Ariel Lavi: the global cinema alchemist who knows the power of necessary stories

In filmmaking, some chase spectacle while others chase truth. Ariel Lavi has firmly chosen the latter. He’s a producer who built his career by moving between cultures, languages, and creative traditions, searching for stories that resonate long after the credits roll. With an inherently international outlook and a sharp instinct for what feels genuine, Lavi has never been content with simply making films, he aims to amplify what he believes is essential, urgent, and universal.

His path has taken him around the world, collaborating with talent from Mexico, Nigeria, the United States, the Middle East, and beyond. Along the way, he has learned to build creative bridges where others might see borders. And that global perspective shaped his guiding principle: a story isn’t something you just produce, it’s something you identify. It’s something you understand deeply, respect fully, and shape into an experience that speaks across cultures without losing its core truth.

For Lavi, producing is a responsibility. It’s the craft of choosing stories that matter, the ones that move people, challenge perceptions, and spark conversation. Stories with something meaningful to say, stories that can echo far beyond the screen. In this interview, we explore the heart of his work: the vision, the decisions, and the sensibility that have made Ariel Lavi one of the most distinctive voices in today’s independent global cinema.

Read more: Ariel Lavi: the global cinema alchemist who knows the power of necessary stories