Essence of Truth (1930), Introduction to Metaphysics (1935), Contributions (36-38). Fall + Spring.

2015

Bar Ilan University: Heidegger on the Notion of ‘World’ — graduate level. An examination of Heidegger preoccupation with that notion in the late 20s and the 30s.

2014

- 10 CUNY MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT - GRADUATE CENTE:

2007

With Prof. Roman Kossak, a series of reading groups focused on phenomonology and Godel’s fascination with it. We then led close readings of Husserl’s Idea of Phenomenology, Ideas I and some of Heidegger’s early texts (HCT).

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

1996-97

Columbia College: Contemporary Civilization, Core Curriculum.

1995-96

Columbia College: Contemporary Civilization, Core Curriculum.

1994-95

Columbia University: Elementary Logic (Fall and Spring semesters).

1991-92

Tel-Aviv University, Math department. Teaching Assistant: Calculus I + II.

Philosophy Publication

1. “Possibility Tout Court: Heidegger on Death as a Phenomenon of Life.” in Gatherings: the Heidegger Circle Annual. 2022.

2. “A Political a-Priori?” – in Philosophy Today 2020.

Lectures:

South West Seminar

Tel Aviv continental - Job.

ART – RESUME (from before I switched full time to film):

Art Exhibitions

Caren Golden Fine Art, solo exhibition, sculpture and photography, Soho, NYC.

1995

Exit Art/The First World, “Way Cool”, group exhibition, NYC

1995

Humphrey Gallery, “60,000 Milliseconds”, group exhibition, NYC

1995

Columbia University, art department group exhibition, NYC

1994

Art Bibliography

Hodgkin, D. Bradshaw “Art,” New York Magazine, November 6, 1995

H

Levin, “Choices,” The Village Voice, November 21, 1995

K.

Glueck, “To Be Young, 3-D and Way Cool,” The New York Observer, May 19, 1995

G.

Wallach, “Young Artist Exploring By Light of Imagination,” New York Newsday, May 19, 1995

A.

SHORT BIO:

Writer/Director Yuval Adler studied Mathematics at Tel Aviv University and later moved to New York where he received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Columbia University. Yuval also studied sculpture and photography at Columbia during this time and participated in various high profile shows in New York City before switching full time to writing and directing film. His debut feature Bethlehem won the Venice Days award at the 2013 Venice Film Festival, six Israeli Film Academy awards and was Israel’s entry for the 2014 Oscars. Since then, he has directed and cowritten two features: The Operative, starring Diane Kruger and Martin Freeman, an official selection of the 2019 Berlin Film Festival, and the American thriller The Secrets We Keep, starring Noomi Rapace and Joel Kinnaman. Yuval taught graduate classes in philosophy at BarIlan University between projects. He is wrapping up “Sympathy for the Devil”, starring Nicolas Cage and Joel Kinnaman. The film will be released in the summer of 2023.