'Life Hacks for Lovers' takes Israeli dance duo to New York City

Life Hacks for Lovers, a short film with Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, two of the brightest stars in the international dance world, both of whom were members of Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company, will be shown in Lincoln Center’s Dance on Camera Festival, which runs from February 9-12 in New York City.  

Smith is an Iowan-born dancer who studied at the Juilliard School and moved to Tel Aviv to dance with Batsheva for 12 years. She returned to the United States about nine years ago, has won acclaim both for her dancing and her choreography, and was the subject of a cover story in Dance Magazine.

Smith's role in other films

Smith has also appeared in and choreographed pieces for movies, including Alex Garland’s film Annihilation, starring Natalie Portman. Schraiber is her personal and professional partner, and the two have a toddler daughter. He is also a choreographer, actor, and dancer and has a role in Terrence Malick’s upcoming film, The Way of the Wind. 

Life Hacks for Lovers is a wildly imaginative comedy romance that uses dance as well as dialogue to tell a playful story inspired by the often wearying world of dating. It was directed by Marc Grey, a Tel Aviv-based writer-director, and it premiered last fall at the Haifa International Film Festival to strong audience reception.

Grey is best known as a television writer on the Emmy-winning international spy thriller, Tehran (on Apple TV+). Life Hacks for Lovers is Grey’s fifth short film. His first, East River, was notable for being the on-screen debut of Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o.

Life Hacks for Lovers will screen on Sunday evening along with five other international dance films in a program called “Human Connections.”