The first project from Denise Di Novi and Nina Tassler’s new company, PatMa Productions, will be a limited series about Israel’s first and only female prime minister, Golda Meir. According to Deadline, Di Novi and Tassler plan to adapt Francine Klagsbrun’s non-fiction book “Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel” for the project.
Di Novi and Tassler obtained the rights to Klagsbrun’s book in “a competitive bidding situation.” PatMa’s dedication to inclusivity is reportedly one of the reasons Klagsbrun eventually decided to partner with the company.
Born in Kiev and raised in Wisconsin, Meir relocated to the Middle East in 1921. She was a vocal Zionist and integral to the formation of Israel. Klagsbrun’s book traces Kiev’s upbringing, career, and “her rise to become the new nation’s first and only female prime minister.” Meir, known as the Mother of Israel, also taught and worked in several government roles, including Minister of Labor and Foreign Minister. She died in 1978.
No word on the series’ director or cast yet.
“One of the things that frustrates us is that there are so many incredible women in history whose stories have not been told,” Di Novi told Deadline. “Golda Meir is one of the greatest and most prominent figures in world history and her entire life as a wife, mother, teacher, and creator of a country in one of the most complicated nations in the world should be told. We feel the depth of her story, and we think it’s an incredible role for an actor. It’s so compelling.”
Tassler added, “one of the things that struck us was that many of the issues that she had to contend to in her day — childcare, education, and being the only woman in a roomful of men — those issues that she was dealing with are as relevant today. Even while she was involved in establishing the nation of Israel, she traveled throughout this country and grew up in Milwaukee, so this is as much an American story as it is one of Israel’s.”
Di Novi and Tassler started PatMa earlier this year in order create more diverse, gender-balanced content. The company has already partnered with organizations that share its passion for gender equality and inclusivity, such as the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, Center for Popular Democracy, and Planned Parenthood.
“Story of Moses” and “Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath Day” are among Klagsbrun’s other books. In the ’70s the award-winning author voted to allow women to be ordained as rabbis as part of a Jewish Theological Seminary of America special commission. Klagsbrun was the first woman to carry a Torah to the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
