Alma mater University of Florida | ||
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Born June 23, 1967 Petah Tikva, Israel Occupation Director, Producer, Writer, Professor, Journalist Movies A Wing and a Prayer, Jessie's Dad, Discovering Gloria Music director A Wing and a Prayer, Jessie's Dad | ||
Boaz Dvir is an Israeli-American professor, journalist, and filmmaker. His main work includes documentaries, most recently Jessie's Dad, Discovering Gloria, and A Wing and a Prayer.
Background
Dvir grew up in Kfar Galim, a village in Israel, and moved to New Jersey when his father worked for the U.N. The family later moved to Florida and Dvir attended the University of Florida, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and an MFA in creative photography. He also earned a master's from the UF Documentary Institute.
He would serve as an officer and military journalist for the Israel Defense Force during The Gulf War in 1991. Dvir's grandfather, a holocaust survivor, had fought in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and his experiences would have an influence on Dvir's work. “It really started as an interview with my grandfather. At that time I wasn’t even making documentaries."
He has written for many publications, including Newsday, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, The Tampa Bay Times, and The Jerusalem Post. Dvir served as editor of the Jacksonville Business Journal and managing editor of the South Florida Business Journal, which are part of Newhouse’s American City Business Journals. For several years, he appeared on “Week in Review” and wrote commentaries for WJCT, Jacksonville’s NPR/PBS station.
Dvir has won six Florida Magazine Association awards, including first place for his communigator column. He also won numerous awards from the Florida Press Association, including first place for his Business Journal column.
He lectured at the University of Florida for ten years, and while there, directed and produced a DVD of documentary shorts to Professor Nancy Dana's inquiry book Digging Deeper into Action Research. He is currently an assistant professor at Penn State University.