ZELDA has been rewarded the FY2024 grant from @nyscouncilonthearts !
When I met @zeldahair in 2017 I thought I was going to film with her for a few days. @simplybraunsdorf and I were working on a webseries about wig culture in New York and she was one of our wig aficionados. After our last day of filming, she confided in me that she was struggling with wearing wigs and not sure if being a part of a show that celebrated wigs was fully honest. Her candor, vulnerability, and spirit moved me. From that day on Matt and I stopped following the other people in the series and just followed her. Before we knew it a two day shoot turned into 6 years of watching Zelda transform.
It has been an honor to get to know Zelda and be given the privilege to tell her story. I can’t wait to share it with you.
Very excited about the upcoming screenings of “That’s How You Make a Torah” ♡
In New York there is a special screening with Rabbi Linda Motzkin where she will lead a hands-on workshop where we get to be a part of the process of making a Torah! In one of my favorite synchronicities, in Indianapolis the film is being screened for high school students in the same synagogue where my mother was a bat mitzvah, one of the first in her synagogue the 70s!
I’m so thankful for this film and to get to share this story with different communities around the country. 🌝
Since 2007, a pioneering group of women have taken part in the meticulous work of scribing Torah scrolls, a Jewish practice traditionally done by men since 3 BCE.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, join filmmaker Lauren Greenhall on Thursday, March 19th at 6pm on Zoom for a sneak preview of her short film “That’s How You Make a Torah,” which documents the first known female scribes in history.
🎟️ Virtual Film Talk: “That’s How You Make a Torah” with Filmmaker Lauren Greenhall
📍Thursday, March 19th at 6pm ET via Zoom
In addition to learning about the intricacies of the Hebrew scribal arts, Lauren will expand on her inspiration and creative process, the film’s development, and why this new frontier of women scribes is so groundbreaking. The audience will also have the opportunity to engage with Lauren in a Q&A.
Image credit: Stills from “That’s How You Make a Torah” courtesy of Lauren Greenhall.
📜 Regarded as the most sacred object in Jewish religious life, the Torah has historically been written exclusively by men since at least the 3rd century BCE. Remarkably, the first documented Torah completed by a woman was scribed in 2007.
🖋️A Sefer Torah, a handwritten Torah scroll, contains precisely 304,805 letters, with a longstanding tradition suggesting that each letter corresponds to a soul in the Jewish people. The production of a Torah is an exacting endeavor, requiring a highly trained scribe (sofer) approximately a year to complete, adhering to rigorous halachic (Jewish legal) standards.
📍Wednesday, October 29 at 6pm Join our workshop with Soferet Leana Tapnack, one of the few female ritual scribes today, as we explore ancient Hebrew scribal arts.
🎬 Afterward, stay for a special screening and discussion with filmmaker Lauren Greenhall, featuring a preview of her upcoming documentary, “That’s How You Make a Torah.”
Photos by Louise Bartolotta & Emeline Lotherington
California friends! Two upcoming screenings! That’s How You Make a Torah is making its west coast debut at @newportbeachfilmfest on 10/22 and then screening at @templebatyahm on 10/24. I would love to see you there! Tix at link in bio 🦌🦢🪶
That’s How You Make a Torah
Starring: Jen Taylor Friedman, Rabbi Linda Motzkin
Directed by: Lauren Greenhall
Cinematographer: Hannah Engelson
Editor: Marissa Gouverne
Composer: Mikey Coltun
Original Songs by: David Hrivnek
Colorist: Emily Bailey
Sound NY: Blaine Bailey
Sound UK: Matt Bacon
Sound Mix: Rich Hamilton
Consultant for JxJ: Natalie Difford
Guten Tag! Filmvorführung
„That’s How You Make a Torah“ von Lauren Greenhall will in an exhibition at @stabikulturwerk with @stabiberlin and @fu_berlin that’s opening on Oct 19th! The exhibit is about Jewish sacred materials and I’m geehrt to be a part of it.
Congratulations to all involved. PGM out today. So much respect to @amandajanestern for coming up with a great story, writing it, casting it (brilliantly) producing it, starring in it and everything else- you are a triumph! Amazing to work with @julianseltzer@simplybraunsdorf@greenhallll and a stunning crew. This film is not for the faint hearted. @perfectlygoodmoment
@perfectlygoodmoment is finally streaming!! You can watch it free (with ads) on Tubi and you can buy/rent it on Amazon!
Please watch, rent, rank it unfairly high on IMDB and @letterboxd and help spread the word! Don’t be the last one to see it! Take a lil 72 minute break from the election hellscape and enjoy 😘
Tailgaters premieres tonight on @vicetv and on their YouTube now. I was the story producer and had a blast meeting beloved and legendary tailgaters from around the U.S. starting with University of Michigan. Thank you to everybody who has a cousin who went to Michigan and intro’d me to them so I could begin to learn what this culture was all about 😂
Also, special thanks to @hailtomvictors@thebrownjugannarbor and #benfreed So wonderful meeting you all!💙💙💙
