138. Sandi DuBowski, Documentary Director/Producer of Sabbath Queen and Trembling Before G-d

Sandi DuBowski discusses the one-year anniversary of his film Sabbath Queen, which he spent 21 years making. He reflects on the journey of the 21st-century radical rabbi and how it has shaped their life. He discusses the inspiration behind his film, Tomboychik, the concept of which was developed after conversations with his grandmother. The film is a living video memorial to her spirit; it won several awards, including the Golden Gate award at the San Francisco Film Festival and the Whitney Museum program, and launched Sandi into the film world.

Documentary Films and Festivals 
Sandi talks about his work as an associate director of the New York Lesbian/Gay Experimental Film Video festival, MIX. He initially worked on a feature film called Fresh Kill and later worked for Planned Parenthood as a researcher and producing videos. After working for Planned Parenthood, he started filming the major feature documentary, Trembling Before G-d, about Hasidic and Orthodox Jews who are lesbian or gay. The film had a World Premiere at Sundance, and won two prizes at the Berlin Film Festival. It screened in cinemas and festivals worldwide, and Sandi went on the road for three years, doing outreach and engagement. Sandi concludes by expressing gratitude for the support and funding he received from the Steven Spielberg Righteous Persons Foundation. He also mentions that his film Sabbath Queen has been a significant moment in his life, as he reconnects with classmates from Harvard, high school, elementary school, film, queer, Jewish, and activist circles. The film has been a testament to the power of storytelling and the transformative power of time.

Breaking from Traditional Religious Conventions
Sandi fell into the world of filmmaking by accident. He worked with great people, including cinematographers and editors, to create a team of creatives. The film "Trembling Before G-d" was a significant leap forward in technical craft and embraced the lives of people who were not in the public realm. The first Orthodox gay Rabbi came out in the film, and the first person from a Hasidic world to come out as lesbian was featured. The film also convinced Orthodox rabbis to speak publicly on the issue, which was a tipping point in the culture. The filmmaker met with Amichai, who was already post-denominational and pushing the boundaries of Orthodoxy. Sandi talks about the film’s concept and how it inspired a Muslim man to make a movie on Islam and homosexuality.

Filming the Documentary Sabbath Queen
Sandi shares the journey of filming Sabbath Queen, which involved following Rabbi Amichai over 21 years. The film took six years to edit due to multiple storylines, nearly 3000 hours of footage, and time spent exploring Amichai's complex identity and his numerous worlds within his rabbinic family. The film was a complicated project, but Sandi and Amichai have remained close friends.
The film is Biblical in many ways, as it is a coming of age and a paradigm shift from a thousands-year-old faith to the present. The film aims to address the challenges faced by religion, as well as the rise of authoritarianism and fascism. Sandi believes that creating a film that looks at time and how values can be manifested in our lives, communities, families, houses of worship, and nations is crucial for upholding values and morals.

A Documentary Filmmaker’s Journey
Sandi shares his experiences and lessons learned from his journey as a documentary filmmaker. He explains that his life has been unexpected and doesn't fit neatly into boxes. He also shares his experience with Good Pitch, a platform that focuses on social issue documentaries and collaborations with filmmakers. He has built a strong community around films and the film movement, which has been translated into his work with Sabbath Queen. He believes that film communities intersect with many other communities, creating an outpouring of connection and networks. One of the ways Sabbath Queen is promoting community is through live rituals and gatherings. In Berlin, he hosted a Sabbath Queen Friday night feast with Rabbi Amichai, which encouraged togetherness, peacemaking, and reflection. In San Francisco, they hosted a SoulSpa and in Chicago a Saturday night Let the Light In. Sandi also talks about expanded cinema and the importance of gathering, him co-founding a progressive group called The Creative Resistance with media makers and a Queens Food Caravan. Sandi discusses the importance of having creative collaborators who provide feedback and help in the process of creating a character-driven film. He mentions that it is crucial to have test screenings and feedback screenings to help filmmakers work on their work over time.

Influential Harvard Professors and Courses
Sandi mentions a History and Literature course on the Vietnam War. The course focused on the interdisciplinary nature of storytelling and history, which helped Sandi understand how we process our lives, stories, wounds, and traumas.

 Timestamps:

03:28: Early Film Projects and Personal Exploration 

12:34: Transition to Long-Term Documentary Filmmaking

22:01: Challenges and Rewards of Long-term Filmmaking 

22:23: Personal Life and Community Building 

22:41: Advice for Long-term Documentary Filmmakers 

41:35: Impact of Sabbath Queen and Future Plans

Featured Non-profit:

The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Mark Jacobstein, class of ‘92, who reports:

“Hi. I'm Mark Jacobstein, class of 1992. The feature nonprofit of this episode of The 92 Report is The Friends of Cancer Research. The Friends of Cancer Research powers advances in science and policy that speed life saving treatments to patients. I'm proud to have worked with them during my time at Garden Health and found that they were by far the most important and effective 501, C3, in the world of cancer research. You can learn more about their work at Friends of Research, friends of cancer research.org, and now here's Will Bachman with this week's episode.”

To learn more about their work, visit: FriendsofCancerResearch.org.