What is the title of a 2001 award winning documentary film directed by Sandi Simcha DuBowski about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews trying to reconcile their sexuality with their faith?
Trembling Before G-d Trembling Before G-d Trembling Before G-d is a 2001 American documentary film about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews trying to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. It was directed by Sandi Simcha DuBowski, an American who wanted to compare Orthodox Jewish attitudes to homosexuality with his own upbringing as a gay Conservative Jew. The film received ten award nominations, winning seven, including Best Documentary awards at the 2001 Berlin and Chicago film festivals. However, some criticized the film as showing a one-sided view of Orthodox Judaism's response to homosexuality. These include South African Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein as well as
Sandi Simcha DuBowski and Steven Greenberg, the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, have traveled to 60 cities and organized over 400 question-and-answer sessions, dialogues, events, inter-faith discussions. "Tomboychik" is a 15-minute video directed by and starring DuBowski. The story, shown through a series of vignettes, centers around his relationship with his grandmother, Malverna DuBowski, as 22-year-old Sandi DuBowski attempts to teach his 88-year-old grandmother how to film. The short video portrays struggles against gender roles and patriarchy. The Melbourne International Film Festival described the film: Growing up, DuBowski had not known any Orthodox Jews. The main motivation to make the film was curiosity.