DROR SOREF | PRODUCER & writer
Dror Soref is an award-winning Hollywood screenwriter, writer, director and producer. Dror made his directorial debut with music videos including Weird Al Yankovic’s early ones, helping to propel the comedic singer to stardom. After attending USC School of Cinema, he directed the Hugo Award nominated Platinum Blonde, which led Paramount Studios’ president to offer Dror a contract to develop projects at the studio to write and direct.
While at Paramount, The Seventh Coin became Dror’s debut as a feature film writer/director, starring Peter O’Toole and garnering multiple awards.
Among many of his other credits, Dror co-produced the movie Basic for Columbia Pictures, starring John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. He later wrote, directed and produced the critically acclaimed and Saturn Award nominee for Best Science Fiction Not Forgotten starring Simon Baker, Paz Vega and Chloë Grace Moretz.
Throughout his career Dror also directed or executive produced over a hundred commercials for top brands such as Coca Cola, Ford Motor Company, Sony, Nestle, McDonald’s, and many others.
Dror joins the Illuminate roster to offer film and screenwriting courses and seminars at our GrowthCamp retreats in Europe and other global locations.
Dror's Story
Award-winning Hollywood writer-director-producer, Dror Soref, began his career as a screenwriter when the president of 20th Century Fox read Soref’s first screenplay and offered it to icon of international cinema, Francois Truffaut (The 400 Blows, Jules and Jim, Day for Night), to direct. While the latter was too sick to accept, the Studio chief asked Soref to serve as his story analyst, which he enthusiastically accepted.
At the encouragement of Fox president, Soref began directing music videos for “Weird Al” Yankovic, helping to establish the rock parodist as a major star. Following his success in music videos, Soref directed Platinum Blonde, an inspirational short that was nominated for the Gold Hugo Award for Best Short Film at the Chicago International Film Festival.
Platinum Blonde drew the attention of Paramount Studio’s President. Consequently, Soref was retained under contract to develop projects at the Studio for him to write and direct.
With the help of the Paramount, The Seventh Coin became Soref’s debut as a feature film writer/director. The Seventh Coin, starring Peter O’Toole, won two festival awards including Best Picture. Soref also dabbled in episodic television, directing a number of episodes of “Power Rangers,” the hit children TV series.
He later signed a multiple-picture deal with the legendary Hollywood mogul Mike Medavoy (Black Swan, Shutter Island) with one for Soref himself to direct. The first motion picture under this deal was Basic starring John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, released by Columbia Pictures.
Soref wrote and directed the thriller Not Forgotten, starring Simon Baker, Paz Vega and Chloe Grace Moretz. The film was selected for a Special Screening at the Slamdance Film Festival and was accorded rave reviews by The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, eventually nominated for the Saturn Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
Soref is currently hired to write, produce and direct a trilogy of feature films, titled The Amani Chronicles, a young adult adventure ‘dramedy’ (comedy/ drama) inspired by Jan Austen’s most famous novel Pride and Prejudice.
Soref received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Haifa, Israel, graduating with Honors. Soref studied film production in the Master of Fine Arts program at the School of Cinema Arts of the University of Southern California (USC).
Locations
Dror can be requested for the following Illuminate locations:
California (coming soon)
Costa Rica (coming soon)
Mexico (coming soon)
Sicily
Firenza (Florence)
Rimini
Portugal (coming soon)
Carcassonne (France)
England
Scotland
Global
Luminary Enlightenment
Dror offers several courses and seminars in film and screenwriting, providing an in-depth Hollywood insider’s knowledge of the industry. If you’re looking to get into movies, or just have a passing interest, then select Dror to request him to attend one of your retreats and give you the lowdown.
- Screenwriting and the art of dramatic writing.
- A step by step guide to producing a movie.
- A step by step guide to directing a movie, TV show or new media content.
- “The Business of Showbusiness” the REAL nuts-and-bolts behind the glamour.
- “Rebel with a Cause” how to to turn your issue-oriented project into an advantage in the filmmaking marketplace.
- “Swimming with Sharks” how to get started and survive in Hollywood (and even get to tell about it).
More Details
The courses include writing (the idea is king, art of dramatic writing, characters development); directing (preparations, directing actors/etiquette, rehearsals, visualization); ‘physical production’ from planning and budgeting, to crewing and casting. The “Business of Show-business” is how to finance it, distribute it, and make money. “Rebel with a Cause” relates to specific type of projects, how to turn a disadvantage into advantage; and the “Swimming with Sharks” is more anecdotal advice on how to survive the Hollywood grind, etiquette, attitude and what steps to take and avoid.
