A Moment of Truth with Roni Koban: The Art of the Interview and the Conversation
Journalist Roni Koban (“Uvda,” “Pgisha,” “Tziporei Laila”) has spent the past two decades interviewing leading figures
in Israeli culture, economics, and politics. His acclaimed TV program “Pgisha” (Meeting) has won the Israeli Academy Award
for Best Interview Program eight years in a row.
Koban was the first to convince businessman Yitzhak Tshuva to face the cameras, accompanied Shimon Peres during
his final political campaign, and spent months following Csongor Czuczi, a European neo-Nazi leader who one day discovered he was Jewish — a documentary piece that earned widespread praise.
His moving report on Sharon Bloch, who was forced to part from Ram, the Sudanese baby she had fostered, broke national
rating records and touched viewers across the country.
How does one reach a moment of truth with seasoned media lions like Yossi Sarid or Woody Allen?
What happens when the interviewee simply stays silent?
How do you create intimacy, and what makes for a truly engaging conversation? How do you overcome embarrassment
and ask the tough questions?
In this talk — enriched with clips from some of his most memorable interviews — Koban shares the principles behind meaningful dialogue: how to truly talk to people, not just on television, but in life itself.
Roni Koban is a journalist, director, and playwright, recognized as one of Israel’s leading documentary creators and interviewers.
He is a recipient of the Israeli Academy of Film and Television Award and the Documentary Filmmakers Forum Award
for his series “A Life Like We’ve Never Seen Before,” exploring the life and work of Hanoch Levin.