Avi Nesher (Hebrew: אבי נשר; born 13 December 1952) is an Israeli film producer, film director, screenwriter and actor. Biography Avi Nesher was born and raised in Ramat Gan, Israel. The child of a Romanian-born diplomat, and a mother who came from Russia. In 1965, he moved with his family to the United States. He graduated from high school at sixteen and studied international relations at Columbia University. In 1971 he returned to Israel. Nesher enlisted into the IDF elite special forces unit Sayeret Matkal, but after a year was reassigned as an intelligence analyst. Film career In 1978, Nesher directed and produced his first film, HaLahaka (Hebrew: "הלהקה", lit. The Band), which depicted an army entertainment troupe similar to the Nahal troupe (להקת הנח"ל). The film stars many of the leading actors and singers of that era, including Gidi Gov, Gali Atari, Sassi Keshet and Heli Goldenberg, most of whom served in military entertainment troupes themselves. The film was a great commercial success in Israel (600,000 viewers), received excellent reviews and gained cult film status. The movie production, accompanied by the composer Yair Rosenblum, who was musical director of the Nahal Military Group and composed the songs the band also appear in the film. In 1979, Nesher directed his second film, Dizengoff 99, about three young friends (Anat Atzmon, Gidi Gov and Meir Suissa) living together in a flat on Dizengoff Street, the center of nightlife in Tel Aviv. The film is based on the experiences of Nesher himself, when he lived with two friends in Tel Aviv. The soundtrack of the film included songs performed by Zvika Pick, Riki Gal, Gali Atari and various Israeli bands. It was also a hit (450,000 viewers) and achieved cult film status in Israel. In 1980 Nesher directed HaPakhdanim (Hebrew: "הפחדנים", lit. The Cowards), a moderate commercial success (120,000 viewers). In 1984, Nesher wrote, directed and produced the film Rage & Glory which tells the story of the underground Zionist group Lehi and their struggle against the British Mandate in the 1940s. The film stars Juliano Mer, Hana Azoulay-Hasfari, and Roni Finkovitz. The movie caused a political storm, was lauded by international critics and in 2001 was selected by the Lincoln Center Film Society as one of the most important films in fifty years of Israeli cinema. In 1985, Nesher produced Shovrim, about a group of youngsters making a Rock opera parody