On the Death of Gil Alkabetz
It is with dismay that we have received the news of the passing of Gil Alkabetz. With him, the international animation community loses one of its most important filmmakers as well as an intelligent and affectionate colleague.
Gil Alkabetz was born in Kibbutz Mashabei Sade in Israel in 1957 and grew up there. In 1984, during his studies at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, he realized his first animated film, BITZBUTZ, which became a success at international festivals.
In 1990, Gil Alkabetz made the film SWAMP at Akademie der bildenden Künste in Stuttgart. The film abstractly depicts the battle between a blue and a red army and is still considered a milestone in international animation history.
The public got to know a new side of Gils' work through the animation sequences from the film LOLA RENNT in 1997. Those, along with a number of other films (YANKALE 1996 / RUBICON 1997), were made in collaboration with the Stuttgart-based Studio Film Bilder.
In 2000, Gil Alkabetz realized his dream and founded Sweet Home Studio with Nurit Israeli. Together, they continued to produce animated films of the highest artistic quality (TRAVEL TO CHINA 2002 / MORIR DE AMOR 2005 / THE DA VINCI TIMECODE 2009 / 1 + 1 2015 / ONE STORMY NIGHT 2019). Each of these films is unique in its own way, however, they all have powerful messages, artistic originality, and a special kind of humor that always functions as a cure for cruelty and absurdity.
After teaching all over the world, Gil found his home as a professor of animated film at the Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, where he has trained many generations of students since 2004. His smart, reflective nature and empathy were highly regarded.
We mourn the loss of a great artist, an outstanding teacher, and a wonderful human being.
We express our sympathies to Gils' relatives and friends. We wish them much strength in these difficult hours.
We will cherish the work of Gil Alkabetz.
Andreas Hykade
on behalf of the AG Animationsfilm & the Animationsinstitut of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
16.9.2022
Photo Gil Alkabetz © Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF