Judaism

In 2008, Sacha Sewhdat returned from attending school in England, and saw that the same irreverence for religion had become more prevalent in North America. He observed that people's inability to understand religion was a direct result of negative stereotypes portrayed by the media. Anyone speaking on behalf of religion came across as caricatures by the way they spoke, dressed and behaved. "I decided to find people to talk to who were reasonable, rational and intelligent, and could respond to my questions without getting angry or offended." What resulted was a journey and examination of faith and culture, and how these things have collided in his hometown of Toronto. "In the end, it's shown me that there's a lot to know and if I want to be part of this dialogue, and be helpful, I need to give everyone a fair shake." This documentary will educate and inform your worldview, as well as challenge what you think you know about Religion.

In My Parents’ Basement is an award-winning documentary that explores with sensitivity, humour and depth the stories of three adult children who have returned to their parents’ home to live. As we watch each of the subjects and their families grapple with living together. Future dreams, past failures and the present struggles of daily life are captured in close-up over a nine-month period of time. Through conversations, anecdotes, arguments and unpredictable emotional highs and lows, In My Parents’ Basement sheds light in the parent/(adult) child bond and offers insight into the myriad of issues triggered by an adult family living together, once again. In this darkly humorous hour-long documentary, we meet Bob, an articulate 34 year-old who has lived with his parents for two years and shows no signs of moving out. He struggles with depression, dislikes sunlight, and can’t seem to hold down a job. Nancy, at age 42, is vulnerable: she was kicked out of her boyfriend’s apartment and can’t afford a place of her own. She’s sharing the basement with her grandmother, while trying to get her pet grooming business off the ground. Denise and David are a young married couple. They work full time, but have moved in with Denise’s parents to save money for a house. Living with the in-laws, though, has turned them into permanent infants. In My Parents’ Basement reflects a growing phenomenon in today’s society, and as the documentary unravels, it becomes painfully clear that being a parent or a child is a lifelong calling that requires superhuman patience, compassion, and strength.

This documentary film takes an historical look at the Jewsih community of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia from the turn of the 20th century to their 100th anniversary in 2001. Interviews are done with remaining members of the Jewish community as well as others who have lived in the town and grew up together with them. The film tells the stories of community, struggle and achievement. It played at the 2003 Vancouver Jewish Film Festival.

“Leaving the Fold” is a documentary film about young Hassidic or ultra-Orthodox Jews in Montreal , New York and Israel who can no longer tolerate living in the world in which they were born. They are prepared to turn their backs on their relationships with their parents, their siblings and their sheltered community to make their way into secular society. “Leaving the Fold” follows the lives of several young Hassids, both male and female, 18 to 25 years old as they try to free themselves from a most colourful yet repressed community, to enter our baffling world of endless choices. This is a film about spiritual journeys in the opposite direction, from the constraints and the strange beauty of religious fundamentalism to the uncertainties of personal freedom.