Rama Burshtein’s Real Religious Women
Fill the Void depicts the Chassidic world from a female perspective with sensitivity and artistry. Orthodox Judaism is typically represented in cinema one of three ways: There’s the “Yentl” approach, in which the Orthodox world remains frozen in Old Country Shtetlach even as their inhabitants sail to new opportunities elsewhere. If our story takes place outside of pre-WWII Europe, Orthodox Judaism is often presented as an oppressive institution that prevents a film’s hero from pursuing their true love or calling (Think The Jazz Singer (1927 and 1980), Disobedience (2017), and Felix and Meira (2014)). And of course, there are the incidental comedic encounters where Orthodox Judaism is presented as little more than a punchline-à
Four Ways That You’re Already a Filmmaker
So, kid, you want to be a filmmaker? Well, it looks like you might be one already. Filmmaking can seem like an unreachable profession when you’re miles away from Hollywood, without thousand dollar equipment. But with the help of modern technology, many people have the tools for creating cinema sitting in their pocket. Directors like Ocean’s Eleven (2001)’s Steven Soderbergh and The Florida Project (2017)’s Sean Baker have used smartphones to make acclaimed films like High Flying Bird (2019) and Tangerine (2015), so what’s stopping you? In fact, you might already be a filmmaker in your own right whether or not you’re