FED Film Festival

FED is an "unusual" Harlem-based Jewish organization founded by Deborah Fishman Shelby. In its five years of existence, FED Social has produced more than 100 events, dinners, concerts, dance performances, photo shows and lectures. Now, we are excited to announce our first film festival.

FED is an inclusive organization, consisting of members from across all religious, cultural, political, national and sexual backgrounds. Non-dogmatic, FED Social works to combat aloneness and ennui, and in doing so, tries to create a community of acceptance.

Produced by FED and Asher Bar Lev, creator of the successful "Take Two Film Festival" which ran for five years, The FED Film Festival will be held at the historic Theatre 80 in the East Village.

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The films selected have Jewish content and/or content driven by Jewish values and themes, though they are not necessarily religious in nature. They explore Jewish relationships, neurotic patterns, historical moments, and otherwise provide a deeper and fuller exploration of the diverse elements of the Jewish culture. We hope through this festival to encourage the creation of more films unearthing unexpected, potentially even counterintuitive, Jewish content and perspectives, furthering global empathy simply through helping audiences understand what it might be like to be somebody else.

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Congratulations To The Following Winning Films To Be Screened:

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NIGHT 1, FRIDAY NIGHT, MAY 6

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Ezra: May His Memory Be for a Blessing

Empaths beware.  A dynamic and intense journey awaits you. You will want more regardless.

Ezra was a gifted artist whose passions and voice are imprinted in the drawings, collages, paintings, musical compositions and journals he generated. As we unravel the story of Ezra’s life and death, we gain a heartfelt, personal, no-holds-barred insight into teenage suicide and surviving its aftermath.

Running Time: 1:10 

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The Bag: A Story about Being Who You Are

This short proves you don’t need excesses of time to connect to another’s genuine experience.  The feelings are there.

"The BAG" is a narrative film about Muhammad who is a Male to Female Transgender person in her late 20's from Iran. She moved to a new community with a hope of change but she is still struggling to come out into her family and society.

Running Time: 0:08

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Xueta Island

Hidden.  Robust.  Resilient.  And likely unknown to you.  You know about the Lower East Side.  Do you know about Majorca?

Discrimination. Humiliation. Stigma. Many native Catholic Mallorquins with Jewish heritage have suffered greatly for centuries - this documentary unveils recent conflicts within the only synagogue on the island and explores many historical aspects of the Inquisition and its effect on the infamous fifteen family lineages.

Running Time: 1:00

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NIGHT 2, SATURDAY NIGHT, MAY 7

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In Your Eyes

Do you believe life is lived in the details?  Prepare to be moved by a delicate and fearless handling of the misunderstandings and connections embedded in every day life.

The film follows the less-known aspects of the lives of four “web stars” – Israeli YouTubers: Moti Taka, one of the busiest singers in Israel today, who visits Ethiopia for the first time with his mother Dalia. Suzi Boum, aka Lior Israelov, a successful, well-known drag queen, who was born and raised in a religious family in southern Tel Aviv. Chen Halfon, a 25-year old mother of three, who is one of the few orthodox YouTubers in Israel. Hannah Ziad, an Arab YouTuber with about half a million followers, who reveals a complex family story about her father’s death.

Running Time: 0:56

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CHEWDAISM: A Taste of Jewish Montreal

The best way to someone's heart is through their stomach. CHEWDAISM proves this concept by exploring the history and present reality of Jewish Montreal through that timeless winner, Jewish food.

Struggling with their own proverbial “YidLife Crisis,” two Montrealers on the cusp of middle age return to Montreal to discover their own mixed-up heritage in the story of Jewish Montreal, as told through an entire day's worth of eating in and around the city. CHEWDAISM: A Taste of Jewish Montreal is an hour-long documentary following Jamie and Eli as they discover the roots of the city’s Jewish community through a series of classical Jewish eateries telling the story of their community in the last 100 years, with various guests along the way sharing tales and meals.

Running Time: 1:02