Ziv Berkovich

Ziv Berkovich (Hebrew: זיו ברקוביץ'; sometimes spelled Berkovitz; born Genia Berkovich, April 5, 1984) is an Israeli cinematographer and screenwriter.

He is a graduate of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, and an America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholar. His films include the Cannes Film Festival Cinéfondation winner Himnon (Anthem; 2008), NO-ONE (2018)–which won the Best Cinematography Award at the Vienna International Film Festival, and the comedy-drama feature film Golden Voices (2019)–which garnered the Best Script Award (which he shared) and the NETPAC Best Film Award at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. He has also received Ophir Award nominations for Best Cinematography for The Monkey House (2023) and Tell Me Everything (2026).

His most recent film is the 2026 American historical drama feature film Monument, which marked the return of director Bryan Singer. It stars Jon Voight and Joseph Mazzello, playing his character's son.

Early life Ziv Berkovich was born April 5, 1984, in Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union, and is Jewish. At age six, in 1990, he immigrated with his family to Israel during the wave of post-Soviet aliyah. He then graduated in 2008 from the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem. He received an America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship during his studies at the school.

Career Film 2008–19 Berkovich began his filmmaking career working on short films while studying at the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School. Among his early student cinematography credits was the short drama Himnon (Anthem; , 2008), which won First Prize in the Cinéfondation competition at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. He returned to the Cannes Film Festival twice more for the shorts Diploma (2009; winning third prize in the Cinéfondation competition in 2009) and Babaga (2012). Following his graduation, his early feature cinematography expanded into Israeli cinema, including the indie dark comedy-drama Not in Tel Aviv (2012), which premiered at the 2012 Locarno Film Festival,

For his work as the director of photography of the comedy-drama film The Women's Balcony (2016), critic Arthur Lazere highlighted Berkovich's framing of a key dramatic moment, writing that the characters' "vibrant determination finds expression in a silent sequence shot from above, as each leaves a building one at a time, opening a different-colored umbrella in the rain, resolute."

In 2019, Berkovich both co-wrote and served as director of photography for the comedy-drama feature film Golden Voices (Hebrew title: Kolot Reka; ), collaborating with director Evgeny Ruman. The narrative follows an elderly married couple who were celebrated as the preeminent Soviet film voiceover dubbing artists before they immigrated to Israel in 1990 during the collapse of the Soviet Union, only to find that there was no professional demand for Russian-language voice acting in their new home. The film was praised for its tonal balance of bittersweet comedy and narrative depth. Brad Gullickson of Elements of Madness commended the film's artistic execution, noting that the feature is "radiantly shot and beautifully performed." Berkovich and Ruman recorded a feature-length commentary track for the film's home video release detailing how the story mirrored their own immigration experiences.

The international rollout of Golden Voices earned festival accolades, culminating at the 23rd Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia, where Berkovich and Ruman won the Best Script award and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Best Film prize.

2020–present

Reviewing The Monkey House (2023), for which he was the cinematographer, Hannah Brown of The Jerusalem Post praised his visual contribution to the film, noting that "the cinematography by Ziv Berkovich emphasizes the contrast between shadows and brightness that is at the heart of the story."

In 2026, Berkovich served as the director of photography for the Israeli-French period drama feature film Tell Me Everything (Hebrew title: Tagid Li Hakol; ). Set in Tel Aviv during the HIV pandemic in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the movie explores the toll of the crisis on a generation of young Israelis. To capture the aesthetic of the era on a limited 18-day shooting schedule, Berkovich designed a soft-focus, desaturated pastel color palette paired with vintage-tuned Angénieux Optimo Prime cinema lenses to create a visual style aimed at evoking a shared emotional memory rather than a harsh, hyper-realistic historical recreation. Film critics lauded Berkovich's sensitive portraiture, atmospheric lighting, and the movie's blend of period aesthetics.

Also in 2026, Berkovich served as the director of photography for the American historical drama feature film Monument, which marked the return of director Bryan Singer. Based on true events from 1999, the narrative follows real-life Israeli architect Yaakov Rechter (played by Jon Voight) and his idealistic son Amnon (played by Joseph Mazzello) as they are commissioned by diplomat Uri Lubrani (played by Alon Aboutboul) to design a monument in Lebanon honoring the fallen soldiers of the South Lebanon Army.

Television Berkovich also transitioned into television, shooting episodes for series across both global streaming platforms and domestic networks. He also was the cinematographer on the Netflix supernatural thriller series Cracow Monsters (originally produced under the working title Axis Mundi in Poland). Domestically, Berkovich photographed the psychological drama series Very Important Person starring Yehuda Levi. His work on the series resulted in consecutive nominations for Best Cinematography in a Drama Series at the Israeli Television Academy Awards.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2005 Good Boys Cinematographer Short film 2008 Himnon Cinematographer Short film 2009 Diploma Cinematographer Short film 2014 Self Made Cinematographer Feature film 2016 The Women's Balcony Cinematographer Feature film 2016 Home Port Cinematographer Feature film 2018 NO-ONE Cinematographer Feature film 2019 Golden Voices Cinematographer, Co-writer Feature film 2023 The Monkey House Cinematographer Feature film 2026 Tell Me Everything Cinematographer Feature film 2026 Monument Cinematographer Feature film

Television Year Title Role Notes 2014 Very Important Person Co-creator, cinematographer Season 1 2017 Absentia Cinematographer Season 1 2021 Embezzlement Cinematographer Miniseries 2022 Cracow Monsters Cinematographer Season 1 2022 Chanshi Cinematographer Season 1 2023 Sovietzka Cinematographer Season 1; Hebrew title: סובייצקא 2025 Motherland Cinematographer Miniseries; Hebrew title: Migrash HaRusim (מגרש הרוסים) 2026 HaMitmaheh Cinematographer Drama series

Awards and nominations Berkovich's cinematography and screenwriting work have been recognized at both domestic and international film festivals.

Year Award / Festival Category Work Result Ref. 2005 Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Best Cinematography Good Boys (Yeladim Tovim) 2018 Vienna International Film Festival Best Cinematography NO-ONE 2019 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Best Script Golden Voices NETPAC Best Film 2026Ophir Awards Best Cinematography Tell Me Everything