Annina Lavee

Annina Lavee-Biography

ANNINA LAVEE graduated from Queens College in New York City, where she concentrated her studies in Theater and Psychology. She studied directing and acting with Roger Simon of the Yale Drama School and Lenore DeKoven of the Columbia University Film Department. Lavee studied screenwriting through numerous workshops with Robert McGee, and Syd Field, among others. She has written numerous short films, full-length screenplays, and is a published freelance writer of personal essays, short stories and poetry.
She wrote, produced and directed the short film, An Imagical Journey distributed by Alternative Filmworks through whom it was shown on several channels throughout the country, including the New York local TV show, IN FOCUS. An Imagical Journey was also screened at the Women Directors Film Festival in Madrid, the Film Festival of Bangladesh, and for the Arizona Centennial including filmmakers of AZ.

Lavee produced films for television working very closely with the writers and directors, for over 26 years, including a staff position at Saturday Night Live, NBC, as producer of the short film/video unit for three seasons. In that highly creative atmosphere she directed several of the openings for live comedy segments. Lavee also directed several second unit pieces for the New Show, NBC, and produced and directed a short video piece for Comedy Central. Next she moved into longer form productions, where she has been twice nominated for Emmy awards for her work on The Last Day in the Life of Brian Darling, HBO, and First Love, Fatal Love, HBO. She produced an hour special for prime time television, entitled, Everyday Heroes and co-produced the Children’s Television Workshop-Mathnet, PBS series for three years.

Lavee directed and co-produced a short narrative Dream Friend, which was shown at the Tucson International Film Festival 2000, at the National Association of Latino Independent Producers Conference, and the San Antonio Cine Festival. It is shown in the Arizona Centennial Celebration including film and filmmakers of Arizona though the University of Arizona.
She has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Arizona in the Department of Theatre, Film and Television since 1999 where she teaches, Writing the Short Screenplay. She completed a short docu, Following Raul, which is currently distributed through Films Media. She develops projects through her Production Company Eureka Films and is currently working on feature length screenplays, short stories, creative nonfiction, and poetry.