Jem Cohen
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Jem Alan Cohen (born 1962, Kabul, Afghanistan) is a New York City-based filmmaker known for his observational portraits of urban landscapes, blending of media formats (16mm, Super 8, video) and collaborations with music artists. He was born in Afghanistan where his father was working for the U.S. Agency for Information and Development. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1984.
Cohen's longer works include his feature film, CHAIN, (Berlin Film Festival premiere, 2004), and the experimental documentary, Instrument, (Rotterdam Film Fest premiere, 1999) a portrait of the D.C.-punk band Fugazi that was ten years in the making. Another film that covers a ten year arc, Benjamin Smoke, is about the life of the frontman of the Atlanta, Georgia band Smoke. Other works of note are Lost Book Found, his Walter Benjamin-inspired portrait of New York City, Buried in Light, a series of connected Central and Eastern European city portraits, and his short film about the late Elliott Smith, Lucky Three. In 2002, Cohen made Chain X Three, a precurser to the CHAIN feature film, which was exhibited as a three-channel installation. His concert film of the Dutch band The Ex, Building a Broken Mousetrap, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2006. Cited inspirations (to which his films have been dedicated) include filmmakers Jean Vigo, Chris Marker, and John Cassavetes.
In 2005, Cohen curated the four-day FUSEBOX Festival in Ghent, Belgium. A celebratory gathering "at the crossroads of film, music, and activism," participants included Guy Picciotto (Fugazi), Patti Smith and Tom Verlaine, The Evens, and a side project of Montreal's Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, called Thee Silver Mountain Elegies Play War Radio, which formed for the occasion.
Other music artists Cohen has collaborated with over the years include: Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Vic Chesnutt, Terry Riley, Sparklehorse, R.E.M., T.Griffin, Stephen Vitiello, Miracle Legion, and Blonde Redhead.
He has also cited that he has previously worked for the film industry for ten years in the art department as a technician and prop man, however, he has commented that majority of the projects he has worked for were a large waste of money, the better directors he has worked under include Alex Cox, John Sayles, and Martin Scorsese.
[edit] Filmography
- A Road in Florida (1983)
- Witness (1986)
- This is a History of New York (The Golden Age of Reason) (1987)
- Selected City Films (1989)
- Talk About the Passion (1989) collaboration with R.E.M.
- You're the One Lee (1989) collaboration with Miracle Legion
- Glue Man (1989) collaboration with Fugazi
- Light Years (1989)
- Love Teller (1989)collaboration with Ben Katchor
- Never Change (1988) text by Blake Nelson
- 4:44 (from her house) (1989)
- What does Away Mean? PSA (1989)
- Marks Town (1991)
- Drink Deep (1991)
- Black Hole Radio (1992) single channel version and video installation
- Nightswimming (1993)
- Drift (1993)
- Buried in Light (1993)
- Sun Project (1994)
- Coney Island End of God the Way It Must Be (1996)
- Lost Book Found (1996)
- Lucky Three (1997)
- Amber City (1999)
- Instrument (1999)
- Blood Orange Sky (1999)
- Waterfront Diaries (New York) (2000)
- Nice Evening, Transmission Down (2001)
- Little Flags (2000)
- Benjamin Smoke (2000)
- George Thief (2002)
- The Foxx and Little Vic (2002)
- Cat Power: Live from Fur City (2002)
- Chain X Three (2002)
- Chain (2004)
- NYC Weights and Measures (2005)
- Blessed Are the Dreams of Men (2006)
- Building a Broken Mouse Trap (2006)
- Free (2007)
[edit] Trivia
- Cohen organized, and is credited as a producer on the upcoming Vic Chesnutt record, "North Star Deserter." He designed the cover, as he did for the last four Fugazi records.
- Some of Jem's Super 8-footage was used in the Sonic Youth video "Do You Believe in Rapture?"
