Film Review

Sabbath Queen’s Bold Spiritual Journey

By Michael Jacobsohn

I recently attended a screening of Sabbath Queen at the DCTV Firehouse Cinema in Lower Manhattan, a premier venue for independent documentaries in the New York metropolitan area. Sabbath Queen is a feature-length documentary directed and produced by Sandi Simcha DuBowski, acclaimed for his earlier work Trembling Before G-d. That groundbreaking 2001 film explored the lives of gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews struggling to reconcile their sexual orientation with the prohibitions of Jewish law.

With Sabbath Queen, DuBowski returns to the insular world of Orthodox Judaism, chronicling the extraordinary, often conflicted life of Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie. Amichai is a descendant of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis, including chief rabbis of Israel. Before filming began, DuBowski spent five years building trust with Amichai. The film follows Amichai before his ordination, capturing him as a drag queen, a queer father, and the founder of Lab/Shul—a progressive, inclusive, and experimental pop-up congregation in New York City.

At 105 minutes, the film is a substantial undertaking, but DuBowski masterfully sustains the narrative, continually revealing new challenges for Amichai to confront. In the latter part of the film, we witness Amichai—who had long critiqued and operated outside traditional Jewish frameworks—make the unexpected decision to pursue rabbinical ordination at the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. For Amichai, this step was about gaining legitimacy and effecting change from within the system.

After years of study and eventual ordination, Rabbi Amichai faces a profound dilemma: how to officiate marriages that include unions between Jews and non-Jews, a practice not permitted by the Jewish Theological Seminary. The film does not shy away from the difficulty of this choice, offering viewers a candid look at the personal and institutional challenges faced by those seeking to expand the boundaries of tradition.

Another challenge for DuBowski, as for all documentarians, was determining whose voice would guide the narrative. Initially, DuBowski attempted to narrate the story himself, but after nine months, he realized this approach was ineffective. The film ultimately finds its voice through extensive interviews with Rabbi Amichai and his brother Benny, an Orthodox rabbi in Jerusalem. Benny serves as both a critic and a supporter of Amichai’s unconventional spiritual journey, highlighting the tension between tradition and innovation within Judaism. His presence offers a compelling counterpoint to Amichai’s quest for religious transformation.

To create this remarkable profile, DuBowski filmed 1,800 hours of footage over 21 years, gathered more than 1,000 hours of archival material, and spent six years editing the documentary. As a documentarian myself, I am in awe of DuBowski’s unwavering commitment to telling this story. His dedication is nothing short of heroic, and the result is a film that is both intimate and expansive in its exploration of faith, identity, and change.

Filmmaker DuBowski’s job is far from over. After spending more than two decades documenting Rabbi Amichai’s remarkable journey, he now faces the monumental task of sharing his film with the public. Sabbath Queen premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival and has since garnered numerous screenings and awards from around the world. The film is currently in theatrical release in the U.S. and Canada. At the box office, the film has made some money, but it will likely be a long time before it recoups the costs of production—a common challenge for documentaries. Hopefully, more money can be garnered through a lucrative streaming deal. Another source of income for documentarians is organizational screenings, where filmmakers sometimes serve as guest speakers for sizable fees.

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Why Make A Documentary?

It is estimated that between 800 and 1,500 documentary films are produced annually in the United States. Box office data shows that the number of documentary films released theatrically in the U.S. fluctuates, with 81 released in 2022. Placing highly on the festival circuit, unfortunately, guarantees little. For example, at the Sundance Film Festival—a major gateway for documentary distribution—only about 1.9% of submitted feature documentaries are selected. Selection at a prestigious festival is often a prerequisite for securing lucrative distribution deals, but the vast majority of documentaries never reach this stage.

With such daunting statistics, the question becomes: why make a documentary? For many filmmakers, the answer is passion. There is a unique thrill in working on a film that allows you to express yourself, and the dream of being recognized for your work persists. Sadly, I have witnessed several filmmaker friends take a break from the daunting task of making films. Hopefully, the sun will shine soon, and there will be a more fertile ground for producing our passion projects.

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Michael Jacobsohn is an independent New York filmmaker. His recently completed “The Cornelia Street Cafe In Exile” documentary has been screening successfully at New Plaza Cinema. He also curates a bi-monthly screening of short films by New York filmmakers at New Plaza Cinema.

 

Coming Soon: Tribeca Festival 2025

On a brisk day in early spring, I arrived at the office of the Tribeca Festival, where I had the opportunity to learn more about this year’s event from Cara Cusumano, the festival director and vice president of programming. Cusumano has been involved with the festival since 2008 and has played a key role in shaping its vision.

Last year, the film festival received a record-breaking 13,000 submissions from around the world, including roughly 8,000 short films. Only a fraction of these made it to the festival’s red carpet. Cusumano explained that Tribeca’s open call policy welcomes filmmakers worldwide and every entry undergoes a rigorous qualifying process. The festival is dedicated to discovering new talent, particularly those with limited exposure, and continues to champion diverse and underrepresented voices. Cusumano, who participated in this year’s feature film selection, described the thrill of discovering a first-time filmmaker who has never been on the festival circuit.

I look forward to reporting from this year’s festival next month and highlighting some of the standout short films and feature-length documentaries that have been selected. Short films, in particular, have become a favorite among Tribeca audiences. In response, the festival will dedicate an entire cinema to showcasing short films, providing a unique platform for emerging storytellers.

Our downtown neighborhoods have a long tradition of embracing the arts and sustaining countless working artists. We are fortunate to have the Tribeca Festival shine a global spotlight on our creative community. This year’s festival runs from June 4-15.

Find out more at: tribecafilm.com