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a film about
fear and transcendence
Screened at Sundance
written and directed
by Jay Rosenblatt
18 minutes •16mm
color/B&W • 2000
RENTAL: VHS or DVD $45
ITEM# KJ104
TO ORDER
FILM RENTAL: Contact Canyon Cinema
King of the Jews is divided into three sections, each one a genre in itself. The first section (Jesus and Me) is a narrative evocation of growing up as a Jewish boy in the late 1950's in Brooklyn and my first confrontations with Jesus and the feelings of being an outsider. The images consist of home movies shot by my father inter-cut with super 8 images of New York and found footage imagery from 1950's educational films.The second section (One of Us) follows more of a documentary format. It explores the roots of Christian anti-Semitism, examining the historical Jesus and uncovering the distortions in the early Christian gospels.
The third section (The Light Is All About Us) is experimental and lyrical. It brings the viewer into a spiritual, almost trance-like space, a place to reflect on one's own religious beliefs and the alternate feelings of alienation and inclusion we all experience.
My transformation from childhood fear of Jesus to adult appreciation for his teachings was the catalyst for this film. King of the Jews explores the challenges and fears of being an outsider, of holding beliefs different from the mainstream. The myth that "the Jews" killed Jesus has been responsible for centuries of pain and destruction. After 2000 years, the wound is still open.The film uses the resurrection of Christ as a metaphor for personal renewal. Only by acknowledging and healing past injustices can we get closer to our shared humanity.
• Cast & Credits •
Written, directed, edited, photographed & produced by Jay Rosenblatt
Creative consultant & co-editor: Caveh Zahedi
Associate producer & optical printing: John Turk
Co-writer: Stephanie Rapp
• REVIEWS •
"(A) gem ... a deft found-footage construction. Mixing personal voiceover, home movies, educational filmstrips, and Hollywood clips, Rosenblatt examines conceptions of Christ. In King of the Jews, documentary’s two wires cross and ignite: form and content, story and storytelling. It goes to show that good things can come in small packages."
– Patricia Thomson, IndieWire.com, Park City 2000
"…King of the Jews is another historical landmark in the Rosenblatt oeuvre."
Susan Gerhard, SF Bay Guardian, Rep Picks
"A highly emotional personal essay on Christian anti-Semitism that weaves together history, autobiography and snippets of Hollywood films depicting the life of Jesus."
–Stephen Holden, The New York Times
"King of the Jews is a stark and moving visual meditation on Jewish identity in the post-Holocaust (and still Christian) world. It is a painfully beautiful and brief personal collage. This film is a useful tool for sparking classroom and small group discussion, guaranteed to provoke awe, thought and some necessary discomfort."
–Dr. Sanford Lowe, Professor, religious studies, Santa Rosa Junior college
"A transcendent channel-surfing passion play…Rosenblatt turns celluloid water into wine."
–Bruce Bennett, Time Out New York
"An evocative catalyst for discussion that succinctly reveals not only the Christian roots of anti-Semitism but also evokes our desire to heal the world."
–Janis Plotkin Director, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
"Funny and terrifying."
–Goldie Charles, Jewish Week
• AWARDS & SCREENINGS •
- Grand Prize - USA Film Festival
- Best Editing Award - Ann Arbor Film Festival
- First Prize - Big Muddy Film Festival
- Best Experimental Film - Humboldt Film Festival
- First Prize - Black Maria Film & Video Festival
- Grand Prize - Marin County National Festival of Short Films
- Director’s Choice Award - Convergence Film/Video/Animation Festival
Selected Screenings:
- Sundance Film Festival
- Tampere International Short Film Festival, Finland
- Los Angeles Independent Film Festival
- Melbourne International Short Film Festival, Australia
- Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival, Portugal
- Images Film Festival, Toronto
- Odense Film Festival, Denmark
- Norwegian Short Film Festival, Norway
- Florida Film Festival
- It's All True Documentary Film Festival, Brazil
- Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema
- Athens Film and Video Festival
- Wisconsin Film Festival
- Atlanta Film and Video Festival
- Carolina Film & Video Festival
- One Reel Film Festival, Seattle
- Denver International Film Festival
- San Francisco Cinematheque
- European Media Art Festival, Osnabruck, Germany
- Film Forum, New York (part of one week theatrical run)
- Palm Springs Short Film Festival
- Vancouver International Film Festival
- Uppsala International Short Film Festival, Sweden
Complete List of Awards & Screenings
Awards:
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