James Schamus is an American screenwriter, film producer, and Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Raised in a Jewish family in Southern California, he studied English and critical theory at the University of California, Berkeley, before entering the film industry.
Schamus served as CEO of Focus Features from 2002 to 2013, overseeing the production and distribution of independent and international films. He is a frequent collaborator of director Ang Lee, having written or produced films including “The Ice Storm,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Brokeback Mountain,” and “Lust, Caution,” receiving multiple Academy Award nominations for screenwriting and producing. Alongside his commercial film work, he teaches film history, critical theory, and screenwriting at Columbia University.
Schamus is an outspoken advocate for Palestinian human rights and a long-time member of the Advisory Board of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). In 2014, he became one of the few high-profile figures in the American film industry to publicly endorse the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israeli institutions, citing the precedent of international boycotts against South African apartheid. He regularly speaks at academic and cultural forums against the military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and critiques institutional censorship in Hollywood regarding Middle Eastern politics.
Schamus is one of the signatories of the 2025 public statement, “Global Jewish Call on the UN and World Leaders to Sanction Israel,” which urged the United Nations and world governments to implement arms embargoes, diplomatic sanctions, and legal measures to enforce international law in Palestine and Israel.