Boaz Yakin
{{short description|American screenwriter and film director}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2007}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Boaz Yakin
| image =
| caption =
| native_name = בועז יכין
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1965|06|20}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| occupation = {{hlist|Screenwriter|director|producer}}
| known_for = Remember the Titans
| spouse = {{marriage|Alma Har'el|2004|2012|end=div}}
| yearsactive = 1989-present
}}
Boaz Yakin ({{langx|he|בועז יכין}}, born June 20, 1965)[https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/yakin-boaz-1965 Profile] at encyclopedia.com is an Israeli-American screenwriter, film director, and producer based in New York City. He has written screenplays to films like The Rookie, Fresh, A Price Above Rubies, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Now You See Me, and has directed the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans and the 2012 Jason Statham action film Safe. As a producer he has collaborated frequently with filmmaker Eli Roth and served as executive producer for the first two entries in the Hostel franchise.
Early life
Yakin was born in New York City. Both his parents are Israeli-born,{{cite web| url= http://www.ffeu.org/2000%20annual%20report%20for%20web.pdf |title= Annual Report| date= 2000| publisher= Foundation for Ethnic Understanding | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120311002213/http://www.ffeu.org/2000%20annual%20report%20for%20web.pdf |archive-date= March 11, 2012 |access-date= November 16, 2009| website= FFEU.org}} and met in Paris while studying miming with Marcel Marceau.[https://archive.today/20130116164351/http://www.allrovi.com/name/boaz-yakin-mn0001924515 Biography of Boaz Yakin], in allrovi.com His father's family are of Syrian Jewish and Egyptian Jewish descent, and his mother's family is of Ashkenazi Polish Jewish descent.{{cite web| url= http://www.jewishjournal.com/the_ticket/item/through_a_dogs_ordeal_director_focuses_on_humanity | title= Through a dog's ordeal, director focuses on humanity| first= Naomi| last= Pfefferman| date= July 8, 2015 | website= jewishjournal.com| access-date= March 18, 2018}}
He attended the Bronx High School of Science, where he was classmates in 1983 with actor Jon Cryer. He studied filmmaking at City College of New York then at New York University and made his first deal for a screenplay at age 19.
Career
After finishing school, Yakin worked in the film industry, developing projects for several companies, and saw his first screenplay reach the screen in 1989, when The Punisher, a vehicle for Dolph Lundgren, was released. Yakin's next screenplay was The Rookie, starring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen. Wanting to take on more personal material, Yakin drew from his experiences growing up in New York's inner city for his next screenplay, Fresh. Yakin opted to direct his screenplay for Fresh himself. The film won critical acclaim, earning the Filmmaker's Trophy at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.
Yakin went back to his youth for inspiration on his next project. His experience with the Chassidic community informed his screenplay for A Price Above Rubies. Yakin rebounded with his next assignment, which was his first film that he directed but did not write; Remember the Titans was a major box office success, and moved him to the upper tier of bankable Hollywood talents.
His Holocaust drama Death in Love debuted in January 2008. Yakin describes it as a movie about the failure of the family and inability to change your past.Davis, Barry. [http://www.jpost.com/arts-and-culture/entertainment/sometimes-you-have-to-invest-yourself "Sometimes you have to invest yourself"], The Jerusalem Post, July 16, 2008.
He was a member of the US Dramatic Jury at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.[http://www.sundance.org/pdf/press-releases/2009-01-24-awards-cl.pdf Sundance Film Festival Announces Awards 2009], Sundance Festival
In 2010, it was announced that Yakin would direct Sympathy for the Devil, with Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Duhamel in the cast.[http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/35465/samuel-l-jackson-and-josh-duhamel-show-sympathy-devil Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Duhamel to Show Sympathy for the Devil] The project was still in development as of 2014.
Yakin's family film Max was released by Warner Bros. and MGM on June 26, 2015.{{cite news|last=McNary|first=Dave|title=Dog Tale 'Max,' Starring Josh Wiggins, Fetches Jan. 30 Release Date|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/dog-tale-max-starring-josh-wiggins-fetches-jan-30-release-date-1201196205/|access-date=May 30, 2014|newspaper=variety.com|date=May 30, 2014|archive-date=June 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608194222/https://variety.com/2014/film/news/dog-tale-max-starring-josh-wiggins-fetches-jan-30-release-date-1201196205/|url-status=dead}}
His 2020 film, Aviva, was set to premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, but was released publicly because of the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web|last=Hoffman|first=Jordan|title=Why Hollywood director Boaz Yakin's newest project is a gender-fluid art film|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/why-hollywood-director-boaz-yakins-newest-project-is-a-gender-fluid-art-film/|access-date=2020-06-16|website=www.timesofisrael.com|language=en-US}}
Personal life
Yakin was married to Israeli music video director Alma Har'el.{{cite web| url= http://swindlemagazine.com/news/alma-harel-rocks-with-the-rolling-stones/ |title= Alma Har'el Rocks With The Rolling Stones | first= Anne |last= Keehn |work= Swindle | issue= 15| archive-date= April 12, 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090412164539/http://swindlemagazine.com/news/alma-harel-rocks-with-the-rolling-stones/ | access-date= June 15, 2013}} The couple divorced in 2012.
Filmography
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! width="65"| Director ! width="65"| Writer ! width="65"| Producer |
|---|
| 1989
| {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
| 1990
| {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
| 1994
| Fresh | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
| 1998
| {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
| 1999
| From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money | {{no}} | {{yes|Story}} | {{no}} |
| 2000
| {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{no}} |
| 2003
| {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{yes|Executive}} |
| 2004
| Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights | {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
| 2008
| {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} |
| 2010
| Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
| 2012
| style="text-align:left"| Safe | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
| 2013
| {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{yes|Executive}} |
| 2015
| Max | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes|Executive}} |
| 2018
| {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
| 2020
| Aviva | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} |
| 2021
| {{no}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} |
{{col-float|width=25em|style=width:25em}}
Producer only
- 2001 Maniacs (2001)
- Bombay Beach (2011) (Documentary)
{{col-float-break|width=20em|style=width:20em}}
Executive producer only
- Hostel (2005)
- Hostel: Part II (2007)
{{col-float-end}}
Books
- Marathon, a graphic novel illustrated by Joe Infurnari, First Second, 2012
- Jerusalem, a graphic novel illustrated by Nick Bertozzi, First Second, 2013
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060426195934/http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg All-Movie Guide entry for Boaz Yakin]
- {{IMDb name|0945026}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20041013061109/http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hc&id=1800019969&cf=gen&intl=us About Boaz Yakin]
{{Boaz Yakin}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yakin, Boaz}}
Category:American male screenwriters
Category:Tisch School of the Arts alumni
Category:Screenwriters from New York City
Category:Jewish American screenwriters
Category:American people of Israeli descent
Category:American people of Egyptian-Jewish descent
Category:American people of Polish-Jewish descent
Category:American people of Syrian-Jewish descent
Category:American people of Syrian descent
Category:American people of Egyptian descent
Category:City College of New York alumni
Category:Film directors from New York City
Category:Israeli Ashkenazi Jews