12 Hours in October
A feature film addressing the Nova massacre of October 7, 2023 and the human consequences of that day.
Watch the trailer →A creative life with a conscience
lionel's career has never been limited to conventional entertainment. Alongside hundreds of commercial releases and film and television credits, he has repeatedly chosen projects that confront history, injustice, war, trauma, human rights and the pressures faced by ordinary people. Over the years, he has also donated thousands of dollars to charitable organizations whose work reflects causes he believes in. His approach is simple: use whatever platform you have to say something that matters.
Stories that matter
Film as a way to remember, question and understand
Some stories deserve more than a passing headline. lionel has contributed music to productions that bring historical events, human suffering and forgotten experiences to a wider audience.
Bardejov
A Holocaust-era historical drama about an extraordinary effort to save Jewish lives from Nazi deportation.
Watch the trailer →Ashes to Iron
A historical story bringing attention to what ordinary people endured during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
Remember Us
An animated short confronting the legacy of the Salvadoran Civil War and the stories of those who survived it.
Watch the film →
“The stories we choose to tell become part of what the next generation remembers.”
Music with a point of view
Concept albums that confront difficult subjects
Beyond film, lionel has repeatedly used the album format as a place to investigate social issues, historical trauma and uncomfortable realities. Explore the broader catalog through the official records archive.
Bloody Earth
A concept work addressing the historic plight and exploitation of Africans and the weight of that history.
A Life of Death
A meditation on the stress, pressure and emotional toll experienced by people working in healthcare.
Lords of Destruction
Part of lionel's body of work confronting the horrors and human cost of war.
We Are the Dead
An exploration of war, loss and the people left to live with its consequences.
The Last Breath
Another work in a continuing series of music addressing destruction, mortality and conflict.
How to Fake It in Hollywood
A pointed look at the artificiality, image-making and machinery of the entertainment industry.
300+commercially released albums
500+IMDb credits
1,000tracks in the Musikopedie project
Direct support
Putting resources behind the values
Creative work is one way to contribute. Direct giving is another. Over the years, lionel has donated thousands of dollars to charitable organizations whose work reflects his commitment to equality, human dignity, health, opportunity, environmental responsibility and access to basic necessities. Of all these causes, clean water is one of the most personal to him.
W
charity: water
One of lionel's most personal causes. He has been a monthly donor to charity: water for many years, supporting sustainable clean drinking water projects for people in developing nations. lionel believes access to safe drinking water is a basic human right — not a luxury reserved for people born in the right place.
Give clean water →PP
Planned Parenthood
Frequent donations in support of reproductive health care, education, access and the principle that people should be able to make decisions about their own bodies and futures.
Support Planned Parenthood →NA
NAACP
Donations supporting civil rights, racial equality, voting rights, economic opportunity and the ongoing work of building more equitable communities.
Support the NAACP →Think globally. Act locally.
Change does not have to begin somewhere far away.
The largest global problems are ultimately made up of millions of local choices. That means doing what we can in our own communities: supporting people who need a hand, reducing waste, using resources responsibly, protecting the environment, choosing organizations whose work creates measurable impact, and remembering that the world we leave behind belongs to people who have not been born yet.
For lionel, environmental responsibility is part of that larger picture. Clean water, a healthier planet, sustainable communities and a livable future are not separate causes. They are connected by the same basic idea: we have a responsibility to leave something better than we found it.
Protectthe planet and its finite resources.
Rememberthe people and histories too easily forgotten.
Supportorganizations creating practical change.
Encouragethe next generation to keep moving forward.
Paying it forward
Championing the next generation of filmmakers
lionel also donates his time and music to select young filmmakers and emerging creative voices. He believes that passion is more important than experience: a first film, a first score or a first opportunity can be the beginning of an entire career.
Supporting emerging artists is therefore not charity in the traditional sense. It is an investment in the culture that comes next — giving talented people a chance to make the work they may not otherwise have been able to make.
Free Music Licensing
1,000 tracks made available for causes
lionel has also made the 1,000-track Musikopedie catalogue available for free licensing to qualifying charities, non-profit organizations, film students and independent filmmakers. The program is designed to remove music licensing costs as a barrier for projects created to make an impact, while still providing professional music for films and other productions.
Learn more about lionel's work as a composer, producer and multidisciplinary artist through the official lionel Cohen website, including his full biography and music catalog.
lionelcohen.com →