Directed by Jem Cohen and Peter Sillen • 2000 • United States
Far from a standard music documentary, Jem Cohen and Peter Sillen’s loving portrait of underground musician Benjamin Smoke—speed freak, drag queen, and a true outsider artist in every sense of the word—captures his singular personality (described by Cohen as a kind of “Deep South, dirt-poor Oscar Wilde”), mesmerizing performances, and the unique world of his Cabbagetown neighborhood in Atlanta. Filmed in evocative black and white, BENJAMIN SMOKE is a poignant tribute to a life lived totally and uncompromisingly on the margins.
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Chain
Directed by Jem Cohen • 2004 • United States
Starring Miho Nikaido, Mira Billotte, Minda MartinAs regional character disappears and corporate culture homogenizes our surroundings, it’s increasingly hard to tell where you are. In Jem Cohen’s mesmerizing blend of narrative and documentary observa...
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Museum Hours
Directed by Jem Cohen • 2012 • Austria, United States
Starring Mary Margaret O’Hara, Bobby Sommer, Ela PiplitsAcclaimed experimental filmmaker Jem Cohen applies his singular vision to narrative in this mesmerizing tale of two adrift strangers who find refuge in Vienna’s grand Kunsthistorisches ...
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Counting
Directed by Jem Cohen • 2015 • United States
In fifteen linked chapters shot in locations ranging from Moscow to New York to Istanbul, Jem Cohen merges city symphony, diary film, and personal/political essay to create a vivid portrait of contemporary life. Perhaps the most personal of Cohen's fi...
