# Lior Geller

Lior Geller is an Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award nominated Israeli-American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, cinematographer and composer best known for writing, directing and producing the student short film titled "Roads" which holds the Guinness World Record for Most Awards Won by a Short Student Film.

## Early life and education

Geller (born 1982) grew up in Highland Park, New Jersey and Ramat Gan, Israel. He studied film at the Steve Tisch School of Film and Television at Tel Aviv University.

## Career

Geller started his film career editing movie trailers and writing, directing and producing several short films, including the multiple award winning short film "Roads" which was nominated for a Student Academy Award and currently sets the Guinness World Record for Most Awards Won by a Short Student Film.
In 2008, Geller wrote and directed an Emmy nominated documentary which premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, won multiple awards, was sold to PBS in the United States where it played on its Wide Angle series in 2009, earning Geller an Emmy nomination.
Following the success of "Roads", Geller was brought to Hollywood where he sold his first feature screenplay "Alone in Damascus" to Eric Eisner’s Double E Pictures. After the sale of "Alone in Damascus", Geller went on to sell multiple screenplays as a screenwriter and direct several unscripted television series.
Geller's feature film debut, "We Die Young", premiered at the 2019 Mammoth Film Festival on February 7, 2019 in Mammoth Lakes, CA as the festival’s opening night gala film. Prior to the screening, the film was preemptively purchased by Lionsgate Films for distribution in the United States. Lionsgate released the film on March 1, 2019 to critical acclaim with particular praise for Geller’s direction and the performance of lead actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. John Delia of Aced Magazine gave the film 4 out of 5 stars calling the film “Shocking, violent and emotional…” stating of director Lior Geller's work, “Geller… sets up the audience for a front row seat on a Godfather resembling movie.” "We Die Young" is based on Geller's Oscar nominated short film and stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, Elijah Rodriguez (Sicario: Day of the Soldado), David Castañeda (The Umbrella Academy, End of Watch, Sicario: Day of the Soldado) and Joana Metrass (Once Upon a Time). Geller is also in development of a television series based on the biblical story of The Maccabees.
His film The World Will Tremble had its world premiere at the Miami Jewish Film Festival in Miami, Florida on 16 January 2025.

## Awards and nominations

Since 2007 Geller has received numerous awards and nominations setting a Guinness World Record for Most Awards Won by a Short Student Film for Roads.
| Year | Festival | Award | Title | Result |
| 2007 | Aubagne International Film Festival | Special Mention | Roads | Won |
| 2007 | Beijing College Student Film Festival | Jury Award | Roads | Won |
| 2007 | Euromed Cafe FondazioneMediterraneo | Inspiration Award | Roads | Won |
| 2007 | Jerusalem Film Festival | Wolgin Award for Best Short Film | Roads | Won |
| 2007 | Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival | Youth Audience Award | Roads | Won |
| 2007 | Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival | Short Film Grand Prize | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | Festival Inventa Un Film, Italy | Third Prize | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | Festival Inventa Un Film, Italy | Best Editing | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | Festival Inventa Un Film, Italy | Best Soundtrack | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | CILECT International Association of Film Schools | Best Film | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | Cinerail Film Festival, Paris | Georges Ragot Prize | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | Circuito Off Venice International Short Film Festival | RTP2 Award | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | Circuito Off Venice International Short Film Festival | Special Mention | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | Israel Film Festival | Audience Award | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | Encounters International Film Festival | International Jury Award | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | Expresion en Corto International Film Festival | Best Fiction Short Film | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | FIKE - Évora International Short Film Festival | Best Film | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | International Festival of Film Schools, Mexico | Best Film | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | Kraków Film Festival | Best European Short Film | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | Larissa Mediterranean Festival of New Filmmakers | Special Jury Mention | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | London Film Festival | Prix UIP London (European Short Film) | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | Nashville Jewish Film Festival (NJFF) | Student Film Competition | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | Oberhausen International Short Film Festival | Grand Prize | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | Odense International Film Festival | Grand Prix | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | Potsdam Sehsüchte | Best Fiction | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | San Francisco Jewish Film Festival | Best Short Film | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | Student Academy Awards, USA | Honorary Foreign Film Award – Best Foreign Film | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | São Paulo International Short Film Festival | MostraInternacionale– Best Film | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | Taipei Film Festival | Golden Lion International Student Film Competition | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | Tampere International Short Film Festival | Grand Prix | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival | Best International Short | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | Tribeca Film Festival | Student Visionary Award | Roads | Nominated |
| 2008 | U Frame International Academic Film Festival | Jury First Prize | Roads | Won |
| 2008 | Dubai International Film Festival | People’s Choice Award | The Heart of Jenin | Won |
| 2008 | Leipzig DOK Festival | Best Documentary | The Heart of Jenin | Won |
| 2008 | Valladolid International Film Festival | Best Documentary | The Heart of Jenin | Won |
| 2008 | Warsaw International Film Festival | Best Documentary | The Heart of Jenin | Won |
| 2008 | Warsaw Jewish Film Festival | Special Mention | The Heart of Jenin | Won |
| 2008 | Warsaw Jewish Film Festival | Best Documentary Feature | The Heart of Jenin | Nominated |
| 2008 | Warsaw Jewish Film Festival | Best Fiction Short | Roads | Nominated |
| 2009 | Flickerfest International Short Film Festival | Best Film | Roads | Nominated |
| 2009 | Cinema for Peace Awards | Most Valuable Documentary of the Years | The Heart of Jenin | Won |
| 2009 | European Film Awards | European Documentary | The Heart of Jenin | Nominated |
| 2009 | The Hague Movies that Matter Festival | Audience Award | The Heart of Jenin | Won |
| 2009 | The Hague Movies that Matter Festival | AllRights Award | The Heart of Jenin | Nominated |
| 2009 | San Diego Jewish Film Festival | Audience Award | Roads | Nominated |
| 2009 | Utah Arts Festival (Fear No Film) | Audience Award | Roads | Won |
| 2009 | Washington Jewish Film Festival | Audience Award | Roads | Nominated |
| 2010 | International Documentary Association | IDA Award | The Heart of Jenin | Nominated |
| 2010 | News & Documentary Emmy Awards | Emmy | The Heart of Jenin | Nominated |
| 2011 | Nuremberg Film Festival "Turkey-Germany" | Ongoren Prize | The Heart of Jenin | Nominated |
| 2019 | Mammoth Film Festival | Audience Award | We Die Young | Nominated |
| 2019 | Mammoth Film Festival | Best Feature | We Die Young | Nominated |
| 2019 | Mammoth Film Festival | Grand Jury Award | We Die Young | Nominated |
| 2019 | Mammoth Film Festival | Best Screenplay | We Die Young | Nominated |

## Filmography

Lior Geller has a catalogue of films and documentaries he produced, wrote and directed. The table below chronicles his filmography.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | At the Green Line | Cinematographer | Documentary |
| 2007 | Roads | Director, producer and Writer | Short |
| 2008 | The Heart of Jenin | Director, writer | Documentary (as Leon Geller) |
| 2009 | Wide Angle | Director, writer | TV series documentary (1 episode) |
| 2010 | Target: Happiness | Director | TV series (6 episodes) |
| 2016 | Hatched | Director | TV series (6 episodes) |
| 2017 | H1Z1: Fight for the Crown | Director, Editor, Musician (guitar) | TV mini-series |
| 2019 | We Die Young | Director, writer, Editor | Feature Film |
| 2025 | The World Will Tremble | Director, writer | Feature Film |