Ariel Kleiman, an award-winning Australian filmmaker, first made waves on the international stage with a string of bold and experimental short films. It was around 2008 when Ariel Kleiman’s name started gaining recognition, particularly for his evocative short “Young Love,” a project that hinted at the director’s unique storytelling voice. Born on April 22, 1985, in Melbourne, Australia, Ariel Kleiman discovered his passion for cinema while studying at the Victoria College of the Arts, where he began pushing creative boundaries through film.
By the mid-2000s, Ariel Kleiman’s work was already traveling the global festival circuit. His 2008 short “Young Love” earned an honorable mention in the Short Filmmaking Award category at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival—an early sign of the acclaim to come. Then came “Deeper Than Yesterday” in 2011, a haunting exploration of isolation aboard a submarine, where the psychological strain on its crew unfolds in gripping fashion. This particular short solidified Ariel Kleiman’s reputation as a visionary talent, winning multiple prestigious honors: the Discovery Award and Small Golden Rail at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, the Short Filmmaking Award at Sundance in 2011, and Best Screenplay in a Short Film from the Australian Film Institute.
Before transitioning into feature-length filmmaking, Ariel Kleiman spent time honing his craft through television commercials and music videos—projects that allowed him to experiment further with tone, pacing, and visual language. All of this led to his directorial debut in features: Partisan (2015), a dark, dystopian fantasy that showcased Ariel Kleiman’s growing ambition. Starring Vincent Cassel as the enigmatic leader of a secluded commune that trains children as assassins, the film drew widespread attention for its unsettling atmosphere and moral complexity.
Notably, Partisan received crucial support through the Sundance Institute’s 2012 Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award—an honor that granted Ariel Kleiman $10,000 and access to invaluable creative resources from the Sundance labs. The film went on to be selected for the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize competition at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, marking a significant milestone in Ariel Kleiman’s evolving career. With each project, Ariel Kleiman continues to establish himself as a bold and uncompromising voice in contemporary cinema.
Well, when it comes to Ariel Kleiman, things get a bit interesting—his highest rated movie happens to be Partisan (2015), and oddly enough, the same film also holds the spot as his lowest rated. Yeah, you heard that right—Ariel Kleiman’s most talked-about work, Partisan (2015), seems to have sparked quite a range of opinions. So, whether critics loved it or weren’t quite feeling it, one thing’s for sure: Ariel Kleiman definitely made an impact with that release. It’s kind of rare, but with Ariel Kleiman, Partisan (2015) stands out as both a high and low point in his filmography so far.