Julie Cohen expected to attend
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival’s Freedom of Expression Award, presented annually to a distinguished filmmaker or artist, honors the unfettered imagination, which is the cornerstone of a free, just, and open society. JFI is honored to present this year’s award to Julie Cohen, an Academy Award®-nominated documentarian and SFJFF alumni (The Sturgeon Queens, SFJFF34 and My Name Is Pauli Murray, SFJFF41). Cohen is a renowned filmmaker who has made work recontextualizing important overlooked elements of history and exploring thought leaders and activists from marginalized communities. She and Betsy West co-directed the film RBG which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to be Oscar-nominated, also winning a BAFTA and the Cinema for Peace Award for Women's Empowerment. Her films My Name Is Pauli Murray, Julia, Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, and Every Body each explores the impact of female and gender nonconforming figures and analyzes the cultural moments in which they lived. For her commitment to keeping these histories in the public eye, her insight around gender and justice, and her skillful filmmaking, JFI is proud to present Cohen with the Freedom of Expression Award.