Omri Bezalel
Writer | Producer | Filmmaker
Omri Bezalel is a film producer, writer, and director based in Los Angeles. He is the co-founder of Big Swell Entertainment and founder of Mountaintop Productions. A veteran of Israel’s elite Navy SEAL unit, Shayetet 13, Omri brings a rare authenticity to his storytelling, blending real-life experience with a cinematic vision. His debut novel, Silent Waters, explores the emotional cost of warfare, while his feature film, LISTEN, delves into the psychological landscape of Israeli intelligence operations. Omri's work strives to create gripping, character-driven stories that resonate across cultures and borders.
SILENT WATERS — Novel
In the elite ranks of Shayetet 13, Israel’s Navy SEALs, Yoav faces not only the unrelenting demands of war but also the challenge of keeping his relationships alive in the shadow of conflict. This is not simply a story about war—it’s a war story about love. While every mission and training exercise pushes sensitive and idealistic Yoav past his limits, his deepest battles are fought far from the battlefield. After Yoav’s charismatic best friend, Goldberg, is killed, he begins dating Goldberg’s fiancé, Rona, a sharp-witted intelligence officer, forcing him to confront his guilt over his friend’s death and the fear that he might merely be a consolation prize. Based on real-life training and covert military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, this blend of fiction and autobiography offers a rare, intimate look at Israeli special forces and the young men and women who live, fight, and love in one of the world’s most complex war zones.
LISTEN — Feature Film
Dara Nevo is a young and dedicated intelligence operative in Israel's elite military intelligence unit, following in the footsteps of her father who was killed in a terrorist attack. When Hamas captures an Israeli infantry soldier in Gaza and offers to exchange him for the person who killed Dara's father, Dara must find the captured soldier before the exchange can take place. But as she leads her team in the search, she must navigate a complex web of personal and professional relationships, forcing her to ultimately choose between her loyalty to her loved ones and her duty to her country. In the face of these impossible choices, Dara must confront the moral ambiguity, love, and loss that soldiers face every day in one of the world's most confounding conflicts.
