Julia Bacha (born 1980) is a Brazilian documentary filmmaker. She has filmed under-documented stories from the Middle East including issues related to Palestine. Her 2021 film, ''Boycott'', explores anti-boycott legislation and related freedom of speech issues.

Background

Bacha was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

, Brazil. When she was 17 she moved to the US to study Middle Eastern history and politics at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

. She got accepted to

Tehran University The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching p ...

for a Master's degree but could not acquire a visa, and instead went to Cairo to work on a documentary, ''Control Room''. In 2003, she graduated from the Columbia University School of General Studies.

Career

Bacha has filmed under documented stories from the Middle East. In 2004, she was the co-writer (with director Jehane Noujaim) and editor of ''

Control Room A control room or operations room is a central space where a large physical facility or physically dispersed service can be monitored and controlled. It is often part of a larger command center. Overview A control room's purpose is produc ...

'', a documentary about

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazee ...

. Bacha and Noujaim received a nomination for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay for the film. Two years later, she co-directed (with

Ronit Avni Ronit Avni is a Canadian entrepreneur, tech founder, human rights advocate, and Peabody Award-winning film director and producer. Early life and education Avni was born and raised in Canada. She graduated with honors with a B.A. in political ...

) the documentary ''

Encounter Point ''Encounter Point'' is a film directed by Ronit Avni and Julia Bacha. It depicts different families that have been affected by the violence in Israel between Israelis and Palestinians. In this film, Just Vision, a non-profit organization, follows ...

'', which was the official selection at

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was ...

, Hot Docs, Jerusalem Film Festival,

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

and

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in in ...

s, where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Bacha directed the 2009 documentary '' Budrus'', which was shown at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival and became runner up in the festival's documentary competition. ''Budrus'' won over 18 international prizes, including the 2012 PUMA Creative.Impact Award, the $50,000 prize is given to the documentary film that had the greatest impact on society. By 2006, Bacha had become creative director at the non-profit

Just Vision Just Vision is a non religiously unaffiliated nonprofit organization that utilizes storytelling, media and public engagement campaigns to highlight Palestinian and Israeli grassroots leaders working to end the occupation and conflict through unarm ...

. In 2013, her 2012 film ''My Neighbourhood'' won the

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

and premiered online at ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

''. In 2014, it won a Special Mention at the Social Impact Media Awards. On November 12, 2017, her film ''Naila and the Uprising'' (2017) premiered at the DOC NYC film festival. Bacha's latest feature-length documentary, ''

Boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict s ...

'', which explores anti-BDS laws and related freedom of speech issues, premiered in November 2021 at Doc NYC. The film tells the stories of people in three states who refused to sign a pledge to not boycott Israel as a condition for receiving state funds and contracts, deciding instead to challenge their states' anti-boycott legislation as unconstitutional. The film was funded by grants from groups including Doc Society,

International Documentary Association International Documentary Association (IDA), founded in 1982, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that promotes nonfiction filmmakers, and is dedicated to increasing public awareness for the documentary genre. Their major program areas are: Advocacy, Filmm ...

, Fork Films and the

Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers fr ...

Filmography

*''

'' (2004) - Co-writer and editor *''

'' (2006) - Co-Director *'' Budrus'' (2009) - Director *''Home Front: Portraits From Sheikh Jarrah'' (2011) - Writer and Producer *''My Neighbourhood'' (2012) - Co-Director and Co-Producer * ''Naila and the Uprising'' (2017) - Director *''

'' (2021) - Director

Awards

* 2003:

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

prize upon graduation from

Julia Bacha page at Just Vision
(retrieved 2010-8-2) * 2009: 2009 King Hussein Leadership Prize (co-recipient) * 2010: Search for Common Ground Award * 2011: Ridenhour Film Prize * 2012: O Globo “Faz Diferença” Award

References

External links