  boaz yakin (born june 20, 1966)profile at filmreference.com is an american screenwriter and film director based in new york city. he has written such screenplays as fresh and a price above rubies, and he directed the feature film remember the titans, among others. ==early life== yakin was born in new york city. his parents were born in israelfoundation for ethnic understanding ffeu website 2000 annual report. accessed november 16, 2009. yet met in paris while studying mime with marcel marceau.biography of boaz yakin, in allrovi.com he attended the bronx high school of science, where he was classmates in 1983 with actor jon cryer. yakin studied filmmaking at new york's city college. he moved on to new york university, and made his first deal for a screenplay at age 19. ==career== after finishing school, yakin worked in the film, 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. "sometimes you have to invest yourself", the jerusalem post, 16 july 2008. he was a member of the us dramatic jury at the 2009 sundance film festival.sundance film festival announces awards 2009, sundance festival 
1966_births American_Jews American_film_directors American_people_of_Israeli_descent American_screenwriters City_College_of_New_York_alumni Living_people New_York_University_alumni People_from_New_York_City