Julia Bacha is an award-winning filmmaker who has worked on films exhibited at the Sundance, Tribeca, Berlin, Jerusalem, and Dubai International Film Festivals, and broadcast on the BBC, HBO, Sundance, CBC and Al Arabiya television channels. Most recently, Julia directed and produced Budrus (2009), about a Palestinian village's sustained nonviolent struggle to save their land from the route of the Separation Barrier. After premiering as the Cultural Bridge Gala film at the Dubai International Film Festival, Budrus won the Audience Award, second prize, at the Berlin International Film Festival. Julia also wrote and co-directed the feature documentary Encounter Point (Typecast Films, 2006), which follows the courageous efforts of Palestinians and Israelis who lost something precious to the conflict and are nevertheless working toward justice and peace in the Middle East. Encounter Point premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in 2006 and won five major international awards, including the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the San Francisco Film Festival. Julia also co-wrote and edited Jehane Noujaim’s critically acclaimed documentary, Control Room (Magnolia Pictures, 2004), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and for which she was nominated to the Writer’s Guild of America Award in 2005. Julia is a Senior Producer and Media Director at Just Vision. She studied Middle Eastern history and politics at Columbia University and upon graduation received the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa award.

Filmography

• Budrus (Director, Producer, 2009)
• Encounter Point, Typecast Films (Co-Director/Writer/Editor, 2006)
• Control Room, Magnolia Pictures (Writer/Editor, 2004)
• Swimmers, Skouras Pictures (Additional Editor, 2005)
• Room, Celluloid Films (Additional Editor, 2005)
• Casamento de Romeu e Julieta, Columbia Pictures (Assistant Editor, 2004)
• Conjoined at the Head, National Geographic, (Editor, 2005)

Broadcasts

• Canal Futura, Brazil, 2009 (Encounter Point)
• STV Sweden, 2008 (Encounter Point)
• BeTV Belgium, 2008 (Encounter Point)
• Al Arabyia, Arab World, 2007 (Encounter Point)
• CBC, Canada, 2007 (Encounter Point)
• Canal +, Poland, 2007 (Encounter Point)
• KBS, Korea, 2007 (Encounter Point)
• BBC, UK, 2004 (Control Room)
• Sundance Channel, USA, 2004 (Control Room)
• National Geographic Channel, USA, 2005 (Conjoined at the Head)

Film Festivals (selected)
Budrus

• Dubai International Film Festival, 2009
• Berlin International Film Festival, 2010

Encounter Point

• Tribeca International Film Festival (New York), 2006
• Hot Docs Film Festival (Toronto), 2006
• San Francisco International Film Festival, 2006
• Dubai International Film Festival, 2006
• Jerusalem International Film Festival, 2006
• São Paulo International Film Festival, 2006
• Vancouver International Film Festival, 2006 
• Rencontres Film Festival (Montreal), 2006
• Al Jazeera Documentary Film Festival (Doha), 2007
• UK Jewish Film Festival, 2007
• International Festival of Muslim Cinema (Kazan, Russia), 2007
• Docupolis Int. Film Festival (Barcelona, Spain), 2007
• 7 Islands International Film Festival (Mumbai, India), 2008
• Petra Film Festival (Petra, Jordan), 2008

Control Room

• Sundance Film Festival, 2004
• Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival, 2004
• Official Selection Full Frame Film Festival, 2004
• Official Selection Silver Docs, 2004

Swimmers

• Sundance Film Festival, 2005

Room

• Sundance Film Festival, 2005
• Cannes Film Festival, 2005

Awards
Encounter Point

• Winner Audience Award Best Documentary at San Francisco International  Film Festival, 2006
• Winner Audience Award Best Documentary at Rencontres International  Film Festival, 2006
• Winner Spirit of Freedom Award, Bahamas International Film Festival, 2006
• Winner Best Musical Score at Bend Film Festival, 2006
• Winner Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary at São Paulo Jewish Film Festivals, 2007
• Winner Best First Documentary, Docupólis Film Festival (Barcelona), 2007

Control Room

• Writer’s Guild of America Award Nominee, 2005
• Winner International Documentary Association Award, 2004
• Winner Grand Jury Prize, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2004
• Winner Seeds of War Prize, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2004
• Winner Best Documentary, Boston Society Film Critics, 2004
• Winner Best Documentary, Online Film Critics Society Awards 2005
• Winner Best Documentary, Seattle Film Critics Awards 2004
• Winner FIPRESCI Prize, Sydney Film Festival, 2004
• Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Nominated 2005
• Independent Spirit Awards, Nominated 2005

Swimmers

• Grand Jury Prize for Best New American Film, Seattle Film Festival, 2005
• Humanitas Prize, Nominated 2005

Room

• Independent Spirit Awards, Nominated to John Cassavetes Award, 2005

Casamento De Remeu E Julieta

• Cinema Brazil Grand Prize, Nominated 2007
• Prêmio Contigo Cinema, Brazil, Winner Jury Award, 2006
• Elcine First Prize, Lima Latin American Film Festival , 2005