Lior Geller

Last updated
Lior Geller
Born1982 (age 4142)
NationalityAmerican, Israeli
Alma mater Tel Aviv University
Occupation(s) Film Producer, Screenwriter, Director and Cinematographer
Known forProducer, Writer and Director of Roads, a student short film that has set a Guinness World Record.

Lior Geller is an Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award nominated Israeli-American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, cinematographer and composer best known for writing, directing and producing the student short film titled "Roads" which holds the Guinness World Record for Most Awards Won by a Short Student Film. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Geller (born 1982) grew up in Highland Park, New Jersey and Ramat Gan, Israel. He studied film at the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University.

Career

Geller started his film career editing movie trailers and writing, directing and producing several short films, including the multiple award winning short film "Roads" which was nominated for a Student Academy Award and currently sets the Guinness World Record for Most Awards Won by a Short Student Film. [5] [6]

In 2008, Geller wrote and directed an Emmy nominated documentary which premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, won multiple awards, was sold to PBS in the United States where it played on its Wide Angle series in 2009, earning Geller an Emmy nomination. [7]

Following the success of "Roads", Geller was brought to Hollywood where he sold his first feature screenplay "Alone in Damascus" to Eric Eisner’s Double E Pictures. [8] After the sale of "Alone in Damascus", Geller went on to sell multiple screenplays as a screenwriter and direct several unscripted television series. [9]

Geller's feature film debut, "We Die Young", premiered at the 2019 Mammoth Film Festival on February 7, 2019 in Mammoth Lakes, CA as the festival’s opening night gala film. [10] Prior to the screening, the film was preemptively purchased by Lionsgate Films for distribution in the United States. [11] Lionsgate released the film on March 1, 2019 to critical acclaim with particular praise for Geller’s direction and the performance of lead actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. [12] John Delia of Aced Magazine gave the film 4 out of 5 stars calling the film “Shocking, violent and emotional…” stating of director Lior Geller's work, “Geller… sets up the audience for a front row seat on a Godfather resembling movie.” [13] "We Die Young" is based on Geller's Oscar nominated short film and stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, Elijah Rodriguez (Sicario: Day of the Soldado), David Castañeda (The Umbrella Academy, End of Watch, Sicario: Day of the Soldado) and Joana Metrass (Once Upon a Time). [14] Geller is also in development of a television series based on the biblical story of The Maccabees. [15]

Awards and nominations

Since 2007 Geller has received numerous awards and nominations setting a Guinness World Record for Most Awards Won by a Short Student Film for Roads. [16] [17]

YearFestivalAwardTitleResult
2007Aubagne International Film FestivalSpecial MentionRoadsWon
Beijing College Student Film Festival Jury AwardWon
Euromed Cafe FondazioneMediterraneoInspiration AwardWon
Jerusalem Film Festival Wolgin Award for Best Short FilmWon
Montpellier Mediterranean Film FestivalYouth Audience AwardWon
Short Film Grand PrizeNominated
2008Festival Inventa Un Film, ItalyThird PrizeWon
Best EditingWon
Best SoundtrackWon
CILECT International Association of Film Schools Best FilmWon
Cinerail Film Festival, ParisGeorges Ragot PrizeWon
Circuito Off Venice International Short Film FestivalRTP2 AwardWon
Special MentionWon
Israel Film FestivalAudience AwardWon
Encounters International Film FestivalInternational Jury AwardNominated
Expresion en Corto International Film Festival Best Fiction Short FilmNominated
FIKE - Évora International Short Film FestivalBest FilmWon
International Festival of Film Schools, MexicoBest FilmWon
Kraków Film Festival Best European Short FilmNominated
Larissa Mediterranean Festival of New FilmmakersSpecial Jury MentionNominated
London Film Festival Prix UIP London (European Short Film)Nominated
Nashville Jewish Film Festival (NJFF)Student Film CompetitionWon
Oberhausen International Short Film Festival Grand PrizeWon
Odense International Film Festival Grand PrixNominated
Potsdam SehsüchteBest FictionNominated
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival Best Short FilmNominated
Student Academy Awards, USAHonorary Foreign Film Award – Best Foreign FilmNominated
São Paulo International Short Film Festival MostraInternacionale– Best FilmNominated
Taipei Film Festival Golden Lion International Student Film CompetitionNominated
Tampere International Short Film Festival Grand PrixNominated
Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival Best International ShortNominated
Tribeca Film Festival Student Visionary AwardNominated
U Frame International Academic Film FestivalJury First PrizeWon
Dubai International Film Festival People’s Choice Award The Heart of Jenin Won
Leipzig DOK FestivalBest DocumentaryWon
Valladolid International Film FestivalBest DocumentaryWon
Warsaw International Film Festival Best DocumentaryWon
Warsaw Jewish Film Festival Special MentionWon
Best Documentary FeatureNominated
Best Fiction ShortRoadsNominated
2009Flickerfest International Short Film FestivalBest FilmNominated
Cinema for Peace AwardsMost Valuable Documentary of the YearsThe Heart of JeninWon
European Film Awards European DocumentaryNominated
The Hague Movies that Matter FestivalAudience AwardWon
AllRights AwardNominated
San Diego Jewish Film Festival Audience AwardRoadsNominated
Utah Arts Festival (Fear No Film)Audience AwardWon
Washington Jewish Film Festival Audience AwardNominated
2010 International Documentary Association IDA Award The Heart of Jenin Nominated
News & Documentary Emmy Awards Emmy Nominated
2011Nuremberg Film Festival "Turkey-Germany"Ongoren PrizeNominated
2019 Mammoth Film Festival Audience AwardWe Die YoungNominated
Best FeatureNominated
Grand Jury AwardNominated
Best ScreenplayNominated

Filmography

Lior Geller has a catalogue of films and documentaries he produced, wrote and directed. The table below chronicles his filmography.

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005 At the Green Line CinematographerDocumentary
2007RoadsDirector, producer and WriterShort
2008 The Heart of Jenin Director, writerDocumentary (as Leon Geller)
2009 Wide Angle Director, writerTV series documentary (1 episode)
2010Target: Happiness DirectorTV series (6 episodes)
2016HatchedDirectorTV series (6 episodes)
2017H1Z1: Fight for the CrownDirector, Editor, Musician (guitar)TV mini-series
2019 We Die Young Director, writer, EditorFeature Film

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References

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