Jem Cohen

Jem Alan Cohen, born in 1962, is an renowned Afghan-born American filmmaker hailing from New York City. Renowned for his observational portraits of urban landscapes and collaborations with musicians, his blending of various media formats such as sixteen-millimeter, Super 8, and videotape sets his style apart. Apart from films, Cohen is also known for creating multichannel installations and still photography, exemplified by his show at the Robert Miller Gallery in 2009. Cohen is not just recognized for his versatility, but also for his quality. His expertise and vision have earned him the much coveted Independent Spirit Award for feature filmmaking, along with grants from prominent organizations, including the Guggenheim, Creative Capital, Rockefeller and Alpert Foundations, and, the National Endowment for the Arts. His work has been widely recognized and included in collections of renowned art institutes like the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the ACMI in Melbourne. Cohen, in line with his sociopolitical and artistic views, stands averse to the mainstream Hollywood industry. He applied the DIY ethos of Punk Rock to his filmmaking approach and developed a distinctive style that has come to characterise his work. His portfolio is extensive, including his notable feature film, Museum Hours, experimental documentary Instrument about the DC punk band Fugazi, and others like Chain, Benjamin Smoke, and the distinctive short film about late Elliot Smith, Lucky Three. Cohen’s strong ties to the music industry is noted through his collaborations with bands like Fugazi, and his active involvement in the four-day FUSEBOX Festival in Ghent, Belgium in 2005.