Over one hundred years ago, a few bold visionaries recognized the imperative to establish a nexus of research and technological advancement on Haifa’s Mount Carmel. The goal: to build the State of Israel physically and discover breakthroughs that would drive change around the world.

From their determination came the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Film producer and director Uri Rosenwaks created the inspiring documentary “Technion 10²” to celebrate and reflect on the impact that the university has had on the State of Israel and beyond. As the documentary moves through the Jewish film festival circuit here in the United States, I had the pleasure of going behind the scenes with Uri to discuss the challenges and joys of the filmmaking process.

Michael: So far audiences in the US are loving the documentary – it’s been such a great way to come together and celebrate the Technion’s contributions to Israel and world, especially in this time of adversity and growing antisemitism. Why were you interested in creating this film?

Uri: I was familiar with the Technion from two of my previous projects, “The Nobelists” and “The Bay.” The first is a five-part docuseries about the Israeli Nobel Laureates, three of whom are Technion scientists: Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko, and Dan Shechtman. “The Bay” is a three-part docuseries aimed at highlighting the work of environmental activists in Haifa Bay, and the leader of the movement, Dr. Lihi Shachar-Berman, was a Technion alum. Aside from my work, however, the Technion is of course very well known throughout Israel for its exceptional educational experience and research contributions.

Keep reading at blogs.timesofisrael.com.

This article was written by American Technion Society CEO Michael Waxman-Lenz.