Yulie Cohen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yulie Cohen יולי כהן
Born	July 5, 1956 (1956-07-05) (age 68) Tzahala
Nationality	Israeli
Other names	Yulie Gerstel, Yulie Cohen-Gerstel
Occupation	Filmmaker, lecturer
Notable work	My Terrorist

Yulie Cohen (in Hebrew: יולי כהן; born July 5, 1956) is an Israeli documentary filmmaker. She is known for making films that explore personal stories and big ideas. Her most famous work is My Terrorist, a film about forgiveness and understanding.

About Yulie Cohen

Yulie Cohen was born in Tzahala, a neighborhood in Israel, on July 5, 1956. Her family has lived in Israel for many generations. Her father, Miki Cohen, was an engineer and helped start the Palmach Museum. Her mother, Tami Cohen, is part of a group called Machsom Watch, which works for human rights.

Yulie studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and then at Tel Aviv University, where she earned a degree in understanding people and societies in 1982. She then moved to the United States and got another degree in communications in 1985. While there, she worked for the Israeli government.

A Difficult Experience

In 1978, Yulie was working as a flight attendant for El Al, an airline. She was hurt during an attack in London. She was wounded in her arm, and a colleague was sadly killed. This event deeply affected her. Years later, she decided to make a film about her journey to understand and connect with the person involved in the attack. This film, My Terrorist, became very well-known and won many awards.

Starting Her Film Career

After her studies, Yulie began working in the film industry in New York and Los Angeles. She started with jobs like helping on set and managing film projects. She worked on several independent films, learning all about how movies are made.

In 1986, Yulie married Moshe "Chico" Gerstel. They moved back to Israel in 1988 to start their family. Yulie taught filmmaking and worked as an assistant director on a film called Ma Kara? (What Happened?). She has two daughters, Stav and Sahar. Yulie and Moshe later divorced in 2004. Today, Yulie lives in Jaffa with her partner, Adam Freeman.

Yulie Cohen's Films

In 1993, Yulie Cohen became an independent filmmaker, meaning she started making her own films. Her first projects were short documentaries for Israeli TV channels, like Einayim Sheli (My Eyes), which showed children's hobbies. She also directed her first documentary, Hemdat Yamim.

In 1995, Yulie helped start a radio station called Radio Tel Aviv (102FM). She was the Vice President there for three years. Later, in 1998, she helped produce a political comedy film called Circus Palestine. This film was nominated for seven Ophir Awards, which are like the Israeli Academy Awards, and won five!

The "My" Trilogy

Yulie Cohen is most famous for her trilogy of documentary films, which explore personal and national identity.

My Terrorist (2002)

This film is the first in her trilogy. It tells the story of Yulie's journey to understand the person who hurt her in the 1978 London attack. The film shows her efforts to seek understanding and call for peace. My Terrorist won awards at film festivals and was shown in over 20 countries. Yulie also traveled to universities like Harvard and Berkeley to talk about the film.

My Land Zion (2004)

The second film in the trilogy, My Land Zion, shows Yulie's personal journey across Israel. It looks at three generations of different families, including her own, to explore their connections to the land. The film premiered at the Rehovot International Women's Film Festival and was shown at many festivals worldwide.

My Brother (2007)

This is the third film in the trilogy. It follows Yulie's attempts to reconnect with her brother. They had lost touch after he chose a very religious lifestyle and moved to a very religious city. The film explores their different paths and the challenges of family relationships. It was very popular when it was shown on Israeli TV.

My Israel (2008)

In 2007, the BBC asked Yulie to combine her three "My" films into one new film called My Israel. This film included some new scenes and was shown on the BBC in 2008 to celebrate 60 years since Israel was founded. Critics really liked it, and it has been shown many times since.

Other Film Projects

Yulie has also created video art pieces, like "Bibliography," which was about her great-grandfather. In 2014, she co-produced and directed A Minor Shrine For Our Love, a documentary about an art exhibition. She continues to work on new film projects.

Teaching and Education

Since 2009, Yulie Cohen has been teaching film and leading workshops at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, which is a famous art school in Israel. She also teaches at other film and art schools. She helps students learn how to direct films and develop their own projects. In 2020, Yulie won an award for her excellent teaching at Bezalel.

Filmography

Video Art

• "Bibliography" – about Yulie's great-grandfather Yosef Eliyahu Chelouche
• "13.12.03" – created with Yonatan Vinitzky, shown at the Jerusalem Film Festival in 2004
• "Whither Thou Goest: Self-portrait" – shown at Docaviv in 2014

Images for kids

• 

  Still from the film My Terrorist (2002)

• 

  Photograph of Cohen and her estranged brother as children; from the film My Brother (2007)

• 

  Still from the film My Land Zion (2004)

• 

  Image from the film My Israel" (2008)

See also

• List of female film and television directors