The Sandman Is Looking for Tena

An award-winning photographer and a filmmaker, Wexler is an artist who combines personal storytelling with cultural preservation. Born in Ethiopia, she emigrated to Israel at age 4 during Operation Moses. Her notable works include Lady Titi (2018), nominated for three Ophir Awards, and Banchi (2022). A graduate of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Tel Aviv University’s Film Department, she served as a lector for major Israeli film funds and currently sits on the Pais Council of Culture. She’s a Mandel Leadership Program fellow and a 2023 Schusterman Foundation REALITY Storytellers fellow. Wexler lives in New Orleans where she teaches film at Dillard University.

A filmmaker and historian, Elad combines academic research with creative production. Wexler produced Lady Titi (2018), a feature film and the first film about Ethiopian-Israelis, screened commercially in cinemas all over Israel. Together with Esti Almo Wexler he established Abayenesh Productions- a company that specializes in bringing the Ethiopian Israeli story to the screen. The company produced several TV programs and one feature film. In addition, Wexler is a Visiting Professor of Jewish Studies at Tulane University. Before that Wexler was the head of the Research Institute of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center in Jerusalem. He received his PhD from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Wexler’s book “These Were Forgotten: Dahn Ben-Amotz, Amos Kenan, Uri Zohar and the Tel Aviv Bohemia” was published in 2024 by the Open University and Ben-Gurion University.