Julian Goldberger

Julian Goldberger’s feature film directing debut, trans, premiered at the 1998 Toronto International Film Festival. It also screened at the Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Readers’ Jury Prize for Best Film. In addition, trans was honored at the 1999 New Directors/New Films series at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. In recognition of his first feature, Goldberger received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for the Someone to Watch Award.

He has adapted several novels and short stories for the screen, working with Universal Studios and major producers including Marc Platt, Ed Pressman, Ted Hope and Terrence Malick.

His second feature, The Hawk Is Dying, an adaptation of the Harry Crews novel, stars Paul Giamatti, Michelle Williams and Michael Pitt. It premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006. It also screened in the Directors' Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival and won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Brasilia International Film Festival.

In 2008, Goldberger was commissioned by the World Festival of Sacred Music & UCLA to direct a cinematic portrait of the Japanese artist Hirokazu Kosaka. It premiered on PBS in 2009. Two years later, he worked with acclaimed author Dean Bakopoulos and Lionsgate Television on the pilot script for the series drama, Maple Rock.

In addition to teaching screenwriting at Dodge College, Goldberger has taught various courses in screenwriting and directing at Cal Arts, NYU Tisch Asia (Head of Second-Year Studies), and UCLA Extension.

In 2018, the 20th anniversary of trans was celebrated by New York art-house The Metrograph with 16mm screenings and special presentations with the cast and crew.