A writer and director with a gift for dealing with controversial issues on personal, human terms, BOAZ YAKIN was born in New York City. Yakin's parents had a creative bent -they met in Paris while both were studying mime and movement for actors with Etienne Decroux. After graduating from high school, Yakin opted to study filmmaking at New York City College. He soon moved on to New York University and made his first deal for a screenplay at the age of 19. Yakin worked in the film business helping to develop projects for several companies and saw his first screenplay reach the screen when"The Punisher," a vehicle for Dolph Lundgren, was released. A year later, Yakin's next screenplay, "The Rookie," arrived in theatres, starring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen.
Wanting to take on more personal material, Yakin directed his own screenplay,"Fresh," attracting talent such as Samuel L. Jackson and Giancarlo Esposito to star in it. The film won critical raves, earning the Filmmaker's Trophy at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, as well as prizes in the Tokyo film festival and other festivals throughout Europe. Yakin's experiences with the Chassidic community informed his next directorial effort,"A Price above Rubies," which was released by Miramax Films.
Yakin next took on his first studio project;"Remember the Titans," starring Denzel Washington, for producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The film was a box-office success, and a perennial audience favorite. He then made a foray into comedy with "Uptown Girls," starring Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning. As a producer, Yakin formed the company "Raw Nerve" with partners Eli Roth and Scott Spiegel, from which they unleashed the"Hostel" films on the world. He wrote, produced and directed "Death in Love," a controversial film that had its premiere at the 2009 Sundance film festival.
© 2012 Lionsgate
