David A. Stein Memorial Award
The David A. Stein Memorial Award is presented in memory of David A. Stein, a gifted Toronto filmmaker who passed away in 2004 at age 34. The “Tzimmie” — named after his production company, Tzimmes Entertainment — is an annual $5,000 award to the director of the best documentary making its Canadian premiere at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, and supports documentary filmmakers in creating works that would have interested David and that carry on his passion for storytelling.
Largely self-taught, David began his film career in 1993, first as a production manager and later as writer, director and editor of short films, as well as corporate identity and music videos. He made his first documentary — Towards a Just Society, a study of race relations in Canada — in 1998 for the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews. David also worked on television’s Betrayal series, where he strived to give meaning to the stories of Mordechai Vanunu and Jonathan Pollard.
David worked closely with the TJFF, producing comedic trailers that also reflected his understanding of the human condition. In many ways the TJFF was a second home for him with his love of film and Yiddishkeit.
Mel and Renee Stein and family thank Helen Zukerman and the TJFF for helping make this award possible and meaningful.
In its 18th year, The Toronto Jewish Film Festival honoured two documentaries with its annual David A. Stein Memorial Award: Barak Heymann’s Lone Samaritan and Pierre Sauvage’s Not Idly By: Bergson, America and the Holocaust.
Both honoured filmmakers have had other work of theirs shown during previous years of the Festival. In our inaugural year, we screened Sauvage’s Weapons of the Spirit (1987), and in 2009, Heymann’s Dancing Alfonso (2008).
Last year's winner (2009) of the "Tzimmie" was Yairv Mozer for his groundbreaking film My First War.
This year’s jury for the David A. Stein Memorial Award:
JOEL GREENBERG
A co-founder of Studio 180, Joel is a Chalmers and Dora award–winning playwright and director who has directed and/or choreographed more than 100 professional productions across Canada in the past 35 years. For Studio 180 he has directed and co-produced The Laramie Project, The Passion of the Chris, The Arab-Israeli Cookbook,Stuff Happens, Blackbird and The Overwhelming (upcoming). Joel taught at Humber College Theatre School from 1984 to 1989 and has taught at the University of Waterloo since 1991, also serving as the chair of each theatre department (at Humber for five years, and UW for nine).
DANIEL IRON
After graduating from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1987, Daniel Iron was legal counsel at Telefilm Canada for five years. He joined and eventually became a partner at Rhombus Media where he produced the acclaimed feature film, Long Day's Journey Into Night, directed by David Wellington, as well as co-producing the Oscar-winning The Red Violin from Francois Girard, and producing the award-winning Last Night, directed by Don McKellar as well as McKellar’s Childstar. Iron also executive produced Guy Maddin’s Saddest Music in the World, Jennifer Baichwal’s acclaimed documentary, Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles and Peter Wellington’s Luck. At Rhombus, Iron was also producer on numerous television production, including The Four Seasons and Don Giovanni Unmasked, two performing arts films, the Gemini-nominated series Foreign Objects, written and directed by Ken Finkleman, Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen, a performance/documentary directed by Larry Weinstein, Elizabeth Rex, a television film based on Timothy Findley’s play, the acclaimed Slings and Arrows, a six part comedic television series, and Beethoven’s Hair, a documentary directed by Larry Weinstein.
In January 2004, Daniel left Rhombus to create his own production company, Foundry Films Inc. Foundry has produced Northern Town, a CBC series set and shot in the Yukon, It's Me Gerald, a six half-hour series for Showcase and in 2005 Last Exit, a TV movie with CTV directed by John Fawcett). In 2006 he produced Manufactured Landscapes the theatrical documentary on acclaimed photographer, Edward Burtynsky, directed by Jennifer Baichwal which won best Canadian film at Toronto International Film Festival, the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards for Best Canadian Film and Best Documentary of 2006 as well a Genie for Best Documentary. The team has also now completed a third documentary, entitled Act of God, which is in current theatrical release. Daniel also produced Sarah Polley’s debut feature Away From Her staring Julie Christie and Olympia Dukakis, which was released in the US by Lionsgate in May, 2007 and garnered six Gemini awards and two Academy Award Nominations. Daniel acted as executive producer of Fido, a large budget feature by Anagram Pictures in Vancouver. Daniel’s most recently completed production is Cairo Time, written and directed by Ruba Nadda and starring Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig. Daniel has just wrapped production on The Bang Bang Club, starring Ryan Phillippe, Taylor Kitsch and Malin Akerman, a South-African co-production written and directed by Steven Silver and Act of Dishonour, shot on location in Tajikistan. As well, Iron is developing numerous other feature and television productions.
HELGA STEPHENSON
Helga Stephenson, of the Public Relations firm, Daniels/ Stephenson, is best known for her work as Executive Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, overseeing its major growth period from a local festival to a major international film festival, and as a recipient of William Kilbourn Lifetime Achievement Award. She is also known for her work in co-founding the Human Rights Watch Canada Committee and as Chairman of the annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
She has contributed to Canadian cultural/entertainment institutions in a number of capacities in a career of more than 30 years, including working for the Canada Council for the Performing Arts and the National Arts Center of Ottawa. Her board involvements included serving as Chair for Viacom Canada, the John Labatt Company, the National Film Board of Canada and the Gaming Commission of Ontario. She has also served on numerous not-for-profit boards including, among others, the Toronto Committee for Human Rights Watch, the Toronto International Film Festival Advisory Council, the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival and the Stratford Festival Senate. Helga consults with clients such as Telefilm Canada, Time Warner Inc. among others. She has been involved in the creation and growth of the Reykjavik International Film Festival and the Havana Film Festival and currently serves as Chair of the Reykjavik International Film Festival.
