Rachel Leah Jones

Jones was born in Berkeley, California and raised in Tel Aviv. She has a BA in Race, Class, & Gender Studies and the Politics of Representation from Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington, and an MFA in Media Arts Production from the City University of New York.{{Cite web|url=https://ff.hrw.org/film/advocate|title=Advocate {{!}} Human Rights Watch Film Festival|website=ff.hrw.org|access-date=2019-08-29}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.trabelsiproductions.com/?categoryId=33779|title=Rachel Leah Jones|website=Trabelsi|language=en|access-date=2019-09-03}}{{which|reason=Which specific college in the CUNY system?|date=February 2024}} Over the years, Jones has worked extensively on socially and politically engaged documentaries about Israel/Palestine and has been affiliated with progressive media outlets such as the (anti-)Occupation Club in Tel Aviv, the joint Israeli/Palestinian Alternative Information Center in Jerusalem and the critically acclaimed public TV/radio program Democracy Now! in New York.

From 1992 until 1998, Jones worked in several positions in the non-profit sector, including as a fundraiser, writer and photo editor at the Alternative Information Center, a non-governmental organization that disseminates information on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with progressive analysis; as a fundraiser for HILA, a joint Mizrahi-Arab-Ethiopian NGO that advocates for non-discriminatory public education; and as the political projects coordinator for the Jerusalem Link, a joint Israeli-Palestinian women's organization working for social justice and empowerment of women in both societies.

In 1994, Jones began her career in documentary filmmaking, working as a line producer and assistant director on multiple films, working primarily on films by Duki Dror, among them the award-winning Raging Dove;{{Cite web|url=http://www.trabelsiproductions.com/?categoryId=33779|title=Rachel Leah Jones|website=Trabelsi|language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://fiscal.ifp.org/project.cfm/1142/Advocate|title=Advocate|website=IFP Fiscal Sponsorship|access-date=2019-09-08}} and films by Simone Bitton, including the film Wall, which won the Special Jury Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, among other international awards.{{Citation|title=Wall (2004) - IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413018/fullcredits|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Citation|title=Wall {{!}} dafilms.com|url=https://dafilms.com/film/8226-wall|language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}}

The first documentary feature directed and co-produced by Jones was 500 Dunam on the Moon in 2002, which tells the story of Ein Hod, a Palestinian village that was captured and depopulated by Israeli forces in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.{{cite news |title=A Tale of Two Middle East Villages |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/17/movies/a-tale-of-two-middle-east-villages-576018.html |work=The New York Times |date=17 June 2002 |access-date=2019-09-03 | first=Celestine | last=Bohlen}}{{cite journal |last=Seikaly |first=Sherene |date=Autumn 2004 |title=Jones: 500 Dunam on the Moon |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=94–95 |doi=10.1525/jps.2004.34.1.94 |s2cid=154783881}} The film was screened at international film festivals,{{Cite web|url=http://oldsite.nwfilm.org/screenings/49/521/|title=nwFilmCenter|website=oldsite.nwfilm.org|access-date=2019-09-08}} including the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival,{{Cite web|url=https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/san-francisco-jewish-film-festival/Content?oid=3289617|title=San Francisco Jewish Film Festival|last=Vance|first=Kelly|website=East Bay Express|date=18 July 2012 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}} Human Rights Watch Film Festival and the Austin Film Festival. It won the Jury Award for best documentary at the Festival de Trois Continents, and was broadcast on France 2 television.

Jones' next major effort was of more autobiographical significance.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4201335,00.html|title=והלב, הוא רוצה לאבא: על הסרט "ג'יפסי דייווי"|date=2012-03-21|website=ynet|language=he|access-date=2019-09-08 |last1=ג'ונס |first1=רחל לאה }} In Gypsy Davy, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2011,{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2012/01/meet-the-2012-sundance-filmmakers-18-rachel-leah-jones-gypsy-davy-49978/|title=Meet the 2012 Sundance Filmmakers #18: Rachel Leah Jones, "Gypsy Davy"|author=Indiewire Staff|last2=Staff|first2=Indiewire|date=2012-01-08|website=IndieWire|language=en|access-date=2019-09-03}}{{Cite news|url=https://whatnottodoc.com/2012/01/11/2012-sundance-docs-in-focus-gypsy-davy/|title=2012 Sundance Docs in Focus: GYPSY DAVY|date=2012-01-11|work=what (not) to doc|access-date=2019-09-08|language=en-US}} she tells the story of how "A white-boy with Alabama roots becomes a Flamenco guitarist in Andalusian boots and fathers five children to five different women along the way," who just happens to be the father who abandoned her in her infancy.{{Cite web|url=https://truefalse.org/a-conversation-about-gypsy-davy-with-writerdirector-rachel-leah-jones/|title='Gypsy Davy' Writer/Director Rachel Leah Jones talks Flamenco and Filmmaking|date=2014-03-31|website=True/False Film Fest|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-03}} In the film, Jones narrates as if she is writing a letter to her elusive father, and gathers his many wives and children to also state their feelings and perceptions of the artist.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/sundance-review-gypsy-davy-285136|title=Gypsy Davy: Sundance Film Review|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=26 January 2012 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-03}} The film, which was well-received by critics,{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/sundance-review-gypsy-davy-285136|title=Gypsy Davy: Sundance Film Review|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=26 January 2012 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/gypsy-davy-1117946976/|title=Gypsy Davy|last=Dennis Harvey|date=2012-01-31|work=Variety|access-date=2019-09-08|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/lfm-reviews-gypsy-davy-doc-nyc/|title=LFM Reviews Gypsy Davy @ DOC NYC » LFM: Libertas Film Magazine|website=www.libertasfilmmagazine.com|date=5 November 2012 |access-date=2019-09-08}} went on to screen at many international festivals, and won the Jury Award for Best Documentary at the International Women's Film Festival In Rehovot.{{Cite web|url=https://www.edb.co.il/blog/archives/14004|title=הוכרזו זוכי פסטיבל הנשים 2012: "ג'יפסי דייווי" התיעודי הטוב|website=אידיבי סרטים|language=he|access-date=2019-09-08}} It was later broadcast on Israel's Channel 8 and on HBO Latin America.{{Cite web|url=https://www.d-word.com/documentary/845-Gypsy-Davy|title=The D-Word: Gypsy Davy - documentary film|last=otteragency.com|website=www.d-word.com|language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}}

In 2007, Jones released her next film, Ashkenaz. The film deals with public perceptions about Ashkenzi-Mizrahi relations and social status in Israel, highlighting the manner in which the hegemonic group's (Ashkenazim) identity becomes "invisibilized" in favor of being seen as "normal" rather than an ethnicity. The film received positive reviews,{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/literature/1.1466455|title=ושללו את שולליהם|newspaper=הארץ|access-date=2019-08-01}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.makorrishon.co.il/nrg/online/47/ART1/668/970.html|title=אל תקרא לי אשכנזי|website=www.makorrishon.co.il|access-date=2019-08-01}} was screened at documentary and Jewish film festivals around the world,{{Cite web|url=http://cinemaproject.org.il/ns/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=257:%D7%90%D7%A9%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%96&Itemid=74|title=אשכנז|website=cinemaproject.org.il|language=he-il|access-date=2019-09-08}} and was released to cinematheques across Israel, and was also broadcast on Israel's Channel 8. The controversial subject of the film led to special screenings with discussion panels, in which major cultural figures participated, especially from the non-Ashkenzi side of the social map, such as Sami Shalom Chetrit and Jamal Zahalka, who were also featured in the film.{{Cite web|url=http://www.alma.org.il/newsletter.asp?id=61|title=Alma|website=www.alma.org.il|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite web|url=http://cafe.themarker.com/post/245903/|title=התאבדות אשכנזית - הסרט. המלצה והזמנה לדיון|last=דיכטר|first=שולי|website=שולי דיכטר|language=he|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://haemori.wordpress.com/tag/%d7%9e%d7%96%d7%a8%d7%97%d7%99%d7%9d/|title=מזרחים|website=ארץ האמורי|language=he-IL|access-date=2019-09-08}} The film was also cited in the academic research journal Pe'amim, published by the Ben Zvi Institute for the study of Jewish communities in the East, in an article by Reuven Snir, "Baghdad Yesterday: About History, Identity and Poetry" (in Hebrew: בגדאד, אתמול: על היסטוריה, זהות ושירה).{{Cite journal|last=Snir|first=Reuven|date=2010|title=בגדאד, אתמול: על היסטוריה, זהות ושירה|url=http://lecturers.haifa.ac.il/en/hcc/rsnir/Documents/125-127_Snir.pdf|journal=פעמים|volume=125-127|pages=101}}

Advocate, which had its world premiere at Sundance on January 27, 2019, and its Israeli premiere at Docaviv on May 23, 2019, proved to be her most controversial work to date. The film, co-directed and co-produced with Philippe Bellaïche, tells the story of Leah Tsemel, an Israeli human rights lawyer known for representing Palestinian defendants, especially in high-profile terrorism cases.Ciotti, Paul (April 27, 1988). [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-27-vw-1836-story.html "Israeli roots, Palestinian clients: Taking the Arab cause to court has earned Jewish lawyer Lea Tsemel the wrath of her countrymen"] Los Angeles Times When the film won the Jury Award at Docaviv, which was supported by Mifal HaPayis, a government agency, a storm of right-wing political pressure broke out, demanding that the agency renege on its financial obligation to the festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Artists-protest-Israeli-lotterys-decision-to-pull-money-from-film-festival-594272|title=Artists protest Israeli lottery's decision to pull money from film - Israel News - Jerusalem Post|website=www.jpost.com|date=July 2019 |access-date=2019-09-03}} When Minister of Culture Miri Regev joined the call to cancel its support, calling the film "anti-Israel", Mifal HaPayis announced it would no longer fund the award.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Mifal-Hapayis-walks-back-support-for-documentary-593914|title=Mifal Hapayis walks back support for documentary - Israel News - Jerusalem Post|website=www.jpost.com|date=28 June 2019 |access-date=2019-09-03}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-regev-slams-award-winning-documentary-on-israeli-lawyer-who-defends-palestinians-1.7323035|title=Culture Minister Slams Award-winning Documentary on Israeli Lawyer Who Defends Palestinians|date=2019-06-04|work=Haaretz|access-date=2019-09-03|language=en}} In response, dozens of leading artists, writers, filmmakers, journalists and professional associations slammed the decision as a curbing of free speech, mounted protests, called for boycotts, and published columns and editorials protesting the governmental interference in cultural productions.{{Cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/373732/|title=Docaviv responds to Israeli Culture Minister's attack on Advocate|website=Cineuropa|date=7 June 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-03}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.miroir-mag.fr/culture/des-artistes-protestent-contre-la-decision-de-la-loterie-israelienne-de-retirer-de-largent-dun-film-israel-news/|title=Des artistes protestent contre la décision de la loterie israélienne de retirer de l'argent d'un film - Israel News|date=2019-07-03|website=Miroir Mag|language=fr-FR|access-date=2019-09-03}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5543337,00.html|title=30 סופרים הודיעו: אם נזכה בפרס ממפעל הפיס, נתרום למימון הסרט על לאה צמל|date=2019-07-04|website=ynet|language=he|access-date=2019-09-03 |last1=פלוטקין |first1=יובל }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5539707,00.html|title=איגודי היוצרים הפגינו מול מפעל הפיס: "זה לא קזינו - לא מהמרים על התרבות"|date=2019-06-30|website=ynet|language=he|access-date=2019-09-03 |last1=טוקר |first1=אינה }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5541012,00.html|title=בעקבות סערת מפעל הפיס - שני שופטי פרס ספיר התפטרו|date=2019-07-01|website=ynet|language=he|access-date=2019-09-03 |last1=טוקר |first1=אינה }}{{Cite web|url=http://directorsguild.org.il/%d7%99%d7%93%d7%99%d7%a2%d7%95%d7%aa/%d7%aa%d7%92%d7%95%d7%91%d7%aa-%d7%90%d7%99%d7%92%d7%95%d7%93%d7%99-%d7%94%d7%99%d7%95%d7%a6%d7%a8%d7%99%d7%9d-%d7%9c%d7%a4%d7%a8%d7%a9%d7%aa-%d7%94%d7%a1%d7%a8%d7%98-%d7%9c%d7%90%d7%94-%d7%a6%d7%9e/|title=תגובת איגודי היוצרים לפרשת הסרט "לאה צמל - עורכת דין"|date=2019-06-30|website=איגוד הבמאיות והבמאים|language=he-IL|access-date=2019-09-03}}

The film, which was enthusiastically received by film critics,{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/advocate-1202460|title='Advocate': Film Review {{!}} Hot Docs 2019|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=24 May 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/370418/|title=Review: Advocate|website=Cineuropa|date=3 April 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5540233,00.html|title=ביקורת סרט - "לאה צמל, עורכת דין" : ככה נראית דמוקרטיה|date=2019-06-30|website=ynet|language=he|access-date=2019-09-08 |last1=דבורה |first1=ארז }}{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/advocate-lea-tsemel-rachel-leah-jones-philippe-bellaiche-israeli-defence-lawyer-palestinians|title=Advocate review: bittersweet portrait of a tenacious Israeli lawyer {{!}} Sight & Sound|website=British Film Institute|date=21 June 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.moderntimes.review/rebel-with-a-lost-cause/|title=Rebel with a lost cause|date=2019-05-24|website=MTR|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-08}} opened the 2019 Human Rights Watch Film Festival, and plucked top prizes at the Kraków Film Festival,{{Cite web|url=https://cineuropa.net/en/newsdetail/373618/|title=Advocate comes out on top in Krakow's International Documentary Competition|website=Cineuropa|date=3 June 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}} Hong Kong and Thessaloniki festivals. Advocate's Israeli theater premier took place on September 5, 2019, when it opened at cinematheques nationwide.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cinema.co.il/event/%d7%9c%d7%90%d7%94-%d7%a6%d7%9e%d7%9c-%d7%a2%d7%95%d7%a8%d7%9b%d7%aa-%d7%93%d7%99%d7%9f-2/|title=לאה צמל עורכת דין – סינמטק תל אביב|language=he-IL|access-date=2019-09-08}}

Due to the public reaction to the film, Jones, who was already a well-known and highly regarded filmmaker in Israel and abroad,{{Cite web|url=http://www.smadarzamir.com/2018/01/blog-post.html|title=יוצרות מראות|access-date=2019-09-08}} a recognized member of several professional guilds,{{Cite web|url=https://editors.org.il/category/%D7%97%D7%93%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%90%D7%99%D7%92%D7%95%D7%93|title=חדשות האיגוד {{!}} איגוד העורכים|website=editors.org.il|access-date=2019-09-08}} and a Juror for the 2013 Jerusalem Film Festival - quickly became the center of the high-profile media coverage of Advocate, at home and internationally.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5416899,00.html|title=סרט על עורכת הדין של המחבלים התקבל לסאנדנס|date=2018-11-29|website=ynet|language=he|access-date=2019-09-08 |last1=בוגן |first1=אמיר }}{{Cite web|url=https://e.walla.co.il/item/3244597|title=משתגעים עליה: הסערה סביב "לאה צמל, עורכת דין" מוגזמת מכל הכיווונים|date=2019-06-30|website=וואלה! תרבות|language=he-IL|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.maariv.co.il/culture/music/Article-707089|title=פסגת הפחד: גם מי שקורא לה "בוגדת" צריך לצפות ב"לאה צמל, עורכת דין"|website=www.maariv.co.il|date=7 July 2019 |access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.haokets.org/2019/06/06/%d7%91%d7%99%d7%9f-%d7%94%d7%90%d7%99%d7%93%d7%99%d7%90%d7%95%d7%9c%d7%95%d7%92%d7%99%d7%94-%d7%9c%d7%90%d7%93%d7%9d-%d7%91%d7%99%d7%9f-%d7%94%d7%92%d7%9c%d7%99%d7%9e%d7%94-%d7%9c%d7%98%d7%a8%d7%99/|title=בין האידיאולוגיה לאדם, בין הגלימה לטריינינג: הפרקליטה לאה צמל {{!}} צבי בן-דור בנית|date=2019-06-06|website=העוקץ|language=he-IL|access-date=2019-09-08 |last1=נעמן |first1=יונית }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.kan.org.il/Item/?itemId=54515|title=סערת הסרט "לא צמל, עורכת דין": הפגנות מול בית מפעל הפיס|website=כאן-תאגיד השידור הישראלי|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5537785,00.html|title=בגלל מחאה פוליטית: מפעל הפיס מפסיק את מימון הפרס לזוכה בדוקאביב|date=2019-06-27|website=ynet|language=he|access-date=2019-09-08 |last1=טוקר |first1=אינה }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/society/1559614258-controversy-around-prizewinning-israeli-documentary-reignites-debate-about-loyalty-in-culture|title=i24NEWS|website=www.i24news.tv|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.jns.org/thousands-cancel-lottery-subscription-over-controversial-film-prize/|title=Following backlash, Israel's national lottery cancels controversial film prize|date=2019-06-27|website=JNS.org|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/288569/jerusalem-film-festival-culture-wars|title=As Jerusalem's Film Festival Kicks Off, So Does a New Round in Israel's Culture Wars|date=2019-07-26|website=Tablet Magazine|language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}} The film has been called both a symbol{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/gallery/television/guide/.premium-1.7422182|title="לאה צמל, עורכת דין": סרט שהפך לסמל|last=גילי איזיקוביץ|date=June 29, 2019|work=Haaretz|access-date=September 8, 2019}} and a standard bearer{{Cite web|url=https://srita.net/2019/05/30/docaviv_2019_winners/|title=פסטיבל דוקאביב 2019 – הזוכים, ״אישה״, ״אמא, אני נחנק. זה הסרט האחרון שלי עלייך״, ״ארוס פרטי באופן קיצוני: סיפור אהבה 1974״ ״על פני המים״, ״אמי נעלמת״|date=2019-05-30|website=סריטה|language=en|access-date=2019-09-08}} by critics.

In 2025, Jones produced Coexistence, My Ass! directed by Amber Fares, revolving around Noam Shuster-Eliassi as she crafts a one-woman show.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/12/sundance-film-festival-lineup-2025-movies-1236200107/|title=Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings|website=Deadline Hollywood|first1=Anthony|last1=D'Alessandro|first2=Dominic|last2=Patten|date=December 11, 2024|access-date=January 13, 2025}}

From 2001 to 2002, Jones was an editor and camerawoman for the nationally syndicated US television program, Democracy Now!, hosted by Amy Goodman, working during that time on the transition of the program from radio to television. She produced several documentary programs, including two episodes of the French television series L'Invitation au Voyage, about Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and Israeli novelist Aharon Applefeld, hosted by Laure Adler, and holy land segments of Science of the Bible, for National Geographic in 2005; and in 2004, "Another Israel", a reporting segment for the France 2 program Un Oeil sur le Palenete.

Jones has worked as a translator and editor in the publishing industry, mostly between 2001 and 2006. Among the books she translated are: Self Portrait: Palestinian Women's Art (Lerer, Yael Ed.; 2001, Andalus, Tel Aviv); Breaking Ranks: Refusing to Serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Chacham, Ronit, Ed.; 2002, Other Press, New York); Reporting From Ramallah: An Israeli Journalist (Amira Hass) In An Occupied Land (also edited by Jones; 2003, Semiotext(e), New York); Mother Tongue: A Mizrahi Present That Stirs In The Thickets Of An Arab Past (Nizri, Yigal Ed.; 2005, Babel, Tel Aviv); Cities of Collision: Jerusalem and the Principle of Conflict Urbanism (Misselwitz, Philippe & Rienitis, Tim, Eds.; 2006, Birkhauser Press Basel-Boston-Berlin).

Note that all awards and nominations for Advocate are shared by Philippe Bellaiche.

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• {{IMDb name}}
• [https://www.democracynow.org/2019/6/14/defending_the_palestinian_resistance_movement_new Interview with Rachel Leah Jones and Leah Tzemel], Democracy Now!, June 14, 2019

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Category:1970 births

Category:Living people

Category:Evergreen State College alumni

Category:American documentary film directors

Category:Film directors from California

Category:People from Berkeley, California

Category:City University of New York alumni

Category:Israeli documentary film directors

Category:Israeli women film directors

Category:People from Tel Aviv