Amnon

Seeds of Peace Fellow, 2016

IMPACT: SOCIAL

Transforming conflict through the arts.

How have you impacted your community?

I am the founder and CEO of Yafo Creative, and a creative director and producer for both artistic and commercial projects. I graduated with a BA in Film Production from the Art University at Bournemouth. As a creative producer/director, I have created shows and brands such as inter-disciplinary circus show Freedom Paranoia, Waves Audio, theAngelcy, Tzlil, and many more.

In the past four years, Yafo Creative has gained a reputation as a center for arts and collaborations. Yafo Creative hosted over 1,000 artists from more than 30 countries, producing around 20 artistic collaborations, hosted delegations of leaders, and curated joint events with organizations such as the Globes Business Conference, Leader’s Quest, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Seeds of Peace, and many more. The space it currently operates from serves as a place for events, a guesthouse for creatives, and a production office. I am looking to expand the Yafo Creative family and create more possibilities for creation and dialogue.

I am building a multidisciplinary center that will hold over five weekly workshops, host thousands of visitors, and create meaningful productions, while creating both local and international links and collaborations. To pilot this project, filmmaker Nayef Hammoud and I are developing “The Character,” a production-platform for theatre and film bringing together Israelis and Palestinians to produce art informed by authentic personal and interpersonal dialogue.

“The best thing about GATHER was the people I met through the Fellowship. We created a small community of social entrepreneurs that supports each other. I learned technical skills for project planning and presentations ... I understood the story of my venture better, and while doing this, understood my own personal story as well.”