Yoram Gross

Yoram Jerzy Gross (18 October 192621 September 2015) was a Polish-Australian filmmaker. He founded the animation studio Flying Bark Productions.

He was known for his adaptation of children's characters from books and films, and best known for the production of the films Dot and the Kangaroo and Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala.

Early life and education Yoram Jerzy Gross was born on 18 October 1926 in Kraków, Poland to a religious Jewish family and was the younger brother of the film director Natan Gross.

Gross endured World War II under the Nazi regime. His family was on Oskar Schindler's list, but chose to make their own risky escape, moving hiding places 72 times.

In 1950 Gross moved from Poland to Israel, where he worked as a newsreel and documentary cameraman. used a special aerial image technique of drawings over live action backgrounds. The film was based on an Australian classic best seller by Ethel Pedley, and was described by ABC film critic John Hinde as a "brilliant technical success and the best cartoon film originated in Australia". It won Best Children's Film in Tehran and also won a Sammy Award for the Best Animated Film at the 1978 Australian Film Institute Television Awards.

Death Gross died in Sydney at the age of 88 on 21 September 2015.

Honours and recognition Gross won more than 80 international awards for his various films,

In May 2007, Gross celebrated his 60th anniversary in the film industry. In recognition of the milestone, the New South Wales Film and Television Office honoured him by hosting a special retrospective screening of his career highlights, including the screening of Gross's most recent project, Autumn in Krakow, a poignant short film on his home town of Kraków, based on his late brother Nathan's poetry. In 2011, Gross was awarded the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland and the Medal for Merit to Polish Culture – "Gloria Artis".

The Yoram Gross Animation Award, sponsored by his wife Sandra and son Guy Gross, is given to an Australian short film at the Sydney Film Festival each year. the prize is worth in cash, and winners are 'Academy Award eligible'. For users in four countries: Australia, Greece, Germany, and Israel, a Google Doodle was made for what would have been his 95th birthday to celebrate his life and works.

Filmography

Feature films YearTitleNotes 1962 Joseph the Dreamer 1964 One Pound Only 1977 Dot and the Kangaroo 1979 The Little Convict AKA Toby and the Koala 1981 Around the World with Dot AKA Dot and Santa Claus 1982 Sarah AKA Sarah (The Seventh Match) and Sarah and the Squirrel 1983 Dot and the Bunny 1984 The Camel Boy Epic AKA Epic: Days of the Dinosaur 1985 Dot and the Koala 1986 Dot and Keeto Dot and the Whale 1987 Dot and the Smugglers AKA Dot and the Bunyip Dot Goes to Hollywood 1991 The Magic Riddle 1992 Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala 1994 Dot in Space 1999 Skippy Saves Bushtown 2005 Tabaluga and Leo Blinky Bill's White Christmas 2006 Flipper & Lopaka: The Feature 2007 Gumnutz: A Juicy Tale 2010 Santa's Apprentice 2011 Blinky & Me 2015 Blinky Bill the Movie

TV series Bright Sparks (1989) The Adventures of Blinky Bill (1993) Blinky Bill's Extraordinary Excursion (1995) Samuel and Nina (1996–1997) Tabaluga (1997–2004) Skippy: Adventures in Bushtown (1998–1999) (also known as Skippy: Adventures in Bushland) Dumb Bunnies (1998–1999) (with Nelvana) Flipper and Lopaka (1999–2005) Fairy Tale Police Department (2001–2002) Old Tom (2001–2002) Bambaloo (2003–2004) (with The Jim Henson Company) Art Alive (2003–2005) Seaside Hotel (2003–2005) Blinky Bill (2004) Dive, Olly, Dive! (2005) (with Mike Young Productions) Deadly (2005–2006) Staines Down Drains (2006–2011) Master Raindrop (2008–2009) Legend of Enyo (2009–2010) Zigby (2009–2013) Zeke's Pad (2010) Vic the Viking (2013–2014) Tashi (2014–2015) Heidi (2015) (final project)

Short films Chansons Sans Paroles (1958) Song Without Words (1958) Hava Nagila (1959) We Shall Never Die (1959) Bon Appetit (1969) Barry Crocker's Danny Boy (1970) Janice Slater's Call It What You May (1970) John Farnham's One (1970) The Politicians (1970) To Nefertiti (1971) Seasons (1972) Sun (1975) Professor Filutek (1999) The Naked Tree (2003) Autumn in Krakow (2007) Fuchsia Ballerinas (2007) Young Musicians (2007–2008) Don't Forget... (2010) Why... (2010) Forest Holocaust (2011) Sentenced to Death (2011) The Liar (2012) Kaddish (2013)