Mahalia Cohen is an award-winning filmmaker originally from Portland, Oregon and based in New York City.  Cohen’s debut narrative feature The Last Hot Lick premiered at Entrevues Belfort in 2017 and  is available on multiple streaming platforms.  The film was well-received by audiences and praised by critics.  Her 2009 documentary Balance, which traced the final years of amputee dancer Homer Avila’s life, premiered at Visions du Reel in Nyon, Switzerland.

Cohen produced the Independent Spirit Award-Winning H. directed by Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia, which premiered at Sundance in 2015.  Cohen also produced Attieh and Garcia’s Recommended by Enrique, which won Best Ensemble Cast at the L.A. Film Festival in 2014, and Hinkerort Zorasune (The Fifth Column), directed by Vatche Boulghourjian, which was awarded 3rd prize by the 63rd Cannes Film Festival – Cinefoundation, La Selection in 2010.

As an executive, she worked to launch the original documentary programming for Topic, First Look Media’s boutique streaming service.  At Topic, she produced documentary series, features and shorts, working with award-winning filmmakers from across the globe and partnering with studios including Sky Documentary, MSNBC, AmDocs and World Channel.  Films she produced have won the prestigious ASME award, screened at major festivals, and qualified for the Academy Awards.  Cohen holds an MFA in film from New York University’s acclaimed Tisch School of the Arts, and graduated with honors from Bryn Mawr College.