At “What Makes a Great Interview,” a November 12 panel at Doc NYC, moderator Sandi DuBowski (Trembling Before G-d) offered his reflections on interviews: “People want to have a cathartic experience, a soul journey… to take a breath out of the everyday rush and really sink into their life. I think interviews are very holy and they are gorgeous and there is something about life in them that is special.” Three filmmakers joined DuBowski on the stage to reflect on their process for conducting great interviews, from their personal theories to little tricks in the tool bag (like dropping a […]...
- 11/29/2017
- by Lauretta Prevost
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi), in partnership with Ford Foundation’s JustFilms initiative, has announced the grant recipients of the 2015/2016 Tfi New Media Fund. Grantees were selected by an advisory board comprised of Just Vision’s Julia Bacha, director Malika Zouhali-Worrall (Call Me Kuchu), director-producer Sandi Dubowski (Trembling Before G-d), Google’s Lisa Steiman and Chicken & Egg Pictures’ Jenni Wolfson. The fund provides monetary grants and support to nonfiction, transmedia projects which tackle a social issue. Each of the three selected projects will receive $50,000 in funding as well as expert mentorship for producers to help them develop their projects and build engagement with audiences. You […]...
- 12/10/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi), in partnership with Ford Foundation’s JustFilms initiative, has announced the grant recipients of the 2015/2016 Tfi New Media Fund. Grantees were selected by an advisory board comprised of Just Vision’s Julia Bacha, director Malika Zouhali-Worrall (Call Me Kuchu), director-producer Sandi Dubowski (Trembling Before G-d), Google’s Lisa Steiman and Chicken & Egg Pictures’ Jenni Wolfson. The fund provides monetary grants and support to nonfiction, transmedia projects which tackle a social issue. Each of the three selected projects will receive $50,000 in funding as well as expert mentorship for producers to help them develop their projects and build engagement with audiences. You […]...
- 12/10/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Tribeca Film Institute in association with the JustFilms initiative have awarded interactive projects 6X9, Argus Panoptes and Red Red Roll grants from the 2015/2016 Tfi New Media Fund.
Each $50,000 award will enable the creators to explore socially charged issues through transmedia storytelling.
Subjects cover police brutality, sensory deprivation and sexual assault.
An advisory board comprised of filmmaker Julia Bacha, producer Sandi Dubowski of A Jihad For Love, Lisa Steiman, Jenni Wolfson and filmmaker Malika Zouhali-Worrall of Thank You For Playing selected the grantees.
“The creativity of our Tfi New Media Fund applicants each year is beyond inspiring and this year was no different,” said senior director of interactive programs at Tfi Opeyemi Olukemi. “The three selected projects tackle vital social issues while encapsulating the power of transmedia storytelling.”
“We see the power of moving image storytelling as an important component to disrupt dominant cultural narratives that drive inequality around the world,” said director...
Each $50,000 award will enable the creators to explore socially charged issues through transmedia storytelling.
Subjects cover police brutality, sensory deprivation and sexual assault.
An advisory board comprised of filmmaker Julia Bacha, producer Sandi Dubowski of A Jihad For Love, Lisa Steiman, Jenni Wolfson and filmmaker Malika Zouhali-Worrall of Thank You For Playing selected the grantees.
“The creativity of our Tfi New Media Fund applicants each year is beyond inspiring and this year was no different,” said senior director of interactive programs at Tfi Opeyemi Olukemi. “The three selected projects tackle vital social issues while encapsulating the power of transmedia storytelling.”
“We see the power of moving image storytelling as an important component to disrupt dominant cultural narratives that drive inequality around the world,” said director...
- 12/8/2015
- ScreenDaily
Though it's a reality many filmmakers might prefer not to face, making films (and especially documentaries) in the independent field often means a certain amount of pitching. In order to get your film realized, the realities of tipping your hat and accumulating financial partners for each stage of production is integral to a successful project. But the art of pitching is filled with pitfalls, with small tweaks often leading to the difference between an ambivalent "no" and an enthusiastic "yes." Read More: What the Behind-the-Scenes Drama of a Documentary Pitch is Really Like At this year's Doc NYC, Sandi DuBowski of Good Pitch, Judith Helfand of Chicken & Egg Pictures and Reva Goldberg of Cinereach sat down with five potential pitchers to give expert tips on how to make your pitch irresistible to industry executives. Read their five essential tips below. 1. Pitch with Power "I really think that pitching is a change in.
- 11/23/2015
- by Aubrey Page
- Indiewire
The Isa of the Day segment of SydneysBuzz resumes for the Cannes Film Festival 2015. ISAs, or International Sales Agents, help to bring films into global distribution by selling distribution rights to distributors worldwide. Topics include new trends in distribution and sales, inspirational success stories, film slates and more. A worthy read for any serious filmmaker looking to have a better understanding of the chain of business between producing a film and sharing it with the world.
Philippa Kowarsky is the Managing Director of Cinephil, an international sales company that is renowned for securing financing and distribution for documentaries from all around the world. Kowarsky started Cinephil 18 years ago on the first of January in 1997.
Cinephil has a solid history of working with award winning films including Academy Award nominee, “The Gatekeepers“ (for which Kowarsky was a nominee, with Cinephil as the producer); the 2014 Academy Award nominee, “The Act of Killing, and Dror Shaul’s “Sweet Mud”, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
Kowarsky, the first ever film sales agent of Israel, shares more about her background and the success of Cinephil:
I’ve was doing sales, marketing and production before I started Cinephil. I worked for some studios in Israel, and got into sales because there were no companies dedicated to sales only. I was representing films at the previous company I worked at — when I left, people just kept coming to me, saying “Will you take my film?” I started Cinephil and we got a film into Rotterdam’s mocumentary section. It was the first Cinephil festival. I didn’t even have a proper concept or mission for my company, but I did meet sales agents from around the world, and thought, “Perhaps we could have some sales agents in Israel!” Then it became a bit more formal.
We started doing everything - features, children’s programming, and documentaries -working with Israeli and Palestinian films. Over the years, we decided to drop children’s programming, and then let go of feature films (which I still love). Now Cinephil focuses on documentaries.
About 8 years ago, we decided to go International to represent films to the world, from the world – everywhere. It doesn’t matter where you’re based: Tel Aviv, Paris, Montreal or New York. Everyone is traveling to all the festivals, and everything is done by emails and phone. Thanks to technology, we have a very international career and life, and to make matters better, we also have Heather Wyer working for us out of Montreal. Having a North American base is great!
How did you enter the film industry?
A lot of this happened to me by chance. I received an Ma in London for communication policy studies. At the end of the day, it’s been helpful, because it has given me a deeper understanding of the media world. That’s been a strong part of Cinephil – being able to strategize with all this know-how.
When I started 20 years ago, there was very little international film and television activity in Israel. In the meantime, the Israeli industry has developed, but getting Israeli films into festivals was a big deal back then. Now our cinema is well received everywhere. There are fabulous agencies based in Israel, including our TV channels which selling product around the world.
How is Cinephil expanding?
We do sales and distribution and act as Ep’s on films. We’ve always been into development and raising finance for films, but recently the films we’ve been working with are of a higher profile. One of the highlights is when we came in as producers for “The Gatekeepers”, for which we were nominated for an Academy Award in 2012. In 2013, we were back in Los Angeles with “The Act of Killing”, which was nominated as well. We are proud to work with Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sorensen again on “The Look of Silence”, which premiered in competition in Venice last year and won the Grand Jury Award on top of four other awards. Since then, it has won countless awards worldwide. We’re now working with Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi on “The 50 Year Argument”.
Please discuss your slate for Cannes.
We‘re thrilled to be working on a Cannes Classics premiere “By Sidney Lumet” by Nancy Buirski. Cinephil will present several films in the market. One is “Invasion”, by Abner Benaim, about the USA’s invasion of Panama.
Another is a film that we just picked up in Tribeca where it made headlines, titled “Among the Believers”, which follows the growth of the Red Mosques in Pakistan. It portrays a system that offers young children free food and accommodation, and, in return, the young adepts are force fed the principles of radical Islam from the moment they can read.
Other films in the Cannes Market include “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon”, which premiered in Sundance, and “The Yes Men are Revolting”, which will open in the Us this summer.
“Thank You for Playing”, follows a family struggling with a terminally ill boy. Ryan, his Dad, an indie video game developer, is building a poetic, autobiographical video game to document his pain and to tell the story of his baby. It’s sophisticated, touching and timely.
Learn more about Cinephil’s new releases here.
See Cinephil’s full catalogue here.
More About Cinephil:
Cinephil is an international sales and advisory firm, which has a strong reputation for securing international distribution, broadcasting and financing deals for documentaries from all over the world on behalf of film producers and directors.
With a history of selling unique and award-winning films,Cinephil also acts as a strategic advisor and co-producer.
Cinephil has facilitated the sale and financing of well over a hundred films. Cinephil represented (and produced) the 2013 Academy Award nominee, “The Gatekeepers“; the 2014 Academy Award nominee, “The Act of Killing“, executive produced by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris; “Cathedrals of Culture“, a 3D project executive produced by Wim Wenders and including films by Wim Wenders and Robert Redford, and Martin Scorsese’s new documentary, “The 50 Year Argument“, about The New York Review of Books. Managing director, Philippa Kowarsky, has co-produced many films, including 2014 Academy Award nominee, Dror Moreh’s, “The Gatekeepers“, Dror Shaul’s “Sweet Mud”, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the Crystal Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, “Defamation” by Yoav Shamir, “Watermarks” by Yaron Zilberman and the award-winning “Trembling Before G-d” by Sandi DuBowski.
Philippa Kowarsky is the Managing Director of Cinephil, an international sales company that is renowned for securing financing and distribution for documentaries from all around the world. Kowarsky started Cinephil 18 years ago on the first of January in 1997.
Cinephil has a solid history of working with award winning films including Academy Award nominee, “The Gatekeepers“ (for which Kowarsky was a nominee, with Cinephil as the producer); the 2014 Academy Award nominee, “The Act of Killing, and Dror Shaul’s “Sweet Mud”, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
Kowarsky, the first ever film sales agent of Israel, shares more about her background and the success of Cinephil:
I’ve was doing sales, marketing and production before I started Cinephil. I worked for some studios in Israel, and got into sales because there were no companies dedicated to sales only. I was representing films at the previous company I worked at — when I left, people just kept coming to me, saying “Will you take my film?” I started Cinephil and we got a film into Rotterdam’s mocumentary section. It was the first Cinephil festival. I didn’t even have a proper concept or mission for my company, but I did meet sales agents from around the world, and thought, “Perhaps we could have some sales agents in Israel!” Then it became a bit more formal.
We started doing everything - features, children’s programming, and documentaries -working with Israeli and Palestinian films. Over the years, we decided to drop children’s programming, and then let go of feature films (which I still love). Now Cinephil focuses on documentaries.
About 8 years ago, we decided to go International to represent films to the world, from the world – everywhere. It doesn’t matter where you’re based: Tel Aviv, Paris, Montreal or New York. Everyone is traveling to all the festivals, and everything is done by emails and phone. Thanks to technology, we have a very international career and life, and to make matters better, we also have Heather Wyer working for us out of Montreal. Having a North American base is great!
How did you enter the film industry?
A lot of this happened to me by chance. I received an Ma in London for communication policy studies. At the end of the day, it’s been helpful, because it has given me a deeper understanding of the media world. That’s been a strong part of Cinephil – being able to strategize with all this know-how.
When I started 20 years ago, there was very little international film and television activity in Israel. In the meantime, the Israeli industry has developed, but getting Israeli films into festivals was a big deal back then. Now our cinema is well received everywhere. There are fabulous agencies based in Israel, including our TV channels which selling product around the world.
How is Cinephil expanding?
We do sales and distribution and act as Ep’s on films. We’ve always been into development and raising finance for films, but recently the films we’ve been working with are of a higher profile. One of the highlights is when we came in as producers for “The Gatekeepers”, for which we were nominated for an Academy Award in 2012. In 2013, we were back in Los Angeles with “The Act of Killing”, which was nominated as well. We are proud to work with Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sorensen again on “The Look of Silence”, which premiered in competition in Venice last year and won the Grand Jury Award on top of four other awards. Since then, it has won countless awards worldwide. We’re now working with Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi on “The 50 Year Argument”.
Please discuss your slate for Cannes.
We‘re thrilled to be working on a Cannes Classics premiere “By Sidney Lumet” by Nancy Buirski. Cinephil will present several films in the market. One is “Invasion”, by Abner Benaim, about the USA’s invasion of Panama.
Another is a film that we just picked up in Tribeca where it made headlines, titled “Among the Believers”, which follows the growth of the Red Mosques in Pakistan. It portrays a system that offers young children free food and accommodation, and, in return, the young adepts are force fed the principles of radical Islam from the moment they can read.
Other films in the Cannes Market include “Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon”, which premiered in Sundance, and “The Yes Men are Revolting”, which will open in the Us this summer.
“Thank You for Playing”, follows a family struggling with a terminally ill boy. Ryan, his Dad, an indie video game developer, is building a poetic, autobiographical video game to document his pain and to tell the story of his baby. It’s sophisticated, touching and timely.
Learn more about Cinephil’s new releases here.
See Cinephil’s full catalogue here.
More About Cinephil:
Cinephil is an international sales and advisory firm, which has a strong reputation for securing international distribution, broadcasting and financing deals for documentaries from all over the world on behalf of film producers and directors.
With a history of selling unique and award-winning films,Cinephil also acts as a strategic advisor and co-producer.
Cinephil has facilitated the sale and financing of well over a hundred films. Cinephil represented (and produced) the 2013 Academy Award nominee, “The Gatekeepers“; the 2014 Academy Award nominee, “The Act of Killing“, executive produced by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris; “Cathedrals of Culture“, a 3D project executive produced by Wim Wenders and including films by Wim Wenders and Robert Redford, and Martin Scorsese’s new documentary, “The 50 Year Argument“, about The New York Review of Books. Managing director, Philippa Kowarsky, has co-produced many films, including 2014 Academy Award nominee, Dror Moreh’s, “The Gatekeepers“, Dror Shaul’s “Sweet Mud”, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the Crystal Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, “Defamation” by Yoav Shamir, “Watermarks” by Yaron Zilberman and the award-winning “Trembling Before G-d” by Sandi DuBowski.
- 5/8/2015
- by Erin Grover
- Sydney's Buzz
Tribeca’s 12th annual festival, running from April 17-28, recently announced that their festival awards, including the top juried world competitions going to The Rocket, The Kill Team, Whitewash and Oxyana. See below for the official press release.
2013 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Awards
* * *
The Rocket, The Kill Team, Whitewash And Oxyana
Win Top Awards In Juried World Competitions
* * *
Sandy Storylines Wins First-ever Bombay Sapphire Award For Transmedia
* * *
Festival Awards $155,000 In Cash Prizes
[April 25, 2013 – New York, NY] – The 12th annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by founding sponsor American Express, announced the winners of its competition categories tonight at a ceremony hosted at the Conrad New York in New York City. The Festival runs through April 28, 2013.
The world competition winners for narrative and documentary films were chosen from 12 narrative and 12 documentary features from 14 countries. Best New Director prizes were awarded to a first-time director for both narrative and documentary films,...
2013 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Awards
* * *
The Rocket, The Kill Team, Whitewash And Oxyana
Win Top Awards In Juried World Competitions
* * *
Sandy Storylines Wins First-ever Bombay Sapphire Award For Transmedia
* * *
Festival Awards $155,000 In Cash Prizes
[April 25, 2013 – New York, NY] – The 12th annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by founding sponsor American Express, announced the winners of its competition categories tonight at a ceremony hosted at the Conrad New York in New York City. The Festival runs through April 28, 2013.
The world competition winners for narrative and documentary films were chosen from 12 narrative and 12 documentary features from 14 countries. Best New Director prizes were awarded to a first-time director for both narrative and documentary films,...
- 4/26/2013
- by Christopher Clemente
- SoundOnSight
The Tribeca Film Festival have announced the juries for each category of competition. A host of actors, directors and journalists have been selected that include Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Haggis, Josh Radnor, Eva Longoria and Bryce Dallas Howard.
The members selected will be judging the films that fall within their respective categories, and you can check out the list below. Make sure to check back with us for all the latest from Tribeca including reviews, interviews and more! The festival runs from April 17th – April 28th in New York City.
World Competition Categories
The jurors for the 2013 World Narrative Competition are:
Kenny Lonergan: Academy Award®-nominated playwright, filmmaker and screenwriter. Credits include You Can Count On Me,Gangs of New York, and Margaret. His stage credits include Lobby Hero, The Waverly Gallery and This is Our Youth. He is a member of the Naked Angels Theater Company in New York.
The members selected will be judging the films that fall within their respective categories, and you can check out the list below. Make sure to check back with us for all the latest from Tribeca including reviews, interviews and more! The festival runs from April 17th – April 28th in New York City.
World Competition Categories
The jurors for the 2013 World Narrative Competition are:
Kenny Lonergan: Academy Award®-nominated playwright, filmmaker and screenwriter. Credits include You Can Count On Me,Gangs of New York, and Margaret. His stage credits include Lobby Hero, The Waverly Gallery and This is Our Youth. He is a member of the Naked Angels Theater Company in New York.
- 4/15/2013
- by Damen Norton
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Tribeca Film Festival announced today that it has selected 42 jurors for this year’s festival. The jurors include members of the filmmaking community — including Bryce Dallas Howard, Whoopi Goldberg, Paul Haggis, Taraji P. Henson, Kenneth Lonergan, Eva Longoria, Josh Radnor, and Evan Rachel Wood — as well as policy makers and entertainment business leaders.
According to a press release, the seven juries will award $180,000 in cash and prizes during the Festival (April 17-28). Tribeca All Access (Taa) Creative Promise Awards will award an additional $20,000 — $10,000 for narrative and $10,000 for documentary. All winners will also receive a work of original art by...
According to a press release, the seven juries will award $180,000 in cash and prizes during the Festival (April 17-28). Tribeca All Access (Taa) Creative Promise Awards will award an additional $20,000 — $10,000 for narrative and $10,000 for documentary. All winners will also receive a work of original art by...
- 4/10/2013
- by Lanford Beard
- EW - Inside Movies
Twenty-five years ago, filmmaker Jim Hubbard and writer Sarah Schulman started the Mix NYC festival for queer experimental film. Over time, the festival has been crucial to the careers of many queer filmmakers. Jonathan Caouette debuted "Tarnation" at the festival. Mix was the fiscal sponsor for Sandi DuBowski's documentary "Trembling Before G-d." Todd Haynes, Jennie Livingston and Christine Vachon have all screened works there. MoMA's Chief Film Curator Rajendra Roy is a former Director of the festival. In its 25th year, the roaming festival rages on in a location in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn (near the Atlantic Avenue train hub). In addition to the annual week of screenings, Mix also runs the Act Up Oral History Project (still maintained by Hubbard and Schulman, which recently was used to assemble the feature film "United in Anger," directed by Hubbard), a preservation program, and a production...
- 11/6/2012
- by Bryce J. Renninger
- Indiewire
Looking for a must-see list of great gay documentaries? We've got you covered. We recently asked our readers to nominate up to five of their favorite documentary films via write-in vote. Thousands responded and we tabulated the results to bring you the top 25 here. All of these films are definitely worth a look and to help you learn more about titles you might not be familiar with, we've included trailers, links to reviews, official film websites and more. Plus, for three of the titles we've even embedded the full movie thanks to the Logo Docs library.
So here they are, the 25 Greatest Gay Documentaries. Which ones have you already seen? Which ones do you need to see?
25. Saint of 9/11
Summary: Sir Ian McKellen narrates this inspiring portrait of Father Mychal Judge, a New York City Fire Department Chaplain who wrestled with his sexuality, his genuine dedication to life as a priest,...
So here they are, the 25 Greatest Gay Documentaries. Which ones have you already seen? Which ones do you need to see?
25. Saint of 9/11
Summary: Sir Ian McKellen narrates this inspiring portrait of Father Mychal Judge, a New York City Fire Department Chaplain who wrestled with his sexuality, his genuine dedication to life as a priest,...
- 9/10/2012
- by AfterElton.com Staff
- The Backlot
The Sundance Institute announced 27 recipients of its development, production and audience engagement documentary grants. Included in the list are: "99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film," "The Amichai Film Project" from Sandi DuBowski ("Trembling Before G-d"), "West of Memphis" director Amy Berg's "This is America," and Tfi honoree Berit Madsen's "Stargazing." Grants for audience engagement went to Sundance alums "The Invisible War" and "The Law in These Parts" as well as "Town of Runners." The complete list of grant recipients is below: Development 99 % - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film (U.S.) Directors: A. Ewell, A. Aites, L. Read, N. Krstic, K. Teague, A. Martin, P. Leeman, K. Kerhwald The story of the Occupy Wall Street movement is told from many perspectives, but woven into a single, resonant portrait with an unprecedented and...
- 7/9/2012
- by Bryce J. Renninger
- Indiewire
The Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking have announced the five nominees for their second annual Heterodox Award, which honors a narrative film that "imaginatively incorporates nonfiction strategies, content and/or modes of production." Last year's winner was Matt Porterfield for "Putty Hill." This year's winner will be chosen by a jury of documentary filmmakers: Natalia Almada ("El Velador"), Sandi DuBowski ("Trembling Before G-d"), Shannon Kennedy (editor, "A Walk Into the Sea"), Alrick Brown ("Kinyarwanda") and Kimberly Reed ("Prodigal Sons"). The winner will be announced at the Cinema Eye ceremony at the Museum of the Moving Image on January 11. The nominees follow. Descriptions provided by Cinema Eye Honors. "Beginners." Drawing from autobiographical elements, including his relationship to his dying father, Mike Mills has made a sensitive, insightful, and whimsically...
- 1/3/2012
- Indiewire
A Tribeca Film Institute Panel at the New School this week mulled over just this topic. From the program:
You’ve completed your school work and made a few films in school, and now you need to figure out your next steps. What career options exist for filmmakers? How can you develop and raise money for a film project and still cover your living expenses? This panel addresses these questions and provides examples and answers relevant to all makers of film and other media.
The panelists:
Sharon Badal (Moderator) is head short film programmer for the Tribeca Film Festival.
Sandi DuBowski is the Director/Producer of Trembling Before G-d, Producer of A Jihad for Love, and Co-Producer of Budrus.
Macky Alston is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, an educator on issues of media and religion, an organizer within the worlds of philanthropy and media-making, and a regular writer and reviewer on film and religion
Moon Molson?...
You’ve completed your school work and made a few films in school, and now you need to figure out your next steps. What career options exist for filmmakers? How can you develop and raise money for a film project and still cover your living expenses? This panel addresses these questions and provides examples and answers relevant to all makers of film and other media.
The panelists:
Sharon Badal (Moderator) is head short film programmer for the Tribeca Film Festival.
Sandi DuBowski is the Director/Producer of Trembling Before G-d, Producer of A Jihad for Love, and Co-Producer of Budrus.
Macky Alston is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, an educator on issues of media and religion, an organizer within the worlds of philanthropy and media-making, and a regular writer and reviewer on film and religion
Moon Molson?...
- 3/8/2011
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Sandi Dubowski is in Sundance co-hosting a Good Pitch Party (see below) and mentions that, "btw, I got a development grant from a new film fund, Catapult for my project and will be holding meetings at Sundance to raise matching funds for my next film, Soul Trainer." Soul Trainer follows the dramatic life story of Amichai Lau-Lavie whose uncle is the former Chief Rabbi of Israel and who is descended from 37 generations of rabbis to King David. Amichai is Jewish royalty, a link in a 5,771 year-old ancient chain, but he is also the creator of a Hasidic female…...
- 1/18/2011
- Sydney's Buzz
Bran Nue Dae and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole have been nominated for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in the Best Children’s Film and Best Animated Film categories respectively.
New Zealand’s Boy was also nominated for Best Children’s Film, and Australian actor Tony Barry has been recognised for his performance in that country’s feature Home by Christmas.
The Jury is headed by producer Lord David Puttnam, and winners will be announced on the Gold Coast on December 2.
The nominees are:
Best Feature Film
Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock)
People’s Republic of China (Mainland China / Hong Kong)
Produced by Guo Yanhong, Han Sanping, Wang Zhonjun, Peter Lam Kin Ngok, Wang Tonguan and Albert Yeung.
Bal (Honey)
Turkey / Germany
Produced by Semih Kaplanoðlu.
Co-Produced by Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper.
Mengjia (Monga)
Taiwan
Produced by Lee Lieh and Doze Niu Chen-zer.
Paju
Republic of Korea
Produced...
New Zealand’s Boy was also nominated for Best Children’s Film, and Australian actor Tony Barry has been recognised for his performance in that country’s feature Home by Christmas.
The Jury is headed by producer Lord David Puttnam, and winners will be announced on the Gold Coast on December 2.
The nominees are:
Best Feature Film
Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock)
People’s Republic of China (Mainland China / Hong Kong)
Produced by Guo Yanhong, Han Sanping, Wang Zhonjun, Peter Lam Kin Ngok, Wang Tonguan and Albert Yeung.
Bal (Honey)
Turkey / Germany
Produced by Semih Kaplanoðlu.
Co-Produced by Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper.
Mengjia (Monga)
Taiwan
Produced by Lee Lieh and Doze Niu Chen-zer.
Paju
Republic of Korea
Produced...
- 10/18/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
The important yet depressing Eyes Wide Open is true to life: it shows a Hassidic community that preaches sexual intolerance and a terror of difference
Eyes Wide Open may be sensitively filmed and movingly narrated, but it is also profoundly depressing. Set in a fundamentalist religious community in Jerusalem, it tells the story of two men who fall in love and embark on an illicit affair. Same-sex relationships within any conservative religious community are generally forbidden. Orthodox Judaism, for its part, teaches that men and women should marry young, have lots of babies and live as purely and God-fearingly as possible. This film follows on the heels of Sandi Simcha DuBowski's fascinating 2001 documentary Trembling Before G-d, which interviews lesbian and gay Orthodox Jews trying to come to terms with their sexuality. The fascination for me was the subjects' allegiance to their religion rather than their sexuality. Why do they...
Eyes Wide Open may be sensitively filmed and movingly narrated, but it is also profoundly depressing. Set in a fundamentalist religious community in Jerusalem, it tells the story of two men who fall in love and embark on an illicit affair. Same-sex relationships within any conservative religious community are generally forbidden. Orthodox Judaism, for its part, teaches that men and women should marry young, have lots of babies and live as purely and God-fearingly as possible. This film follows on the heels of Sandi Simcha DuBowski's fascinating 2001 documentary Trembling Before G-d, which interviews lesbian and gay Orthodox Jews trying to come to terms with their sexuality. The fascination for me was the subjects' allegiance to their religion rather than their sexuality. Why do they...
- 5/27/2010
- by Julie Bindel
- The Guardian - Film News
Sandi Dubowski (Trembling Before G-d, A Jihad for Love) whose Budrus is now premiering at the Panorama section of the Berlinale (where a total of 54 films from 29 countries have been selected, of which 31 are world premieres and 18 directorial debuts) spoke at Sundance Ff's panel discussion on new modes of distribution entitled Is There A Doctor In The House moderated by IndieWire's beloved Eugene Hernandez, unselfishly offered these links to organizations which support social issue docs:
Active Voice (link), Bavc Producer’s Institute for New Technologies (link), Brave New Films (link), Channel 4 Britdoc Foundation (link), Chicken and Egg Productions (link), Cinereach (link), The Fledgling Fund (link), The Good Pitch (link), Impact Partners (link), the Sundance Documentary Fund (link), Tribeca All Access and the Tribeca Gucci Documentary Fund (link), Workbook Project (link), and many more.
Active Voice (link), Bavc Producer’s Institute for New Technologies (link), Brave New Films (link), Channel 4 Britdoc Foundation (link), Chicken and Egg Productions (link), Cinereach (link), The Fledgling Fund (link), The Good Pitch (link), Impact Partners (link), the Sundance Documentary Fund (link), Tribeca All Access and the Tribeca Gucci Documentary Fund (link), Workbook Project (link), and many more.
- 2/4/2010
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Is it possible for gay and lesbian ultra-Orthodox Jews to reconcile their sexual orientation with their devout religious beliefs? Director Sandi Simcha DuBowski examines the question carefully and quietly in Trembling Before G-d, a documentary available for free online viewing at SnagFilms.
Over a period of years, DuBowski interviewed Hasidic and Orthodox Jews in New York, California, Florida, Britain, and Israel, all individuals struggling with their feelings. One man has undergone therapy for more than 10 years in an attempt to "cure" his homosexuality. Others have been ostracized from their families and the communities in which they were raised. Still others prefer to remain anonymous. DuBowski also talked to different medical experts and religious leaders.
In his review for another site, Eric D. Snider commented: "Though the stories are compelling in their humanity and the striking quandaries they present, even for straight viewers, they develop a sameness after a while. None...
Over a period of years, DuBowski interviewed Hasidic and Orthodox Jews in New York, California, Florida, Britain, and Israel, all individuals struggling with their feelings. One man has undergone therapy for more than 10 years in an attempt to "cure" his homosexuality. Others have been ostracized from their families and the communities in which they were raised. Still others prefer to remain anonymous. DuBowski also talked to different medical experts and religious leaders.
In his review for another site, Eric D. Snider commented: "Though the stories are compelling in their humanity and the striking quandaries they present, even for straight viewers, they develop a sameness after a while. None...
- 4/7/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
A Reenacted Shot Of Arthur Russell On The Staten Island Ferry From Director Matt Wolf'S Wild Combination: A Portrait Of Arthur Russell. Courtesy Plexifilm. Some people age more quickly than others, and Matt Wolf – both in person and in his work – displays a confidence and maturity that belie his tender years. Twenty-six-year-old Wolf was born and raised in San Jose, California, and spent much of his teenage years watching movies. He won a full-tuition fellowship to study film at Nyu, where he made a number of shorts including Smalltown Boys (2003), an experimental biopic about AIDS activist David Wojanorawicz. During this period, he also interned for and became friends with documentarian Sandi DuBowski, the director of Trembling Before...
- 10/8/2008
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Sandi DuBowski's 2001 documentary Trembling Before G-d dealt soberly and relatively non-judgmentally with the dilemma of gay men and women who identify themselves as Orthodox Jews. Now DuBowski serves as a producer on Parvez Sharma's A Jihad For Love, about the even more tenuous position of observant Muslims who choose to be openly gay. While Jewish homosexuals can at least have long, analytical talks with their rabbis about whether being gay and devout is a contradiction, in some Islamic cultures, coming out means risking a death sentence. Jumping from country to country, Sharma finds gay men and lesbians living in exile from their original homes, and lets them tell their stories about growing up feeling different from their peers, then trying to suppress their desires by getting married, then fleeing their community when the truth comes out. Sharma frames Jihad's subjects tightly, isolating them from their communities, and because.
- 5/29/2008
- by Noel Murray
- avclub.com
Winner of the Teddy Award for best documentary at the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival, Sandi Simcha Dubowski's "Trembling Before G-d" offers a provocative portrait of gay and lesbian ultra-Orthodox Jews struggling to reconcile their sexual orientation with their devout religious beliefs.
Opening last week in Los Angeles following a successful (and ongoing) run in New York and elsewhere, the film succeeds in shedding revealing light on a group of individuals who are particularly reluctant to face a camera lens.
Considering that those who came out of the closet effectively were ostracized by their families and communities, the fact that they remain so strongly drawn to the strict tenets of their upbringing, which condemn their behavior, presents an interesting dilemma. Because many more have hidden behind arranged marriages or sought "corrective" therapies involving slightly modified forms of self-flagellation, DuBowski had his work cut out when it came to finding people willing to share their experiences.
As a result, many of his subjects are shot in silhouette or with their faces digitally obscured. Among his articulate, if reluctant, participants are openly gay Mark, the son of a London rabbi who was shipped to Israel on the mistaken belief that there are no homosexuals there; divorced Michelle, who is convinced that she is the only Hasidic lesbian, at least in Brooklyn; and "Malka" and "Leah", an observant longtime couple whose families aren't exactly supportive.
There's also David, a Los Angeles resident who, during a decadelong struggle to subvert his attraction to men, undertook such reparative measures as eating figs every day and flicking a Rubber Band on his wrist each time he felt aroused.
That's nothing compared to the shock therapy used to "cure" Brooklyn's Israel during the 1950s. Nonetheless, he's determined to reunite with his 98-year-old father, though they haven't seen each other face to face for more than 20 years.
During a five-year period, DuBowski enlisted the help of about two dozen cinematographers in six cities, including London and Jerusalem, to tell these affecting stories. Given its understandable problems finding willing interviewees, the film's ultimate scope is limited nevertheless. Without having access to some of those parents and family members, friends and religious leaders, "Trembling" is unable to deliver the kind of bigger picture that makes for a more powerful documentary.
But while its subjects, for the most part, continue to live nonsecular lives -- there's even a support group called Orthodykes -- their spiritual need to belong speaks a universal language.
TREMBLING BEFORE G-D
New Yorker
Credits:
Director-producer: Sandi Simcha DuBowski
Producer: Marc Smolowitz
Editors: Susan Korda, Johanna Prenner
Music: John Zorn
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 84 minutes...
Opening last week in Los Angeles following a successful (and ongoing) run in New York and elsewhere, the film succeeds in shedding revealing light on a group of individuals who are particularly reluctant to face a camera lens.
Considering that those who came out of the closet effectively were ostracized by their families and communities, the fact that they remain so strongly drawn to the strict tenets of their upbringing, which condemn their behavior, presents an interesting dilemma. Because many more have hidden behind arranged marriages or sought "corrective" therapies involving slightly modified forms of self-flagellation, DuBowski had his work cut out when it came to finding people willing to share their experiences.
As a result, many of his subjects are shot in silhouette or with their faces digitally obscured. Among his articulate, if reluctant, participants are openly gay Mark, the son of a London rabbi who was shipped to Israel on the mistaken belief that there are no homosexuals there; divorced Michelle, who is convinced that she is the only Hasidic lesbian, at least in Brooklyn; and "Malka" and "Leah", an observant longtime couple whose families aren't exactly supportive.
There's also David, a Los Angeles resident who, during a decadelong struggle to subvert his attraction to men, undertook such reparative measures as eating figs every day and flicking a Rubber Band on his wrist each time he felt aroused.
That's nothing compared to the shock therapy used to "cure" Brooklyn's Israel during the 1950s. Nonetheless, he's determined to reunite with his 98-year-old father, though they haven't seen each other face to face for more than 20 years.
During a five-year period, DuBowski enlisted the help of about two dozen cinematographers in six cities, including London and Jerusalem, to tell these affecting stories. Given its understandable problems finding willing interviewees, the film's ultimate scope is limited nevertheless. Without having access to some of those parents and family members, friends and religious leaders, "Trembling" is unable to deliver the kind of bigger picture that makes for a more powerful documentary.
But while its subjects, for the most part, continue to live nonsecular lives -- there's even a support group called Orthodykes -- their spiritual need to belong speaks a universal language.
TREMBLING BEFORE G-D
New Yorker
Credits:
Director-producer: Sandi Simcha DuBowski
Producer: Marc Smolowitz
Editors: Susan Korda, Johanna Prenner
Music: John Zorn
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 84 minutes...
- 2/25/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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