The Global Search for Education: Losing Alice Director Sigal Avin on the Tough Conflicts Facing Female Directors

Posted By C. M. Rubin on Dec 2, 2020

“I believe the feminist revolution will not reach its peak until we see certain female qualities on screen.” – Sigal Avin

Losing Alice is a psychological drama thriller inspired by Faust’s tale. It tells the story of an ambitious 47 year old female director named Alice (played by Ayelet Zurer) who feels insignificant since raising her family. After having a brief encounter, she becomes obsessed with Sophie (played by Lihi Kornowski), a 24 year old female screenwriter. The series explores themes and issues such as jealousy, guilt and the fear of aging. It has been described as a love letter for the still too rare female director. The first season of the eight-episode series will debut on Apple TV+ on Friday January 22, 2021.

The series was created, written and directed by Sigal Avin. The Global Search for Education is pleased to welcome Sigal Avin.

“I wanted to show the real conflicts a woman has, such as going out to direct a film, or creating something and the price you pay if you have a family.” – Sigal Avin

Sigal, when did you know you wanted to make this series? What inspired the story?

It all started with a vision. A scene. An idea I had. 2 women meet on a train, an older woman director and a younger female screenwriter. The younger one knows everything about the older one, and seems like her biggest fan, but there is also something a bit creepy about the whole encounter. After writing this scene, I tried to figure out what it meant, and what I was feeling deep inside. I found it’s about women, art and self-fulfillment. After that, piece by piece, it all kind of came together.

Why did you pick Ayelet Zurer and Lihi Kornowski for the key roles?

After seeing Lihi’s audition, it was obvious she was Sofi Marciano. She had everything the character needed, such as beauty and talent. There was also something devious, witty and mesmerizing about her. With Alice’s role, it was much harder finding the right actress. Israel’s top talent auditioned but something was always missing. Another issue was that the dynamic between Alice and Sofi became a mother/daughter dynamic which is wrong for the show. Then by chance, I texted Ayelet, who was in Israel visiting her mother (she lives in LA), and the moment she walked into the audition, it was clear she was Alice. First of all, she has both the vulnerability and the strength the character needs, which is not an easy combination to find. Very beautiful and talented, so finally- when Ayelet and Lihi met, the chemistry between them was of worthy rivals, and not mother-daughter. They seemed both drawn and intimidated by each other.

“I think in order to improve the statistics, all women must hire other women.” – Sigal Avin

What qualities in these characters do you find interesting?

Sofi is beautiful and mysterious and very sexually open. She’s an ambitious, excellent writer who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. On the other hand, there is a sadness she carries; a secret. Alice, on the one hand, is raising a family and seems to have the perfect life, but something is missing and she’s not satisfied.

I believe the feminist revolution will not reach its peak until we see certain female qualities on screen. It was important for me to see those qualities in these characters. Rage and jealousy and the complex dynamics between a married couple. I wanted to show the real conflicts a woman has, such as going out to direct a film, or creating something and the price you pay if you have a family. The strain it has on the children and the home. To be completely head over heels in one world but suddenly missing from another. These are very tough conflicts every woman director must deal with. I love the fact that Alice wants to go wild, and crosses some major lines – lines we are not used to seeing happily married wives and mothers cross. Usually, they are given a ‘reason’ they can be crossed – providing for the family, saving someone – here the lines are crossed just because that is what the protagonist wants for herself.

What’s been the audience reaction to the series in Israel? What do you see as the main takeaways from the story for audiences everywhere?

Normally, thrillers in Israel are about the political situation, the conflict, and there are a lot of dramas about religion and the army. The neo-noir psychological thriller is a pretty rare genre in Israel. It’s pretty exciting seeing the audience let go and board the psychological journey, trying to solve the puzzle and identifying with Alice’s paranoia. We’re getting a lot of love, and personally I’m getting huge amounts of virtual mail, from both men and women, thanking me for portraying women this way and loving the beauty of the project. A tale on the one hand but very grounded on the other.

“I hope we continue to care for each other, give each other real chances and make sure our stories, including women’s amazing stories, keep being heard and shown.” – Sigal Avin

In 2017-2018, women accounted for only 27 percent of all creators, directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors, and directors of photography on television. What more needs to be done to support women creators?

I think in order to improve the statistics, all women must hire other women. I’m thrilled to say that my crew was 50 percent female, and it wasn’t planned that way. The people chosen were just the best in their area. When you are open to seeing both sexes, and you do not automatically take people the industry is used to working with, you discover a lot of gold and new voices, and a lot of those voices happen to be women. It’s very scary what’s happening in the world right now and specifically in our industry. There are a lot of changes and nothing is clear yet. I hope we continue to care for each other, give each other real chances and make sure our stories, including women’s amazing stories, keep being heard and shown.

Thank you Sigal

(Headshot of Sigal Avin is courtesy of Gabrielle Baharlia)

C.M. Rubin and Sigal Avin

Thank you to our 800 plus global contributors, artists, teachers, entrepreneurs, researchers, business leaders, students and thought leaders from every domain for sharing your perspectives on the future of learning with The Global Search for Education each month.

C. M. Rubin (Cathy) is the Founder of CMRubinWorld, an online publishing company focused on the future of global learning, and the co-founder of Planet Classroom. She is the author of three best-selling books and two widely read online series. Rubin received 3 Upton Sinclair Awards for “The Global Search for Education.” The series, which advocates for Youth, was launched in 2010 and brings together distinguished thought leaders from around the world to explore the key education issues faced by nations.

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