1. Early life

2. Short Films

3. Feature Films

4. Filmography
    Short films  Short Documentaries  Feature Documentaries  Feature films 

5. References

Jason B. Kohl (born April 28th, 1984) is an Austrian American filmmaker from Michigan. He is best known for his short film The Slaughter, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival ^[1] and was a Student Academy Award Finalist, as well as his first feature film New Money ^[2], which premiered at the 2017 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival ^[3] and won the audience award at the 2018 Indie Memphis Film Festival ^[4].

Early life

Kohl was born in Michigan to an Austrian father and an American mother, both of whom worked in agriculture. He studied English Literature at Kalamazoo College, where he discovered filmmaking ^[5]. After moving to Germany on a Fulbright Scholarship, Kohl began working in the German film industry before he was accepted into the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, where he received his MFA in directing ^[6].

Short Films

Kohl's first short film "A Son Like You," starring Disney channel actor Jake Short, followed a young boy who accidentally meets his father's mistress. The film premiered at the 2012 Florida Film Festival ^[7].

The following year Kohl's UCLA MFA Thesis Film "The Slaughter" premiered at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival, and went on to screen at the Locarno Festival ^[8], BFI London Film Festival ^[9], and become a finalist for the Student Academy Awards. The film, which stars Michael Shamus Wiles and Eli Bridges, follows a pig farmer who tests his unemployed son's resolve to join the family business.

The film, shot on Kohl's family pig farm in Lansing, Michigan, sparked a heated discussion for its portrayal of a humane slaughter of a pig ^{[10] [11]}. Kohl was inspired to make the film from his experience working on the farm, which gave him concern over industrial agriculture. He wrote for No Film School that:

The film received praise from various critics. Scott Macaulay, writing for Filmmaker Magazine, called it "a masterfully directed story.^[13]" Katie Walsh, writing for The Playlist, said that the film was "able to pack more of an emotional punch in just 15 minutes than many studio feature films."^[14] Jason Sondhi, writing for Short of the Week, said that "The film is excellently written. Subtle, and filled with details and plot points which are called back, it is a great showcase of Kohl’s emerging talent."^[15] Alex Garland wrote in the academic food journal Gastronomica that

In 2014, Kohl's documentary short 80 to 90 ft premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival.^[17]. Set in Traverse City, Michigan, the film follows a pair of Native American fishermen whose business is threatened by climate change. It was later acquired by The Atlantic Magazine for distribution.^[18]

His next documentary short Lucid Dream, part of the Soundhunters multimedia project, won the FIPA D'or at the 2015 Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels. ^[19] The film follows the electronic musician Daedelus (musician) as he creates a new piece of music from sounds he discovers in Berlin. The film was aired on Arte France in 2015.^[20]

Feature Films

In 2017, Kohl's first feature film New Money premiered at the 2017 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival^[21]. The film stars Louisa Krause and Emmy and Gotham Nominee Robin Weigert, and follows a young woman who kidnaps her estranged father after he cuts her out of his will ^[22]. The film was shot on location in Lansing, Michigan and Detroit, Michigan^[23].

Kohl is currently in post production on two documentary features. The first, A Dog In My Cell, is a feature documentary set in a prison outside Detroit. It follows three prisoners who raise a puppy to become a guide dog for the blind ^[24]. The second, My Recovery, Refinery29's first feature documentary, follows an incest survivor and her remarkable recovery process^[25].

Filmography

Short films

• A Son Like You (2012)
• The Slaughter (2013)

Short Documentaries

• 80 TO 90 FT (2014)
• 3 Acres in Detroit (2014)
• Lucid Dream (2015)

Feature Documentaries

• A Dog In My Cell (2019)
• My Recovery (2020)

Feature films

• New Money (2017)

References

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• C.J. Latta
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• CJ Martin Fellowship
• C. J. Massinburg
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• C. J. McKenzie
• CJML-FM
• CJMT (defunct)
• C. J. M. Whichelo