Punk Jews, photograph, 2010 Jesse Zook Mann, director of the film “Punk Jews” (2012), with documentary subject Yishai Romanoff, lead singer for the Hassidic punk band “Moshiach Oi!” This shot was taken during the production of the film. Punk Jews explores an emerging movement of provocateurs and committed Jews who are asking what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century. Jewish artists, activists and musicians from diverse backgrounds and communities are defying norms and expressing their Jewish identities in unconventional ways. In the process, they are challenging stereotypes and breaking down barriers.
Gateway to the West, film still, 2012 Over the last 111 years, the Nusach Hari B’nai Zion Congregation in St. Louis, Missouri has reflected the greater story of Midwestern American Jewry in its many forms. Recently, the synagogue underwent a transformation as it moved from its home of the last sixty years, now falling to disrepair, to a new building- reflecting both a shrinking in congregation size and the migration of members to progressively more western suburban neighborhoods. Filmmaker Saul Sudin grew up attending Nusach H’ari B’nai Zion, and he weaves a portrait of how every inch of the now dilapidating older structure vibrates with history
Names, Not Numbers, film still, 2013 “Names, Not Numbers” is an innovative Holocaust education program where grade students are trained in journalism and film-making techniques for their own sit-down interview with a single survivor whose biography they have studied. The students ask their own questions, run their own camera, and edit their interview into 5 and 15 minute
Saul Sudin is a filmmaker at home in documentary and narrative films alike, pushing for naturalism while maintaining a striking visual aesthetic. His latest documentary production Punk Jews was released to acclaim by The New Yorker, Haaretz, and The New York Times and currently is in distribution through the National Center for Jewish Film. In 2013 the viral video “Sleeping on Strangers on the Subway” which he directed received over 500,000 views in its first two days and was featured on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, The Daily Mail, and The Huffington Post, among others. His greatest achievement however, was winning runner up in Popcorn, Indiana’s “Munch Better” commercial contest which won him a year’s worth of free popcorn.
Saul holds degrees in Film and Art History from Pratt Institute and was the recipient of the 2006 Outstanding Merit Award in Media Arts & Film. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Saul currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with his wife Elke, with whom he founded Jewish Art Now, a resource for contemporary Jewish visual art and design.
The Jewish Art Salon (JAS) is a 501.c.3 non-profit organization. It is a global network of contemporary visual artists and art professionals. Established in 2008 and based in New York City, JAS has over 400 members and over 2,000 participants. Through its 60+ shows, events and collaborations in the US, Europe and Israel, JAS has reached approximately 30,000 individuals since its inception. JAS provides important programs and resources, and develops lasting partnerships with the international art community and the general public.
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