From Soap Operas to 'Don't Fight': Shai Kapon's TV Journey

Shai Kapon has been a constant presence in Israeli television for years, working on major series including "Telenovela Ba’am," "Ha’Alufa," "Bobot," "Avoda Aravit," "HaChalomim," "Metumatemet," "Guf Shlishi," and the recently aired "Lo Leriv" on Kan 11. In an interview on the "Cinema Shut" podcast with Avi Ludmir, he reflected on how he went from wanting to act as a child to becoming one of the industry’s busiest and most respected directors.

Kapon said directing was not his first dream. He began as an actor, later felt he wanted to understand the whole story rather than only one character, and moved into writing and then directing. He also said financial reality pushed him forward, noting, "I had three children and I had to support them. I said I would do everything." He never studied film formally, saying he struggled with structured education and learned on the job, especially on the youth series "Inyan Shel Zman," which taught him text work, rehearsals, and directing actors.

His major break came when producer Danny Paran asked him to direct "Telenovela Ba’am," even though he had no experience with that format. Kapon admitted he did not yet know how to work with a multi-camera studio setup, but took the job anyway and ended up responsible for 120 episodes. He said he often broke the usual rules, moving cameras from fixed positions and using more dynamic shooting, and that the soap operas "Ha’Alufa" and "Bobot" followed. "In telenovelas I learned what directing and working with actors is," he said.

Kapon described his projects as a kind of self-therapy, saying that since "Inyan Shel Zman," his work has been a form of "therapy and self-correction." That approach shaped his work on "Avoda Aravit" with Sayed Kashua and later on series dealing with identity, belonging, family, and power relations. He said one of his biggest experiences was working with Bat Hen Sabag on "Metumatemet," where the creative process centered on vulnerability and on whether people can have relationships not based on power or control.

On "Lo Leriv," which recently premiered on Kan 11, Kapon joined relatively late, only a few months before filming. He said he initially struggled to find the series’ exact tone, but eventually saw it as a story about memories, family, and old wounds. That led him to film it in dusty, nostalgic colors, and he said, "It’s a series shot like a memory and its music is like a memory." He is now developing several new projects, including a large series with creator Shira Haddad, while continuing to read material from young creators and look for his next challenge.