FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT: Charles Frank, Director of SOMEWHERE WITH NO BRIDGES

Twenty years after a beloved local fisherman, Richie Madeiras, goes missing off the shores of Martha’s Vineyard, a distant cousin finds Richie’s kind, indelible spirit in the stories of family, friends, and the sweeping sea which has defined their lives. A stirring, lyrical journey swims beneath the brusque, reticent surface of this New England fishing community.

SFF Selection Committee member Shelley Sackett caught up with Charles Frank, the director of SOMEWHERE WITH NO BRIDGES, ahead of the film's premiere during Week 1 (Friday, July 10 - Thursday, July 16) of our virtual Salem Film Fest.

SAS: How did the idea for SOMEWHERE WITH NO BRIDGES first start?

CF: The majority of my extended family works and lives on Martha's Vineyard year-round and I've always felt compelled to make a movie there. Honestly, when we began this project, we just started filming without a very clear vision. In the early stages of the film, we had this loose idea to capture the absurd influx of tourism (around 100,000 additional people come to the island in the summer) in stark contrast to the everyday lives of the locals in the off-season. We wanted to dig beneath Martha's Vineyard's reputation for being a playground for the wealthy and celebrate the people that keep the island running and are more connected to it as a deeply spiritual, magical place.

There are hints of that original idea in the final piece, but it's now a very different film. I never like having too distinct of a concept going into any project- I prefer to be taken away by whatever feeling we discover in a place. To me that's the ultimate luxury as a filmmaker - a luxury I feel very fortunate to have indulged in.

SAS: Could you walk us through the process from initial spark to finished film? Did your focus change as the film progressed?

CF: For months, the cinematographer (Jeff Melanson) and I roamed the island aimlessly, filming random scenes with locals. There was a period of time where our editor (Nicollette Bovat) would just cut these disparate scenes and store them away for later use. While we were filming these vignettes, my cousin Richie (a beloved fisherman who went missing at sea when I was a child) would naturally come up in conversation. In fact, it seemed like everyone we ran into had a story to tell. My father has been telling me stories about Richie my whole life, but I had never quite grasped the gravity of his life and death within the island community.

Our decision to make this a film about Richie came pretty late in the game. We started doing interviews and collecting home video after we had already essentially completed filming. The most amazing thing to me was the ways in which all these disparate scenes we filmed early on supported the stories and sentiments we later captured in interviews. I loved making the film kind of backwards like this. I think it allowed for more interesting visual and narrative pairings.

As a quick aside... our cinematographer (Jeff Melanson) was also our composer and he wrote and recorded much of the original score on the island in-between shoot days. You can listen to the Spotify album here.

SAS: What was the biggest challenge in making this film? The biggest reward?CF: The biggest challenge was most certainly making a film about and involving my own family. I was plagued by feelings of guilt, fear and anxiety about overstepping boundaries or dredging up painful memories. That said, I think this emotional struggle is part of what made the project so rewarding. The process of making the movie helped me strengthen and forge entirely new relationships with my family members. I think any creative pursuit that translates into some kind of personal growth like that is worthwhile.

SAS: As a documentary filmmaker, what motivates and inspires you?

CF: I believe documentary storytelling is one of the most powerful mediums to inform and educate audiences about the world's pressing issues. With that in mind, I am particularly inspired by documentaries that manage to do this in subtle, nuanced ways. I appreciate films that create a powerful feeling without needing much exposition; ones that prioritize the telling of relatable, human stories as a way to enact change (HONEYLAND is a supreme example of this in my opinion). There seems to be a rise in this more thematic, lyrical approach to non-fiction storytelling and it is so exciting to me.

Outside of filmmaking, I'm obsessed with author Haruki Murakami. He explores such grand themes with the simplest writing - it's the exact balance I'd love to one day achieve in the films I make.

SAS: What has the audience reaction been so far to the film?

CF: I never really had the chance to know Richie, so I feared and expected the film to disappoint those who were closest with him. I worried I just wouldn't get it right, or that the film didn't spend enough time telling stories about him. This is not a very straightforward biopic, after all. However after sharing it with friends and family, I now realize how silly my thinking was.It seems that no one ever expected it to be this perfect, objective picture of who Richie was. They all just seem happy that I went searching for him - so to speak - and found fragments of who he was and still is on the island. I am so, so excited to share the film at Salem Film Fest with audiences that didn't know Richie. I think they will have an entirely different experience and I cannot wait to hear how it makes them feel!

SAS: What message do you hope viewers take away from the film?

CF: My goal with this film is to show the varied, beautiful, and mystical ways that one's legacy can live on. I hope this film can help audiences feel more connected to someone they've lost or even someone that just feels distant. To me, it's a film about building bridges, even in the places that seem to have none.

SAS: What do you think the importance of documentary film in our daily lives is?

CF: On one end of the spectrum, there are documentaries that deliver such powerful stories of injustice that the most powerful people and institutions are pushed to reform. Those films have the most obvious and arguably the most important role in shaping our society and thus our daily lives.On the other end of the spectrum, there are documentaries that inspire a less obvious, and less definable internal shift. They help us see something previously unseen or feel something previously unfelt. Sometimes it's tough to quantify their impact, but I believe they also play an important role in how we experience our daily lives.

SAS: What's next for you?

CF: I'm currently developing a documentary about a volunteer-based community radio station that's been in operation since 1968. We'll take a look at their storied history, as well as a handful of their unique, present day programs and the people behind them.

SAS: Anything you'd like to add?

CF: One thing I found quite moving while making this film was the level of discomfort that the interviewees (particularly the more reticent fishermen) were willing to endure in order to honor Richie. While I did my best to provide a safe, welcoming space, I imagine that for them, the mere thought of sitting in front of big lights and cameras while being questioned by some young filmmaker probably sounded about as appealing as having their pinky finger severed by a lobster. But they showed up, they sat down, and they spoke from the heart. It makes me tear up just thinking about it.

SOMEWHERE WITH NO BRIDGES screened as part of SFF 2020.

FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT: Martha Shane, Director of NARROWSBURG

In NARROWSBURG, A French film producer and a mafioso-turned-actor turn the tiny town of Narrowsburg, New York, upside down, peddling Hollywood dreams that it can become the “Sundance of the East.”Persuading the townspeople that they can be movie stars, the pair create a fever pitch of excitement, launching a film festival and shooting a gangster movie titled FOUR DEADLY REASONS. As this stranger-than-fiction tale unspools, it becomes a meditation on the power of cinema, and the fine line between dreams and delusions.

SFF program director Jeff Schmidt spoke with the film's director Martha Shane ahead of the festival – NARROWSBURG screens during Week 1 (Friday, July 10 – Thursday, July 16) of our virtual Salem Film Fest and tickets can be purchased here.

Jeff Schmidt: Was it difficult to get people to talk about the film festival and FOUR DEADLY REASONS?  Or were they just as eager to be in your movie as they were to be in Richie's film?

Martha Shane: There was definitely some hesitance for the people who lost money or who felt most betrayed by the Castellanos. Some of those people had been promised roles in the movie, so when I came along, asking if they would agree to be in another movie (mine), it makes sense that they would think twice! I think that often when folks get conned or scammed, there's some shame and embarrassment that accompanies the experience, and so that was definitely an obstacle to overcome for some people, and I'm so grateful to those who decided to participate. And some folks ultimately decided that it would be too painful to talk about the experience again in detail so they chose not to be part of it.

For those who didn't get ripped off, I think it was a lot easier to go on camera! I think Narrowsburg, given what a tiny place it is, has an incredibly high number of great storytellers -- maybe the best ratio of great storytellers per mile anywhere. So there were definitely a good number of folks who were happy to take their chances on the big screen once again.

JS: Richie is quite the charmer, why do you think so many people were drawn to him?

MS: Richie always felt like a character out of a movie to me -- larger than life. If you're living in a small town (or anywhere for that matter!), and a guy walks into your world who could easily be straight out of the cast of GOODFELLAS, you're gonna pay attention. Plus, he was friendly, outgoing, personable. He would apparently walk into the local restaurant on Main Street and pay for everyone's coffees. He was a generous guy...until he started conning people.

JS:  There are a lot of twists and turns in this story, did you expect that when you started the project?

MS: I knew some of the twists and turns right off the bat, but there were others that definitely surprised me! And those discoveries, large and small, kept me going during the many years of trying to get this project made. I don't want to give too much away, but I'll say that the part of the story that I knew well from the very beginning was the part that takes place during the last fifteen minutes of the film in NYC. All the details of what really happened in Narrowsburg were a discovery for me. As a kid, I was obsessed with mystery novels, and I really love the process of investigation -- pulling on every little thread to see where it leads.

JS:  What do you hope audiences will take away after watching your film?

MS: Most of all, I hope it will provide entertainment and enjoyable distraction during this incredibly unusual and difficult time. But I also hope it prompts people to think about the power and the romance around cinema and filmmaking, as well as the line between ambition and delusion. It's interesting to think about what movies mean in our culture and why we care so much about them, especially during this time when so much production has been shut down and so many movie theaters shuttered.

NARROWSBURG screened as part of SFF 2020.

FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT: Harald Friedl, Director of BREAD: AN EVERYDAY MIRACLE

BREAD: AN EVERYDAY MIRACLE takes us on an enlightening journey into the European world of bread and its production today. We meet traditional artisan bakers and cereal farmers who can vouch for quality and sustainable ingredients. Director Harald Friedl also shows us the baking factories of transnational food corporations, who go to great technological lengths on their mission to recreate authentic taste. Industrially produced bread is fast becoming an artificial product. How can the craft of baking survive? And what will the bread of the future be like?

SFF Blog contributor Connor Ryan spoke with Friedl ahead of the festival - BREAD: AN EVERYDAY MIRACLE screens during Week 1 (Friday, July 10 - Thursday, July 16) of our virtual Salem Film Fest.

Director Harald Friedl

Connor Ryan: How did you find this project? Did you know its scope and shape from the outset, or did it evolve over time?

Harald Friedl: It evolved. I love to eat bread and buy it from outstanding bakers in Vienna. So they know me and we talk. I got impressed by their philosophy and started to see the complex relationship between soil, grain, flour, dough, bacteria and yeast, baking skills, techniques and technologies, health issues and the role of the customer. Bakers showed me their skills as flour and dough do not always react the same way every day. Bakers need to be able to handle that. I learned to understand fermentation as a pre-digestive process.

First I thought, this might become a nice TV-documentary about great bakers and their special, individualistic breads. Then I learned about industrial production techniques and their dependence on additives that do not need to be declared on the label. That opened up many more questions. The topic became bigger and more political. I found the industrial baker, a great entrepreneur from Hamburg who is motivated by turnover, profit and market shares, and later the speaker and the CEO of a big Belgian company that sells dough-mixes with enzymes and other additives. By far most industrials, however, would not even talk to me.

CR: How long did you film? Was filming over the course of multiple visits, or did you stay on location for a prolonged period of time?

HF: We had 1 block in two German Harry-factories, 3 blocks with the Belgian Puratos company, 2 blocks with the farmer/EU-politician Martin Haeusling and the Swiss scientist Joelle Ruegg in Stockholm & Brussels, 2 blocks with gourmet-baker Christophe Vasseur and cult-status Apollonia Poilane in Paris and about 6 blocks or so with the natural bakers, the Oefferl family in Austria, which were close and easy to visit.

CR: How much of this film was planning, how much was filming, and how much was editing? Is there one aspect you enjoy more than another?

HF: It took me one year to research and understand. A big part of it was to select fact from nonsense.  In the second year I deepened my understanding, searched and found my protagonists. And in the third year we shot, edited and did post production.  And of course we were busy trying to get all of this financed.  As to the second question I have to say, no.

CR: How did you find and choose your subjects? HF: Every one of the protagonists is excited about what he is doing. So their subjects should circulate around that excitement. Everyone has a particular function in his or her professional life and everyone should remain in his role.

CR: Watching bakers mix, shape and cut dough is strikingly alluring. Why do you think these actions are so evocative? And, as an aside, where did you find the opening clip, and when did you know you would use it?

HF: The actions are basic and simple, and what they create is basic and essential.  Much of what the Austrian family bakery shows has been done like this for thousands of years. And what makes their work particularly alluring today is, that they work with such outstanding diligence. They love what they are doing. Old knowledge und understanding are being revived and bring something to life, as we can see on the Oefferl-Family's dough. The industrial dough looks lifeless by comparison.

And as for the opening clip: We were looking for a funny historic opening and tried the Salvador Dali video first that now appears later in the film. German Co-producer Carl-Ludwig Rettinger had a vague recollection of some archival footage he once saw of a man squeezing toast bread to a ball. Editor Martin Kayser-Landwehr found BALLING WONDER BREAD from 1976 by US-American artist Karl Simon. Karl Simon granted us the permission to use it, what we are very glad about and greatful for, as this short film sets the right "tone" for the film.

CR: How would you describe the making of this film compared to your earlier works? Has your career followed an arc or progression?

HF: I had greater resources for BREAD compared to previous films. I don't see an arc in my career and always pursue projects that fascinate me. These can be several at a time. So I once make a film about happiness research in Bhutan (WHAT HAPPINESS IS, 2012), or about old family stores in Vienna (OUT OF TIME, 2006, that won awards in the USA and Canada) or about a US-American friend of mine, who lived, sang and loved in Austria until she passed away (MY LIFE AS AN APPLE TREE, 2012). Or I help a pioneer of organic food in Germany, Volker Schmidt-Skoeries, to write his book on entrepreneurial ethics. Furthermore I write and publish one or two short stories a year in literary anthologies or on Austrian Public Radio. I sing in an Indie-Band and I have been a frequent guest at US-Universities.

All of my films deal with ambiguity – that at last is a only common trait. And I want them to be beautifully shot.

CR: What is the message of your film? What would you like your audience to walk away thinking about?

HF:  One message is, that even something as simple and everyday like bread bears fundamental conflicts and chances. By the example of a loaf you can narrate a big story. And above all, people should walk out with an appetite for the best bread.

BREAD: AN EVERYDAY MIRACLE screened as part of SFF 2020. 

FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT: Michal Bielawski, Director of THE WIND. A DOCUMENTARY THRILLER

In THE WIND. A DOCUMENTARY THRILLER, director Michal Bielawski  captures the Halny wind cycles, which surge through the mountains of Polandevery spring and autumn—one never knows if or when the Halny will turn into a destructive gale. When the wind arrives, people become more anxious and aggressive, drink significantly more alcohol, suffer adverse health conditions, and suicide rates reach their highest level. In the small community of Zakopane, residents are terrorized by the windstorm as it transforms picturesque mountain trails into a stage for a performance of human struggle against the destructive forces of nature.

SFF Blog contributor Connor Ryan spoke with Bielawski ahead of the festival - THE WIND A DOCUMENTARY THRILLER which screened as part of SFF 2020.

Note: This interview contains mentions of suicide and domestic violence.

Connor Ryan: This is your fifth film. How does The Wind compare to your previous work? In what ways does it differ?

Michal Bielawski: Before this project, my focus was mostly on historical topics. My first film was a result of very long preparation, historical research, many interviews, unique archives and shaped storyline. That first film was a success – my colleagues from television were astonished that I did much more than someone who works with television is supposed to. That was a start of a new profession for me. In all other projects I was looking how to expand my skills as a documentarist. Initially, I thought I would just play it safe and conduct interviews with selected protagonists. I am very happy I didn’t do that. THE WIND was totally a different experience. I had to learn a lot, understand how accessing characters for observatory documentary differs from an interview based story. I had to really know my characters to be able to project their possible steps in the story. Build a lot of alternatives for scenes, try to stimulate characters but not manipulate them in order to get some important behavior from them, see how that appears in front of camera. I would say that this work was a true film school for me.

THE WIND. A DOCUMENTARY THRILLER director Michal Bielawski

CR: How did you come by this project? Had you heard of the halny wind before?I was approached by producer Maciej Kubicki some time ago. He signaled that he has “something that would interest me”. He was building that tension and mystery around project that he keeps for me, for a while and when we’ve finally met he told me that there is still not a real film about Halny wind, and maybe I would like to try to do it… it sounded great and that’s what I told him. I thought that it is worth a lot of risk. I also thought that I knew something about Halny wind—like most of the people in Poland, because that's very famous wind here, almost a legend. From that moment I started to collect stories about it. I was told by a judge that the number of crimes committed grows because of Halny. But what is interesting here, is the fact that violence occurs right before it starts to blow, not during. But there are many elements connected to Halny closing: not only domestic violence but also heavy drinking and suicidal incidents. 

CR: How did you prepare to tackle so large a subject? How did you plan/organize around a meteorological phenomenon? How long did it take to make this film? What were some of the challenges? 

MB: It took us 5 years from the beginning to end. I started with concept of another movie and I felt that it might go easy if the film will be treated like my other work—through good archives that would picture famous historical winds. So, at the beginning I believed that it would make sense to spend enough time in libraries, reading all that was printed about that wind. I focused on that, but after some time I realized that it wasn't the right way. A very crucial decision was the search for a cinematographer. We felt that it had to be someone from Zakopane city which is the biggest town in Tatra mountains and usually the first and the most troubled place by Halny wind. Fortunately I found someone. Bartek Solik, very talented photographer from Zakopane, who in that time, collaborated with Tatra National Park making short films for them. With his skills and knowledge about mountains, Bartek became the most important crew member. Another element of preparation was settling good relations with national meteorological institution, so they kept us informed about all weather changes in the Zakopane area. During these several years of work I’ve witnessed and filmed 5-6 Halny winds. The most important issue was communication with characters before and during the wind, so we knew with whom it seemed to be the most interesting and the other important issue was our safety, because these conditions were quite heavy.

CR: How did you meet the four characters you follow?MB: First we started with Teresa, the poet—thanks to our cinematographer, Bartek Solik. He knew her already, because once,  he photographed her for a newspaper. When I said that it would be great to have someone who is living between rational and metaphysical he immediately pointed to her. And Teresa loved while idea. Staszek, the “windmill guy” inherited metal frame of his future windmill from his neighbor also photographed by Bartek. We worked with both of them almost the whole filming. Ewa, the paramedic was the third paramedic in my film, she seemed to be totally different from the others, very modern, focused and motivated. I must confess that when I asked her if she could compare her life to the Halny wind she answered in very convincing way: sure, you should come and see us when I go to work… So, we did and filmed it. The meteorologist was chosen because he stays in remote and alienated place, in very old wooden hut, and I also found him very photogenic, with a look of mountain hippie. It created very interesting cocktail of personalities and places.

CR: Some of the scenes have a real sense of danger. How did you prepare for them? Did you have any rules about when you'd stop filming and seek shelter? 

MB: In general we were trying to keep away from danger but finally, when the wind came someone had to film all that material. Before that, we were talking and talking with my producer about security, thinking about special metal cages for cameras, special gear for cinematographer, how to react, what will be the limit... and that was for hours. But then, when the first Halny came we were taken almost by surprise, with our costly insurance in our hands and a lot of tension that we have to work a lot right now. It ended up quite badly for me, because after few hours I started to suffer from severe migraine. First night went well,  we were following fireman squad by car into the forest where trees were literally breaking into our heads. Cinematographer, Bartek had some concerns, but we decided that we have to film but the next day we will organize at least special helmets from fireman to protect ourselves. And it ended up in an unexpected way—for whole second night, our helmets were traveling in the trunk of another car and something else happened: when I watched the material I heard my voice saying: “guys, I suppose we leave now…” All these experiences helped us a lot while we were filming the last Halny—we entered the forest following our character and we filmed her in extreme weather without hesitation.

CR: None of your characters address the experience of living through the Halny directly. Was this a conscious choice on your part? How do you think it shapes the film's message?MB: The uniqueness of Halny wind is connected to the very wide and various experience people have with it. Some feel edgy and go for a drink and after few more glasses they get into a fight—there are so many calls to the police when Halny is coming. Some others become violent, hurt close ones or animals—you can hear about it from their neighbors. Almost everyone who calls emergency number 112 is already in specific state of mind, because of their circumstances might have very dark thoughts and become suicidal.

CR: There are a few moments that have almost a playful feel to them, (e.g. a boy on crutches jumps on a trampoline; Teresa and her husband argue about the car seat). Were these moments serendipitous, or did you look for them specifically? How necessary do you think moments of comedy are in relation to such a large, daunting subject?

MB: Generally, I believe that comic elements make the story more credible. These particular scenes were caught accidentally while we were filming other things. The dispute between Teresa and her husband happened because something was in the air already—Teresa was going to present herself on public and that wasn't easy for her husband, who believes and cultivates traditional, patriarchal model in which the man is in the spotlight. The scene with a boy jumping on trampoline is a long story. When I was trying to work with doctor from hospital in Zakopane I suggested that she might visit Staszek—that’s part of her routine, so it might have happened anyway. The scene with Staszek and doctor didn’t work great, but she discovered that Staszek's grandson has one leg that shorter than the other and she send him to hospital for examination. The orthopedist discovered that boy has some problems with growth of his acetabular cup (in his hip) and he was told to walk on crutches for almost a year. The moment when he started to jump on trampoline was funny and bitter in the same time, because he really wanted to be like other kids. The cinematographer  took notice of this moment while we were preparing to shoot a scene with a rooster. Later, my editor Hubert Pusek felt in love with that scene and we felt that sort of scene works very well before something dramatic approaching.

CR: While some characters suffer from the effects of Halny, others seem almost to thrive in its environment. How does this contribute to the message of the film?

MB: There aren't many who thrive in it, but you can find people whom wind gives a kick. Some of them look for inspiration like Teresa or like Staszek, who wishes to transform that immense energy into something else—maybe useful electricity. I heard from a man who works as a mountain rescuer that for him working during Halny was uplifting. I think that experience of Halny is very complex and I wanted to show many different facets of it. When I worked on the film, I focused a lot on translating the experience of the wind onto the screen and the message was always connected with it, but became clear during editing process. I guess my film is about the way nature is shaping people lives and that life itself has repetitive circles. It is tragic and very human that people leaving in severe conditions fall and get up to prepare for another hit. Somehow all characters and the way their stories turn out in the film are proof of it.

THE WIND. A DOCUMENTARY THRILLER screened as part of SFF 2020.

FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT: Amy Geller and Gerald Peary, Directors of THE RABBI GOES WEST

The co-directors of THE RABBI GOES WEST are filmmakers Amy Geller, who teaches courses on production at Boston University and was previously the Artistic Director of the Boston Jewish Film Festival, and Gerald Peary, a veteran film critic for the Boston Phoenix and programmer for Boston University Cinematheque. In the film, they follow Chaim Bruk, a charismatic 34-year-old Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi from Brooklyn, who brings his evangelical strand of Judaism to Bozeman, Montana, with the mission to place a mezuzah (encased Jewish prayer offering) on the doorpost of every Montana Jew. As he travels across this “big sky” landscape, Chaim faces obstacles, including a terrifying neo-Nazi threat, objections from some skeptical Jews and the state’s Reform and Conservative rabbis. Will Chaim succeed in his Chabad expansion, and at what cost?Salem Film Fest will present THE RABBI GOES WEST during Week 2 (Friday, July 17 - Thursday, July 23) of our virtual film festival.  Tickets may be purchased to view the film here.SFF Selection Committee member Shelley Sackett spoke with Geller and Peary ahead of the festival.

Shelley Sackett: How did the idea for THE RABBI GOES WEST first start?

Gerald Peary: It started with wanting to make a film which somehow dealt with my identity as a very secular Jew, but someone who considers myself very Jewish. I asked myself,"What do I really care about with Judaism?" I realized I love mezuzahs. Should I make something called The Mezuzah Movie? I read everything there was to know about mezuzahs, saw every movie with a mezuzah in it, learned every mezuzah song. One day, trolling the internet, I came across the true-life story of a rabbi in Montana who had a pledge to put a mezuzah on the doorpost of every Jew in the state of Montana."I thought, That could be interesting." I telephoned Rabbi Chaim Bruk in Bozeman, Montana, and asked if we could come out and watch him put up mezuzahs. He said, "Sure," and Amy Geller and I, soon as co-directors, flew out to Montana to film. This was the beginning of our movie.

THE RABBI GOES WEST directors Amy Geller and Gerald Peary

SS: Could you walk us through the process from initial spark to finished film? Did your focus change as the film progressed?

Amy Geller: Like some of my favorite observational documentaries, the film definitely evolved during the filmmaking process. At the beginning, we thought it would be a short film about a charismatic believer on a mission. But during our first shoot, we discovered that in addition to Rabbi Chaim’s Chabad shul, there was also a Reform synagogue in Bozeman. Not only was there more than one rabbi in town, but the rabbis didn’t always get along. Conflict. And then, we also discovered how little we understood about Chabad, the Hasidic sect that our main character Chaim Bruk is part of, and how controversial they were within Judaism. More conflict. Finally, you never want this to happen to people you care about, but when a group of Neo-Nazis threatened some of the Jewish leaders that we were documenting, we knew that horrific incident had to be part of our story, too. What ended up on screen was our journey of discovery in making the film.

SS: As documentary filmmakers, what motivates and inspires you?

AG: Gerry likes to say that documentary filmmaking, like fiction, is all about casting, finding a compelling subject who can command the screen. While I agree that’s an important aspect, what gets me excited is the journey of discovery, learning about other people, places, worlds, time periods. And through that discovery, I have the chance to connect and relate to those who have different experiences. Getting to share these experiences, through film festivals and public screenings, with audiences all over the world, completes the experience. I guess it boils down to empathy, discovering that we have more in common than what divides us.

SS: What has audience reaction been so far to the film?

GP: It’s been amazingly positive. We thought we were making a controversial film, and that we would get a lot of flack from Chabad for showing not everything Chabad does in a positive light, and that progressive Jews would be angry at us for making a film which is not out to bash the Hasidic world, for being too friendly to Chabad. So far, every Chabad person who has seen the film has loved it for showing Hasidism in a non-judgmental way. Secular and progressive Jews have also thanked us for teaching them things about Chabad that they didn’t know, and for making such an interesting movie!

SS: What message do you hope viewers take away from the film?

GP: We have great respect for progressive documentaries which have a strong point of view and are aiming to persuade audiences on social consciousness questions of importance. But the kind of documentary we choose to make is not one with an obvious, overt message. We are much more open-ended, committed to giving all sides their best arguments and counting on the audience to decide for itself what to believe, whose side to take. We have great faith in the intelligence and critical thinking of those who watch our movies.

SS: What do you think the importance of documentary film in our daily lives is?

AG: What’s particularly special about long-format documentary is that, as a filmmaker, you have the ability to get into the complexities of a subject or issue, to show it from different sides and, in some cases, to offer opposing perspectives. In our consume and discard media culture, I want to tell stories that encourage audiences to think critically about topics and to question their own assumptions about the world around them.

SS: What's next for you two?

GP: We are contemplating a project, perhaps a short film, about rabbis in the American civil rights movement.

SS: Anything you'd like to add?

GP: Come see THE RABBI GOES WEST in Salem! We’d love to hear your reactions and answer your questions!AG: And if you want to book a screening at your synagogue or community group, please contact us.

THE RABBI GOES WEST screened as part of SFF 2020.