About the Film

Ada Karmi Melamede is one of the most accomplished female architects in the world, but very little is known about her outside her home country of Israel. ADA – MY MOTHER THE ARCHITECT is a deeply moving portrait of an extraordinary woman directed by her daughter, filmmaker, and former architect, Yael Melamede. Ada is a true pioneer who, like many successful working mothers of her time, was forced to make impossible choices. Despite personal sacrifices, Ada’s work gave physical form to some of Israel’s highest democratic ideals, most notably in the acclaimed Supreme Court building in Jerusalem,  the Open University, Ben Gurion airport, and numerous civic institutions around the country. ADA – MY MOTHER THE ARCHITECT profiles a woman and artist deeply tested by the realities of career and motherhood, and a unique mother–daughter bond.

Campaign Story

We are raising funds to distribute this documentary feature film independently around the world, beginning in the United States on Mother’s Day – May 2025.  This is a challenging moment for Israeli films in the US and abroad and we believe ADA is a film that provides a unique opportunity to showcase a different perspective on Israel.  It also addresses big ideas around architecture and design, creativity, and home – in all its complexities.  ADA premiered at the Jerusalem Film Festival where it won the Aaron Emanuel Award for Best Cinematography and has since screened at the Woodstock Film Festival, the Architecture and Design Film Festivals (in NYC, Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Chicago), the New York Jewish Film Festival and more. We have had sold out screenings and standing ovations for the film.  We hope to be able to bring the film to a broader audience outside the festival circuit. With your support, we will be able to bring this beautiful, subtle and important film to audiences worldwide – in theaters, museums, schools, universities, and ultimately online.  

Artist Statement 

Every day, we see, breathe, and inhabit architecture in our homes, offices, and the spaces we visit. Yet most people think of architecture as removed and remote. As a filmmaker and former architect, I wanted to reimagine the heroic image of architecture and architects often portrayed in books and movies and find a way to make this essential practice more relevant and relatable. I found that opportunity close to home with the story of my mother, Ada Karmi Melamede.

Ada is a particularly poignant figure for our time.  She has spent the last four decades working in Israel, dedicated to a humanistic architecture that reflects the values of the idealistic and socialist country she grew up with, while the values around her – professionally and politically – have radically changed.  

This film began with questions about “place” and “home”. The Israeli story is often relegated to a binary lens, but the reality is far more complicated. As many of us are shaken by the fragility of the democracies we call home, Ada gives us ways to think about persevering despite the challenges.

Director and Producer’s Bio

Yael Melamede (Director) –Yael Melamede is the co-founder of SALTY Features—an independent production company based in New York City whose goal is to create media that is thought-provoking, vital, and enhances the world. Melamede’s documentary credits include DEATH&TAXES  2024),FLOYD ABRAMS: SPEAKING FREELY (2023), PAY OR DIE (2023), the Jigsaw Productions/Amblin Entertainment six-part series WHY WE HATE ( 2019), WHEN I WALK (News & Documentary Emmy Award Winner 2015), (DIS)HONESTY—THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES (2015), INOCENTE (Academy Award Winner- Best Doc Short 2013), BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN (2009), and MY ARCHITECT (Academy Award Nominee 2004). Yael was an architect before becoming a filmmaker and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Hilla Medalia (Producer) – Hilla Medalia is a Peabody winning and Emmy nominated director/producer with over 20 years of experience in the documentary field. She is the founder of award-winning Medalia Productions whose films have aired by the leading broadcasters in the world, including MTV, HBO, Arte, Netflix, Paramount, and BBC and screened at the Venice Biennale, Cannes, Berlinale and Sundance, among others. Her range of titles include: ‘Prisoner X’ (JFF 2023), ‘Mourning in Lod’ 2023 (MTV Documentaries, DocAviv) ‘Innocence’ 2022 (Venice International Film Festival), ‘H2: The Occupation Lab’ 2022 (DocAviv), ’Love & Stuff’ 2020 (HotDocs, DOCNYC), ‘Leftover Women’ 2019 (Tribeca, ARTE), ‘The Oslo Diaries’ 2018 (Sundance, HBO), ‘Censored Voices’ 2015, (Sundance Film Festival and Berlinale). Hilla is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the PGA, and she holds an M.A. from Southern Illinois University

Simon Kilmurry (Executive Producer) – Simon Kilmurry is a documentary producer. He has received one PrimeTime Emmy Award, 17 News & Documentary Emmys, and eight Peabody Awards. He is a Governor of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, a member of the Producers Guild of America, the Television Academy, and served on the board of jurors of the Peabody Awards from 2016-2022. He is a board member of Jewish Story Partners and an advisor to The Redford Center and Firelight Media. Previously he was the executive producer of “POV” on PBS (2007-2015) and co-founded the WORLD Channel documentary series “America ReFramed”.